State Orphaned Wells Program

Grants Program Overview

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law creates three types of grants for the state program:

• Initial Grants ($5 million - $25 million per eligible state)
• Formula Grants ($2 billion total)
• Performance Grants ($1.5 billion total)

In general, a state may use funding for any of the following purposes:

1. To plug, remediate, reclaim orphaned wells located on state and private land.
2. To identify and characterize undocumented orphaned wells on state and private land.
3. To rank orphaned wells based on factors including the following priorities:
   • Public health and safety,
   • Potential environmental harm and
   • Other land-use priorities.
4. To make information regarding the use of funds received under this program available on a public website.
5. To measure and track—
   • emissions of methane and other gases associated with orphaned wells and
   • contamination of groundwater or surface water associated with orphaned wells.
6. To remediate soil and restore native species habitat that has been degraded due to the presence of orphaned wells and associated pipelines, facilities and infrastructure. 
7. To remediate land adjacent to orphaned wells and decommission or remove associated pipelines, facilities and infrastructure.   
8. To identify and address any disproportionate burden of adverse human health or environmental effects of orphaned wells on communities of color, low-income communities and Tribal and indigenous communities.
9. To administer a program to carry out any activities described above.

A state may not use more than 10% of the funds received during a fiscal year for administrative costs, with the exception of the small-scale Initial Grant.

Pre-Award Resources

Funding Announcements - Grant Solutions

• Apply for a Directed Announcement: How-To
• All recipient training is available through the Grant Solutions Training Site.

• If further assistance is required, the Grants Solutions Help Desk is available to assist with all Grant Solutions products and services.

  Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET (closed on federal holidays) Phone: 1 - 866 - 577 - 0771 Email: help@grantsolutions.gov

Post-Award Resources

• Methane Measurement: Methane Reduction Tracking | U.S. Department of the Interior (doi.gov)
• Data Reporting Template
• DOI Standard Terms & Conditions
• Davis-Bacon Act: Requires payment of local prevailing wages to construction workers performing work on federally funder construction projects for contracts in excess of $2,000. Learn more.
• Build America Buy America Act: Requires that all of the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in infrastructure projects are produced in the United States. Learn more.
• SAM.gov: System for Award Management (SAM) is an official site of the U.S. Government where you can register to do business with the U.S. Government, update/check status of your entity registration, search publicly available award data, search for assistance listings, wage determinations, contract opportunities/reports, etc. Learn more.
• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR 200): Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
  1. Subrecipient and Contractor Determinations eCFR :: 2 CFR 200.331 -- Subrecipient and contractor determinations.
  2. Requirements for Pass-through entities eCFR :: 2 CFR 200.332 -- Requirements for pass-through entities. 
  3. Remedies for noncompliance eCFR :: 2 CFR 200.339 -- Remedies for noncompliance.
  4. Mandatory Disclosures eCFR :: 2 CFR 200.113 -- Mandatory disclosures.