New York State, which has plugged nearly 500 abandoned gas and oil wells, recently completed plugging the first orphaned gas well with federal funding in the state in southern Erie County.
The well, near a small shopping plaza at 7286 Olean Road in Holland, was plugged with money from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The U.S. Department of Interior awarded New York State $25 million last year to bolster the state’s ongoing efforts to help reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions from aging and abandoned oil and gas infrastructure, as well as protect ground and surface waters.
Abandoned, or orphaned, wells are oil and gas wells, some drilled in the 1800s, that have not been operated or maintained according to current regulations. They can pose significant threats to public safety and the environment.
The DEC and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority have deployed state-of-the-art drone technology to map and locate the oil and gas wells.
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