About the Conference:
The 2026 Northern Appalachia Orphan, Idle and Marginal Wells Conference focuses on one of North America’s most mature oil and gas regions, where tens of thousands of legacy wells intersect with forests, farms, towns, and critical watersheds across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, Kentucky, and neighboring states. With substantial federal and state funding now in motion, the conference provides a practical forum to align operators, regulators, Tribal and Indigenous leaders, and communities around scalable approaches to plugging, reclamation, methane reduction, and repurposing in Northern Appalachia.
Building on the broader Orphan and Idle Wells series, the 2026 program is tailored to the geology, infrastructure legacy, and stakeholder mix of Northern Appalachia, from heavily forested landscapes and rural townships to old production fields and coal–oil–gas overlaps.
Our Commitment: The 2026 conference is committed to convening senior executives and decision makers from across the Northern Appalachia orphan, idle, and marginal well ecosystem for a focused, solutions-oriented program. The event is designed to surface actionable insights, stress-tested strategies, and new partnerships that lower environmental liability, strengthen program delivery, and support long-term risk reduction for communities and landowners in the region.
For more information please contact Brandy Cormier at brandy.cormier@energyconferencenetwork.com
New in 2026: Five Key Benefits
Cutting-edge Industry Insights: Access updated strategies, technologies, and case studies in well identification, plugging, reclamation, repurposing, and marginal well optimization tailored to Appalachian geology and land use.
New Networking Opportunities: Structured matchmaking and small-group sessions help attendees form partnerships around plugging contracts, data and monitoring collaborations, and workforce initiatives across Northern Appalachia.
Environmental and Community Impact: Explore examples of how wellsite identification and transformation are reducing methane emissions, protecting drinking water, improving public health, and supporting economic diversification in rural and energy-impacted communities.
Skills and Workforce Development: Sessions cover field operations, project management, safety, and contracting, alongside new technical skills emerging from methane measurement, remote sensing, data analytics, and advanced remediation technologies used in forested and hard-to-access sites.
Expert Q&A and Collaboration: Participate in open-forum discussions with advisory board members, state program managers, technical experts, and community leaders from across Northern Appalachia.
Attendees from our Orphan and Idle Wells Series
Attendees from the Orphan and Idle Wells series include senior executives, directors, regulators, and technical specialists working across the well management lifecycle. Typical participants include CEOs, presidents, vice presidents, directors, and program managers responsible for regulatory affairs, operations, ESG and sustainability, asset integrity, decommissioning, and remediation, along with area managers, advisors, and project leads from operators, service providers, state and federal agencies, Tribal and Indigenous governments, and community organizations focused on Northern Appalachia’s legacy wells.
WHAT OUR ATTENDEES SAY
"The conference connected long-time oil and gas industry folks with government organizations and with financial and carbon credit organizations in a way that promotes taking action to clean up the industry." -
Michael Goodman, Guardian Plug and Abandonment
"The organizers did an amazing job of structuring a very engaging event where all sides of the issue could be discussed and presented in a cordial and open atmosphere." - Margaret Coleman, Environmental Defense Fund
CONFERENCE SERIES
