IIJA Orphaned Well Site Restoration (Louisiana)

IIJA Orphaned Well Site Restoration (Louisiana) is sponsored by Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) through U.S. Department of the Interior. The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) is participating in the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) initiatives for the restoration of orphaned oil and gas well sites.

Louisiana DENR Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Orphaned Well Projects | Archive Site of Department of Energy and Natural Resources | State of Louisiana NOTICE: As of Oct. 1, 2025, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) has become the Department of Conservation and Energy (C&E). We appreciate your patience as we transition over the coming months.

If you cannot find the information needed on this website, please visit our C&E Website at www. dce. louisiana.

gov or contact us at info@la. gov. IIJA Louisiana Federal Projects Orphaned Well Site Restoration Welcome to the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DNR) information page on activity, funding and projects associated with Louisiana’s participation in the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 initiatives dealing with restoration of orphaned oil and gas well sites.

Follow this link for the 1/31/2022 press release summarizing the initiative. This webpage is intended to be a centralized point to inform all interested parties about DENR’s plans, reports, project information, requests for contracts and opportunities for input into Louisiana’s administration of the federally funded program.

DENR has submitted its application for initial grant funding through Section 40601 (Orphaned Well Site Plugging, Remediation, and Restoration) of the IIJA. DENR’s plans for the IIJA orphaned well site plugging, remediation, and restoration grant money are to significantly augment the efforts of Louisiana’s existing Oilfield Site Restoration (OSR) Program in addressing Louisiana’s orphaned well sites.

At the time of initial notice of the federal program, Louisiana had more than 4,600 wells identified as being orphaned – meaning wells that no longer have a responsive operator. Louisiana’s OSR program has been able to address 120 to 200 or more orphaned wells annually in recent years under its existing state funding model.

DENR has applied for the Initial Grant of $25 million outlined by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), which is administering the IIJA orphaned well funding to states through a series of funding phases.

In addition to the work of plugging orphaned wells, DENR plans to use Initial Grant funding to establish systems and protocols surrounding elements recommended by DOI - including establishing or revising protocols and programs for methane and water quality testing and monitoring; addressing disproportionate impacts to disadvantaged communities from orphaned wells; and creating jobs to restore oilfield sites.

Additionally, Louisiana is looking at other opportunities to establish job training for well site plugging and restoration work. A portion of the Initial Grant monies will also be used to gather additional data on Louisiana’s orphaned wells and wells likely to become orphaned in the near future, including risk factors for methane emissions.

This will provide DOI with the updated information it has requested for future phases of program funding under the announced Formula Grants and Regulatory Improvement Grants. Later funding phases and DENR’s plans for how to make use of them will be detailed as DOI further develops program criteria and makes more information available to the state.

On January 17, 2023, the first orphan well was permanently abandoned utilizing initial grant funding from the IIJA. The Bell No. 001 (SN 55575) was permanently abandoned in Caddo Pine Island by Lemoine Disaster Recovery and local contractors. Initial Grant site restoration operations were carried out in both the Shreveport and Monroe districts.

Projects funded by the Initial Grant continued through October 2023. On January 19, 2023, representatives of the DOI visited Louisiana for the first time since the passing of the IIJA. Members of DOI, Department of Labor, Department of Labor, the Delta Regional Authority, and the DENR visited multiple orphan sites in Tullos, Louisiana, including an ongoing permanent abandonment by the Dynamic Group and other sites in the downtown area.

Additionally, members of DOI, Department of Labor, Department of Labor, DENR, a local Louisiana industry representative, the Delta Regional Authority, the Office of the Governor, and the local labor community were able to participate in panels on the IIJA and a round table on workforce development.

On May 16, 2024, representatives of the DOI again visited Louisiana, along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff and employees of the state Office of Conservation, to see work being completed on an orphaned well site at the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area in the Atchafalaya Basin. Follow this link to visit the news and document archives webpage.

Federal Documents and Announcements Guidance documents provided by the Federal Government are included below. EPA on Methane - 4/11/2022 Additional documents will be uploaded once they are available. DENR Submissions and Correspondence Documents submitted to the Federal Government are collected here.

Notice of Intent - 12/23/2021 Status - Submitted Initial Grant Application - 5/12/2022 Status - Approved Revised SF 424A Fillable form; will not open in browser. Right click, "Save As" locally, then open in Adobe.

List of wells plugged through end of most recent quarter DOI Request for Clarification - 6/28/2022 Response to DOI - 7/1/2022 IIJA Quarterly Report - 9/30/2023 DENR submitted third quarterly report for the IIJA grant to the DOI covering from July 1, 2023 – September 30, 2023.

Response to the Formula Grant Guidance – 3/24/23 The Department of Interior has finalized the initial formula grant guidance, and LDENR is in the process of finalizing its application. Federally Funded Projects and Activities LSU Methane Study – LSU has released initial report on the collaborative LSU/DENR methane measurement project funded through federal IIJA grant Follow this link to view current orphan wells .

Wells within this dataset will be included in upcoming projects. Orphan well location prior to plugging and abandonment activities. Matted orphan well location- allows the contractor to access the site during wet conditions.

Potential Wells in Review Process The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources is currently reviewing these wells to be included in upcoming IIJA funding work. This is a potential list of wells, and should not be considered final. Further, this list will periodically update Visit the Archives webpage for awarded projects information.

Forms, Reports, Documents Office of Mineral Resources Office of Coastal Management Technology Assessment Division Copies of Reports/Publications Louisiana’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program Louisiana 40401(d) Grid Resilience Formula Grant Award Policy Papers/Technical Presentations Copies of Reports/Publications Louisiana Energy Facts Archive 2024 Royalty Reduction Program State Mineral and Energy Board Special Notice/Announcements Step 2: Pre-Nomination Research Step 4: Examination & Evaluation Step 6: Submission of Bids Step 7: Bid Examination/Evaluation Engineering-Administrative Inspection and Enforcement Oilfield Site Restoration Exploration & Production Waste Ground Water Resources Program West LA O&G Fields, Orders Mgt.

Section East LA O&G Fields, Programmatic Support Section Underground Injection Control Rules and Rulemaking/Fees Interagency Affairs & Field Services Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Local Coastal Management Programs Oil Spill Coordinator's Office Featured Services A-Z Listing Ground Water Resources Program RFPs, SFP, RSIQs - Contracts State Energy Data & Analysis Class VI Carbon Sequestration Sulphur Mines Response Notice of Publication State Mineral Lease Sale Amicus Clarification