$58.6 million sent to clean up abandoned oil wells in Kansas

About $58.6 million will help clean up around 5,400 abandoned oil wells in Kansas.

On Thursday, Feb. 3, Representative Sharice Davids said $58.6 million is headed to the Sunflower State to help clean up over 5,400 hazardous, abandoned oil and gas wells that pollute backyards, recreation areas and public spaces across Kansas.

"Abandoned oil and gas wells pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of communities across Kansas, with the vast majority of these sites in the eastern part of our state," said Davids. "With funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to clean up our communities and our environment, we are also creating jobs and inviting economic opportunity to these areas."

Davids said the historic investments to clean up the sites will create union jobs, introduce new economic opportunities and reduce dangerous methane leaks.

As Vice-Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Davids said she helped lead the investments to passage.

"Addressing the abandoned well issue in Kansas is critical to our environmental protection mission. Given the potential costs associated with plugging abandoned oil and gas wells, we appreciate the availability of federal funds to complement the state's well-plugging fund. Together, these funds will accelerate our well-plugging efforts and help ensure freshwater resources are protected," said Dwight D. Keen, Chair of the Kansas Corporation, the agency that regulates oil and natural gas production in the state.

Davids said around 81,000 abandoned drilling sites across the nation are at risk of dangerous methane emissions and leaking toxic pollution into nearby communities - including 34 in Johnson Co., and over 375 in Miami Co.

About 9 million Americans live within a mile of these hazardous sites, which exposes families to critical environmental public health threats.

In Kansas, Davids said wells are prioritized for action if they pose a threat to the public water supply or safety and 14 of these are currently rated as a high priority.

According to the Rep., the bipartisan infrastructure law includes $4.7 billion in new federal funding to help communities plug abandoned wells. She said the first phase of that funding totals about $1.15 billion across 26 states.

Previously, Davids announced the law would bring $225 million to repair bridges, over $13 million for airports and $79 million for water infrastructure across Kansas.

Davids said the bipartisan infrastructure law has been called the most fiscally responsible billion at least a decade by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.