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Designates a short title (naming only), removes a condition that would require States to measure methane emissions to qualify for orphan-well remediation grants, and directs the Interior Secretary to contract with the National Academies to study how plugging and remediation under the orphan-well grant program affect local economic development, housing trends, and environmental benefits. The Secretary must seek the agreement within 180 days, NAS must include at least one State from each U.S. region and consult specified agencies, and NAS must report to Congress no later than 18 months after the last grant is awarded; the study is to be done using amounts otherwise available to the Department of the Interior (no new specific appropriation).
The bill produces useful DOI data and an evidence-based report to better target housing, community development, and remediation policy, but it uses existing Interior funds and may produce delayed or regionally limited findings that reduce usefulness for some communities.
State and local governments, homeowners, and federal agencies (e.g., HUD) will get DOI location data and an evidence-based report showing how plugging and remediation affect economic development and housing trends, enabling better-targeted policy, funding, and community development programs.
Communities with reclaimed sites (rural and urban) may see identification of water-quality and other environmental improvements tied to remediation, supporting future restoration and public-health efforts.
DOI must fund the study from its existing budget, which could divert money from other Interior priorities or slow other DOI programs and services for states and localities.
The report’s timing is tied to the last grant award and could be delayed, leaving communities without timely findings to inform near-term decisions.
The requirement to include only one State per broad region risks missing local variation, reducing the report’s usefulness for some specific rural and urban communities.
Introduced February 11, 2025 by Glenn Thompson · Last progress February 11, 2025