The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make funds available to eligible States for the purpose of mitigating methane emissions from marginal conventional wells (MCWs) by providing financial assistance to operators/well owners to voluntarily and permanently plug and abandon MCWs (including elements of environmental restoration required to comply with applicable State or Federal plugging and abandonment standards and regulations) on non-Federal lands as well as monitor methane emissions from MCWs.

Objectives and Scope

Applications are limited to projects that are directly related to the permanent plugging and abandonment of MCWs on non-Federal lands in accordance with applicable State or Federal standards and regulations. These activities will include:

• permanently plugging MCWs located on non-Federal lands,
• measuring methane emissions associated with MCWs, and
• administering the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) identified in the grant agreement in accordance with all applicable State and Federal standards and regulations.

These activities may also include:

• supporting elements of environmental restoration associated with the plugged MCWs as required for compliance with any applicable State and Federal standards and regulations for well plugging and abandonment.

In particular, projects will support permanent well plugging and abandonment activities on MCWs.

Projects will also support monitoring (via discrete measurements) of methane emissions associated with the MCWs.

Projects may also support elements of environmental restoration required for full compliance with applicable State or Federal well plugging and abandonment standards and regulations.