Davids Announces $58.6 Million to Clean Up 5,400 Abandoned Oil Wells in Kansas

Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced that Kansas will receive $58.6 million in new federal funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to clean up more than 5,400 hazardous, abandoned oil and gas wells that are polluting backyards, recreation areas, and public spaces across Kansas. The historic investments to clean up these sites will create good-paying, union jobs, introduce new economic opportunity, and reduce dangerous methane leaks. Davids helped lead these investments to passage through her role as Vice Chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

"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."

"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 compliment 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.

Some 81,000 abandoned drilling sites across the country are at risk of emitting dangerous methane gas and leaking toxic pollution into nearby communities — including 34 in Johnson County and more than 375 in Miami County. Approximately 9 million Americans live within a mile of these hazardous sites, exposing families to critical environmental and public health threats. In Kansas, wells are prioritized for action if they pose a threat to public water supply or safety, and 14 sites are currently rated as high priority.

The bipartisan infrastructure law includes $4.7 billion in new federal funding to help communities plug orphaned wells. The first phase of that funding, announced this week, totals $1.15 billion across 26 states.

Davids previously announced the bipartisan infrastructure law is bringing $225 million to repair Kansas bridges, more than $13 million for airports in the Third District and $79 million for water infrastructure across Kansas in fiscal year 2022. The law has been called the most fiscally responsible infrastructure bill in at least a decade by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.