FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Vaibhav Vijay (Vaibhav.Vijay@mail.house.gov)
Kyla Gill (Kyla.Gill@mail.house.gov)

Rep. Summer Lee Leads Bipartisan Group Urging Senate Committee to Hold Hearing on Abandoned Wells Remediation and Development Act

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Summer Lee (D-PA) led a bipartisan group of eight members of Congress in sending a letter to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, urging them to hold a hearing on the Abandoned Wells Remediation and Development Act (H.R. 4877/S. 429). The legislation, which recently passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, seeks to establish a research, development, and demonstration program at the Department of Energy to address the growing environmental threat posed by abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States.

The letter, addressed to Committee Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY), emphasizes the critical need for accurate mapping and data collection on the estimated 700,000 to 3,000,000 abandoned wells across the country. These unplugged wells, some of which date back to the 1850s, are significant sources of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, and pose ongoing risks to groundwater resources.

In the letter, Rep. Lee and her colleagues highlighted the importance of leveraging the latest remote sensing technologies to better understand methane emission rates and explore potential repurposing alternatives such as geothermal power. The legislation would also help catalyze efforts to remediate the thousands of documented orphaned wells in Wyoming and West Virginia, the respective home  states of the senators that have been significantly impacted by this issue.

You can read the full letter here:

“The Abandoned Wells Remediation and Development Act represents a crucial first step in addressing a widespread environmental hazard that affects communities across the nation,” said Rep. Lee. “This bipartisan and bicameral effort will not only advance our understanding of the environmental impact of abandoned wells but also explore innovative solutions to repurpose them for clean energy development. We urge the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to hold a hearing on this important legislation and move it forward.”

The letter was co-signed by Reps. Susan Wild (D-PA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), and Mike Kelly (R-PA).

The Abandoned Wells Remediation and Development Act was introduced in the Senate by Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND). With bipartisan support in both chambers, the legislation stands as a promising opportunity to address a pressing environmental challenge.

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Since taking office in January 2023, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $1.85 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 2,300 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports

Social: Today, I led a bipartisan group urging the Senate Energy Committee to hold a hearing on my Abandoned Wells Remediation and Development Act. With over 8,500 abandoned wells found in PA alone, we must act now to ensure these sites don’ continue polluting our communities.