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20 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Kansas could get another $25 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to seal off abandoned oil wells, which can pose a health risk.
Kansas received an initial $25 million in funding to plug wells last year. The Kansas Corporation Commission manages the process. More than 1,200 of the state’s remaining orphaned wells were sealed using that money, according to the KCC.
Wells that are left unplugged could contaminate the water supply and put people’s health at risk.
“Sometimes these things are literally … they’re in people’s backyards,” said Representative Sharice Davids (D-Kansas City).
A main concern is that abandoned wells can lead to methane leaks. The leaks can harm the environment, and large concentrations of methane can make people sick.
“They pose a real physical health safety risk,” Rep. Davids said.
Some wells are more hazardous than others.
“We want to eliminate the ones that could be a threat to drinking water, groundwater and potentially human safety,” said Ryan Hoffman, KCC Oil and Gas Conservation Division Director.
The state began plugging wells in the 1990s, using fees collected from the oil and gas industry. However, the addition of federal funds accelerated the process, according to the KCC.
“They indicated that it sped up the process of plugging these wells by decades,” Rep. Davids said.
Another 25 million would help the state expedite the process even more, according to Rep. Davids.
“We’ve made a lot of progress so far, but we’ve still got a long ways to go,” Hoffman said.
The additional funding would be doled out from the $660 million set aside by the Bipartisan Infrastructure law.
Orphaned wells can be reported through the KCC website.