Morrisey ceremoniously signs bill to update plugging methods for abandoned oil and gas wells in WV

by Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch
May 15, 2025

Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Thursday ceremonially signed a piece of legislation that will change statewide standards for plugging abandoned and orphaned oil and natural gas wells across West Virginia.

House Bill 3336 allows abandoned and orphaned wells in the state to be plugged by piercing the casing of the well and filling it with cement instead of removing the entire infrastructure of the well, which was previously required under state law. 

The bill passed the state House of Delegates 94-1 with five members absent and not voting. With one member absent, the state Senate unanimously adopted the bill on April 11, sending it to Morrisey’s desk for signature.

The new methods for plugging wells will give the state Department of Environmental Protection more “flexibility to adapt to real-world conditions,” said DEP Secretary Harold Ward. The method has been “successfully tested in the field” under a pilot project run by the DEP, according to a news release. Officials at Thursday’s briefing said they’re hopeful that enacting a less burdensome plugging method will allow wells to be plugged quicker using less money.

Ward said there are more than 21,000 abandoned and orphaned wells in the state of West Virginia that can pose varying levels of environmental or health risks for the people and communities near them. Because they are abandoned — meaning the operators have left them and it’s unknown who is responsible for them — the state is on the hook to plug the oil and natural gas wells.

But plugging wells has proven a challenge across West Virginia. For one, the work is expensive. According to the abandoned well mapping tool from the DEP, the cost of plugging each well varies, but generally comes in near or above $100,000.

A majority of wells plugged in the state are paid for using federal dollars allocated over recent years, specifically through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. Per the DEP, both of those federal programs — passed and allocated under former President Joe Biden — are a “significant boon” for the state’s attempts to identify and plug abandoned wells as they provide “substantial” funding to West Virginia that is “crucial” to supporting the state Office of Oil and Gas. 

State funds — allocated to the OOG through industry permit fees, bond forfeitures and severance taxes — also go toward plugging wells, but on a smaller scale. State money covered plugging 18 abandoned wells in 2023 and about 32 in 2024, per the DEP.

Meanwhile, federal funds covered plugging more than 200 abandoned or orphaned wells in 2023 and 2024 respectively. If the federal funding from the IIJA remains active and available, it’s estimated that the state will be able to plug at least 1,200 abandoned wells through 2030.

On Thursday, Morrisey praised the passage of HB 3336, saying it will “protect West Virginia’s natural resources and unique environment.” The law will go into effect on July 5.

“This new law cuts unnecessary regulation, safeguards our ecosystem, and saves taxpayer dollars,” Morrisey said. 

If you suspect the presence of an abandoned oil or natural gas well on your property, report the well to the state DEP by clicking here. 

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