The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene an ad hoc committee of experts to provide advice to U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Orphaned Wells Program Office (OWPO) on regulatory, technical, scientific, and economic considerations for plugging and remediating orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells. The committee will:

• Examine current and emerging plugging and abandonment technologies, best practices, equipment, and materials for well characterization, wellbore plugging and barrier placement, wellbore integrity and verification, and durability and lifespan. Information from the National Academies workshop on "Practices and Standards for Plugging Orphaned and Abandoned Hydrocarbon Wells" will be considered in this examination.
• Evaluate unexpected or unique circumstances that necessitate varying criteria and standards, including engineering design, cost, logistics, or technical management.
• Assess available data on potential causes, frequency, consequences, and remediation of plug failures.
• Examine post-plugging monitoring techniques, approaches, and technology that are or will be important for the long-term protection of the environment and public health and safety. Include any identified post-plugging risk management best practices to ensure the long-term protection of groundwater and prevention of methane emissions as well as relevant economic considerations.
• Identify technology, materials, or policies that warrant further research and that may contribute to the success of well-plugging and abandonment efforts carried out by industry, states, tribes, and federal agencies.

The recommendations contained in the report may be used by the Government to assist in developing a technical approach to implement the orphan well clean-up as required in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Public Law 117-58). Recommendations which include the consideration of any emerging materials or technology will also provide details on the current maturity, a realistic timeline on availability of the materials and/or technology, and the overall applicability to the specific topic(s) requested.
The statement of task was revised on 05/01/2024.