D24AP00375

Energy Community Revitalization Program: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Sec. 40601(d) Orphaned Well Tribal Program

Award Purpose: Funding through the program may be utilized to plug, remediate or reclaim orphaned wells on tribal land, restore soil and habitat in the degraded area, decommission or remove associated infrastructure, identify and characterize additional undocumented wells on tribal land, and set up well-plugging capacity where not already established.

Section 40601(d) of the BIL creates an orphaned well site plugging, remediation, and reclamation grant program within the Department of Interior to address orphaned wells and well sites on tribal lands.

Activities to be Performed: This grant funds the Osage Nation to perform the following activities:

- Plug, remediate, or reclaim an orphaned well on tribal land.
- Remediate soil and restore habitat that has been degraded due to the presence of an orphaned well or associated pipelines, facilities, or infrastructure on tribal land.
- Remediate tribal land adjacent to orphaned wells and decommission or remove associated pipelines, facilities, and infrastructure.
- Provide an accounting of the cost of plugging, remediation, and reclamation for each orphaned well site on tribal land.
- Identify and characterize undocumented orphaned wells on tribal land and develop or administer a tribal program to carry out any activities described in this section.

Activities funded by this grant must comply with the Uniform Guidance for Grants and Agreements (2 CFR 200), Build America Buy America, Davis-Bacon Act, and BIL, and include all costs necessary to conduct and manage the approved project, such as equipment and contracted services.

There are more than 43,000 wellbores on the Osage Reservation including more than 1,600 documented orphaned wells.

With this funding, the Osage Nation will be able to protect lands and water while addressing environmental and health hazards caused by these orphaned wells on the Osage Reservation.

Expected Deliverables or Outcomes:

- Plug, remediate, or reclaim up to 137 orphaned wells on tribal lands.
- Decrease the amount of methane emissions from orphaned wells.
- Enhance the protection of public health, safety, and property from adverse effects of oil drilling practices from orphaned wells on tribal lands.
- Locate, assess, characterize and/or inventory undocumented orphaned wells on tribal lands.
- Restore land and water resources, the environment, and property from oil drilling activities, facilities, and associated pipelines from orphaned wells on tribal lands.
- Develop or administer a tribal orphaned wells program.

Intended Beneficiaries: The general public benefits directly and indirectly from the proposed project that addresses long overdue infrastructure and environmental improvements to strengthen our resilience to the changing climate and to mitigate the effects of legacy pollution.

This investment on tribal lands across the country will grow the economy sustainably and equitably for decades to come.

Information and data collected by this project will be made available as applicable.

The general public will benefit by removing hazardous legacy facilities, including in disproportionately impacted communities where work will be prioritized.

Subrecipient Activities (if known or specified at time of award): N/A

Osage Nation

REDUCE METHANE GAS EMISSIONS FROM ORPHANED WELL SITES ON TRIBAL LANDS. ENHANCE THE PROTECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY FROM ADVERSE EFFECTS OF OIL DRILLING PRACTICES FROM ORPHANED WELLS ON TRIBAL LANDS. RESTORE LAND AND WATER RESOURCES FROM OIL DRILLING ACTIVITIES AND ASSOCIATED PIPELINES FROM ORPHANED WELLS ON TRIBAL LANDS. REMEDIATE AND RESTORE LAND AND WATER RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT PREVIOUSLY DEGRADED BY THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION AND DRILLING ACTIVITIES ON TRIBAL LANDS.

15.018 - Energy Community Revitalization Program (ECRP)

Interior Business Center (IBC) [DOI]

Oklahoma United States

State-Wide

D-AQD-FA-24-013