Illinois plans to seal more orphaned gas and oil wells with $25 million in funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Nationwide, the Interior Department awarded $540 million to 24 states for plugging and remediation of more than 10,000 high priority well sites. Illinois has about 4,400 documented orphaned oil and gas wells, primarily in southeastern Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management will oversee the work. Dan Brennan, acting director of oil and gas resource management, told FarmWeek the federal government is projecting an Oct. 1 start date for funding.

“We will try to get our contractors prepared so we can start right away on Oct. 1. We have state funding, and we will try to get those (state-funded) contracts ready in September. That’s what we would like to do. We want to be ready Oct. 1,” Brennan said, adding the same process is used for both state and federal funding.

IDNR gives priority to orphan wells that are threats to public safety. Any that are leaking oil or producing fluid receive top priority, Brennan said.

The second priority is based on a well’s location. Brennan explained that would apply to wells located near a waterway or in a public space. Attention also applies to wells on land productive for farming and hunting.

Typically, IDNR seals 20 to 30 wells a year, according to Brennan. With the influx of federal funds, officials hope to seal 300 to 400 wells, depending on the number of contractors, weather conditions and supplies, Brennan said.

“Now, rain and flooding are a concern,” he said, while cold weather could impact work in the winter.

As for availability of contractors and construction supplies, those shortages are not a current problem, but other states will be ramping up at the same time Illinois will be trying to increase its effort to seal wells, Brennan noted.

The federal funds also will be used to measure and track methane emissions and contamination in groundwater and surface water. The money will allow Illinois to increase its capacity to seal more wells with the purchase of safety equipment, computers, vehicles, gas detectors and other technology that will be used to plug documented wells and to locate undocumented ones that will be sealed in upcoming years.

“I just want to see us get going as soon as possible to plug as many wells as we can,” Brennan said. “We try hard to work with surface owners. We’d like their cooperation.” He added his office tries to make sure surface landowners know what is happening.

Illinois Farm Bureau has consistently received calls from members wanting to deal with site-specific environmental issues stemming from abandoned wells on their property, but there has never been sufficient funding, said Lauren Lurkins, Illinois Farm Bureau director of environmental policy. “We are happy to see those resources restored to address the need,” Lurkins added.

IDNR has started planning, but welcomes public knowledge and concerns about specific wells, according to Brennan. While his office tries to inspect wells, the staff has been assisted by reports of issues, he said.

For more information, call the Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management main office at 217-782-7756 or visit tinyurl.com/mv4t3yzh. IDNR regional oil and gas offices are located at 2517 W. Ninth St., Mount Carmel, 618-262-2106; and 800 S. Locust St., Centralia, 618-533-8979.

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