Start your day by connecting with fellow attendees before the sessions begin.

Our Chair will open the conference with brief remarks on the mission and well plugging efforts and marginal well management across the Northern Appalachian region.

Senator McCormick offers pre-recorded opening remarks underscoring the importance of addressing orphan and idle wells and the shared responsibility to advance practical solutions for energy, environmental, and community well-being. 

How counties can drive orphan and idle well remediation while ensuring long-term community benefits Strategies for engaging local communities, educating the public, and fostering cross-party support for remediation programs.

This opening session will take stock of where things stand today—from public dollars to reactivation pathways and carbon credits—and why the question of how we pay for plugging is more urgent than ever. Designed to frame the day’s conversations, this session offers a clear-eyed view of the current funding landscape and the trade-offs that come with each option.

This session presents new field data from a multi-scale methane measurement campaign of non-producing and orphan wells in Western Canada. Using both ground-based and helicopter-mounted instruments, the research compares detection accuracy and emission variability across different measurement scales, offering insight into how monitoring methods can improve understanding of orphan well emissions and support more effective mitigation strategies.

Recent research has revealed the scale of undocumented wells across Pennsylvania, with major consequences for emissions tracking, liability, and cleanup planning. Learn how new detection methods are helping to reshape state priorities, inform funding decisions, and reveal overlooked risks across the region. The findings have direct implications for regulators, operators, and anyone involved in remediation strategy or environmental compliance.

Accurate identification and assessment of orphan and idle wells is essential for effective plugging and remediation programs. Case studies from the U.S. using SENSYS Magnetometer sensors on UAVs will highlight how advanced survey systems are being applied to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen environmental outcomes.

New research reveals a multibillion dollar gap between plugging liabilities and current financial assurances in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. This session examines the scale of the problem and proposes state and federal reforms including production-based fees, independent plugging funds, and stronger bonding requirements. It also explores how these solutions can support job creation, improve oversight, and reduce long-term risk across the region.

Join facilitated roundtable discussions on a topic of your choice — a chance to share feedback, identify key challenges, and help shape industry recommendations moving forward.

1. Measuring Methane from Non-Producing Wells at Multiple Scales

Accurately quantifying methane emissions from non-producing oil and gas wells requires coordinated approaches across different measurement scales. This session will examine methods for combining ground-based and aerial surveys to detect emissions, with a focus on integrating data for more comprehensive assessments.

           Zachary Mailhot, McGill University

2. Monitoring Wells for Methane Insights

Monitoring data from wells can reveal patterns in methane migration across nearby sites. This session explores how integrated monitoring supports methane measurement, detection, and risk assessment across mixed wellfields.

Lois Bower-Bjornson, Clean Air Council

3. Policy Solutions and Principles

This discussion will explore practical policy frameworks and guiding principles to advance effective, coordinated approaches for orphan and idle well management across the Northern Appalachia region.

Dwayne Purvis, Purvis Energy

As traditional funding sources face uncertainty, innovative financing models are gaining traction for well plugging. From performance-based partnerships to emerging carbon markets, states and operators are exploring alternative paths to sustain remediation efforts. This session examines the growing toolbox of funding strategies.

Start the second day with coffee, light snacks, and a chance to reconnect with fellow attendees before day begins

Our Chair will reflect on key insights from yesterday, outline today’s focus areas, and highlight opportunities to align priorities across the region

Understanding how well plugging influences property values and investment patterns is critical to shaping future development strategies. Drawing from a century of data in Washington County, Pennsylvania, this session explores how historical well activity

correlates with long-term real estate outcomes. It will examine how plugging programs can stabilize or enhance land values, inform regulatory priorities, and guide market expectations for energy-impacted regions.

As orphan well inventories grow across Northern Appalachia and federal funding creates new opportunities, state programs face the challenge of scaling decommissioning efforts while managing limited budgets and tight timelines. This session examines practical strategies for maximizing program efficiency without compromising safety or environmental protection, including data-driven prioritization frameworks, streamlined planning approaches, lessons from across the region.

This interactive discussion will bring together attendees to identify the most pressing priorities shaping orphan well programs across Northern Appalachia. Participants will explore how funding stability, regulatory coordination, data transparency, and public engagement intersect to determine regional progress.

Enjoy snacks and refreshments while networking with peers and exploring our booths and vendor displays.

Isotope geochemistry is providing new tools to identify the origin of stray combustible gas near abandoned and orphaned wells. By distinguishing between thermogenic and biogenic sources and tracing migration pathways, researchers and regulators are improving their ability to pinpoint sources of stray gas, assess well integrity, and guide mitigation strategies.

As production declines in mature fields, marginal and idle wells pose growing challenges for oversight, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning. Clear regulatory frameworks and proactive monitoring are essential to reduce the risk of these wells becoming orphaned and to ensure responsible end-of-life management.

This session will examine policy approaches, enforcement mechanisms, and coordination strategies that strengthen long-term stewardship and accountability for marginal and idle wells.

Join facilitated roundtable discussions on a topic of your choice. This is a chance to share feedback, identify key challenges, and help shape industry recommendations.

• Engaging Communities in Methane Monitoring and Risk Assessment 

Explore how public consultation, community-based monitoring, and transparent data sharing can strengthen methane detection and risk assessment strategies. Discussion will highlight effective outreach approaches and the role of local input in shaping monitoring efforts across diverse wellfields. 

Alejandro Lopez, Carnegie Mellon University

• The Role of Geologic Data and Expertise in Guiding Safe and Cost-Effective Plugging
  How geoscience intersects with regulatory, financial, and community priorities in orphan well programs. Opportunities to leverage subsurface knowledge for repurposing, risk reduction, and long-term monitoring.
  Amy Spaziani, Spaziani GeoServices
• Locating Undocumented Orphan Wells Across Pennsylvania
  Learn how new detection methods are helping to reshape state priorities, inform funding decisions, and reveal overlooked risks across the region.
  Margaret (Meg) Coleman, Environmental Defense Fund

Join us as our speakers take the stage to share key insights from the roundtables and turn them into actionable takeaways for future collaboration.

Enjoy snacks and refreshments while networking with peers and exploring our booths and vendor displays.

Open Forum: Advancing Collaboration and Industry Solutions

Use this time to ask questions, share challenges, and generate ideas for greater industry alignment. This open-format session encourages discussion on gaps, opportunities, and forward-looking strategies that can move well remediation efforts ahead across the region. Bring your insights and help shape the conversation. This is your opportunity to meet everyone in the room, and fill your pocket with business cards until next time!

Brief reflections and comments on how we can continue the conversation throughout the year, collaborate and action across the Northern Appalachian region.