Congress·In Committee·H.R. 1217

Orphan Well Grant Flexibility Act of 2025

Congress would let states skip methane measuring and still qualify for orphaned well plugging grants

Feb 11, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

StalledNext up: A house committeeNo action in 17 months

This bill is currently sitting in the House Committee on Natural Resources where it has been since February 2025. No action has taken place on this proposal for 16 months. The bill is considered stalled because the committee must review it before it can move forward.

Legislative Progress

House

No action since February 2025

Senate

President

Law

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 7053 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 7053 (118th) →

Key Points

States could keep qualifying for federal orphaned well plugging grants even if they do not measure methane at wells before plugging them.
States would be allowed (but not required) to use grant money to collect methane monitoring data before or after plugging, and to use those data to make estimates.
The Interior Department would be told to work with the National Academies to study how well-plugging projects affect local communities, like jobs, housing, and possible water quality benefits.
The study must include input from at least one state in each U.S. region and consult with Housing and Urban Development and other groups for data and expertise.
The study would use existing Interior Department funds, and a report would go to Congress after the last grant under the program is awarded.

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