The problem with orphan wells and the prognosis.

I know the proper plugging of abandoned wells is a big issue in Texas, but we have a really tough road ahead of us here in Appalachia. I have attached an article that sheds some light on what we are facing. Look at the numbers, bearing in mind that many of these wells were not properly cased to begin with, and those that were have the casing so compromised as to need a major (costly) remediation. And who pays? Sorry about the paywall.

https://marcellusdrilling.com/2025/03/pa-gov-shapiro-puffs-his-chest-to-announce-plugging-300-old-wells/

9 comments

Comments

Conway Carriage

Did any of those really old wells make it into GIS databases? I can show you exact location of a remediated well, in my back forty, drilled in 1905 on GIS. Or is it complete crap shoot until a track hoe finds them?

p.jackson.pointers

Replying to

In West Virginia some of the old wells had a file made and a rudimentary sketch was made of the location to be placed in the file. These were not surveys, and I've had to track down the actual location on foot with the help of some locals. Usually there is some surface evidence; but with the old-timers disappearing it is sometimes just a crap-shoot.

With the advent of hand-held GPS, some of the bigger companies created their own database of old locations. You had to do your scouting before the leaves came out, as the terrain and tree canopy made your GPS unable to get a signal lock.

Edited

mike

Replying to

Oh man; I had no idea it was like THAT!

Mike

Thank you for this, brother. People don't realize that the Appalachia has the oldest oil wells in America and I think you are right, this issue is going to be a really big issue, really soon, all over America. People need to get their checkbooks ready.

If I were King I would solve part of the problem this way:

Every stripper well abandoned, whether orphanced or not, since 2005, oil or gas, was abandoned because of low, volatile product prices and higher operating costs, a direct cause of the great U.S. shale revolution and overproduction using OPM. What are we doing right now? Overproducing, using OPM. Shale indebtedness continues to go up, not down. Now product prices are headed down, again. Some shit head in the Trump administration said the other day that America was not going to let Saudi Arabia push us around anymore. Right.

So, I say we tax very barrel of shale oil being exported, and every MCF of American gas being exported in the form of LNG, and make the shale sector help pay for plugging all these wells and its own wells. If I was in charge I would have that deal done by Friday, that tax revenue going into an interest bearing account, all for P,A, and D. Every nickle. I know exactly what I'd say to Harold Hamm and Toby Rice too when they whined about it. Word for word. You'd like to be there for that, promise.

p.jackson.pointers

Replying to

As you probably know, and John was asking... You can do a half-assed P&A job, and it is not an issue UNTIL you start pumping in massive amounts of produced water. We have the Ohio Utica as well, and will soon see some SWD wells failing.

Conway Carriage

Replying to

They should be collecting that money at the wellhead. After remediation, and sign off it should be released back to company with interest. There would be no dawdling to plug em after it turned uneconomic to produce the well. Also, the claim on the fund should follow to the current owner of it. Remove incentive to play games with zombie Corps and run with money

john

Mar 13

Paul,

The paywall prevents me from reading the article. I have heard for years that the early wells in PA and WV would become a problem, I hope you can figure out a solution that could be adopted everywhere by industry, regulatory bodies and land owners.

Is produced water an issue up there?

p.jackson.pointers

Mar 14

Replying to

will work on it, I opened it but have a 'script. The produced water is not yet an issue, but we make a lot... Will be some day. Hope you are well John

p.jackson.pointers

Mar 13

Finding these wells is another challenge; permits were not required until 1949 in WV.

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The problem with orphan wells and the prognosis.