Orphaned and abandoned wells can present a risk to the environment and public by emitting methane, contaminating groundwater, and/or impacting ecosystems. The National Academies will convene a workshop to discuss existing practices and standards for plugging orphaned and/or abandoned hydrocarbon wells, including current best practices around well-plugging technologies, standards, and procedures. For the purposes of the workshop, orphaned and abandoned wells are unplugged nonproducing wells with no known owner or operator capable of properly plugging the well and that may not have been operated and maintained in accordance with prevailing statute and regulation.