A senior Interior Department official expressed opposition Tuesday to legislation that backers say would allow states to plug more abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells.
Steve Feldgus, Interior’s principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, detailed the administration’s opposition to H.R. 7053, from Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), in written testimony to the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Feldgus objected to eliminating requirements for states to measure methane leaks before and after plugging a well as a condition for obtaining Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.
The “Orphan Well Grant Flexibility Act,” which Thompson is co-sponsoring with Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Christopher Deluzio, would make it optional for states to measure methane emissions to qualify for grants.
