Our Chair will start the day by providing context on the orphan and idle well landscape, highlighting current challenges, cross-state priorities, and opportunities for collaboration and innovation across the US Southwest.

Regulators across the Southwest face complex challenges in managing orphan and idle wells, including varying state policies, limited or uncertain funding streams, and pressing environmental concerns. This panel will discuss strategies for improving inter-state collaboration, optimizing the use of federal funds, and implementing best practices for well plugging and site remediation. Attendees will gain insights into successful regulatory frameworks and innovative approaches adopted by neighboring states.

This session explores how decommissioned oilfields in urban areas—particularly in Northern California—are being repurposed into public parks and community spaces. Focusing on low-income and historically disadvantaged neighborhoods, the discussion will highlight how wellsite conversion can support environmental justice, public health, and local economic revitalization. Learn how agencies and grassroots coalitions are using land reuse as a pathway toward community renewal.

Unrecorded wells present a serious obstacle to cleanup planning, especially in remote or overgrown regions. Emerging methods like drone-based imaging and vegetation pattern analysis are helping uncover wells that don’t appear in official inventories. These tools can identify visual and ecological indicators of past drilling activity, even when documentation is missing or unreliable.
This session will explore how remote survey methods are being applied to discover undocumented wells, and what their use could mean for prioritization and field verification across the Southwest.
 

With over $150 million in new federal funding now flowing to Tribal orphan well programs, and the first carbon credits for methane reduction just issued this year, Tribes are stepping into a pivotal role in land restoration and climate finance. This session explores how Indigenous leaders are leveraging these developments to close dangerous wells, protect cultural heritage, and shape the next phase of carbon market participation—on their terms.

Across the Southwest, the challenge of plugging orphan and idle wells has reached a critical juncture. Billions in federal funding have been deployed, new market-based mechanisms are emerging, and pressure is growing for scalable, lasting solutions. 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.

Selecting the right well for funding depends on access roads, permitting timelines, seasonal constraints, and the quality of historical data. With new tools and software helping operators assess these variables, understanding what funders look for is more important than ever. This session explores how to identify, evaluate, and present marginal and idle wells that meet evolving program criteria.

Offshore decommissioning presents a complex set of environmental, technical, and financial challenges. This session will delve into the latest strategies and best practices for managing offshore infrastructure end-of-life, focusing on sustainable decommissioning practices, regulatory requirements, and risk management. Gain insights into the innovative approaches that can help minimize environmental impact while maximizing the value of decommissioned assets.

A forward-looking address exploring capital trends, risk profiles, and how financial strategy is evolving in response to the orphan and idle well landscape across the Southwest.

As orphan well remediation expands across the Southwest, the risk of disturbing archaeological and cultural heritage sites is growing—particularly in areas with limited historical surveying. This session explores how well plugging intersects with the protection of sacred and ancestral lands, drawing from decades of preservation work in the Greater Chaco Landscape. It will highlight a case study of collaborative efforts between archaeologists, Tribal Nations, and land managers to safeguard heritage while advancing environmental remediation. The session will also examine practical strategies for integrating cultural mapping and consultation protocols into current energy planning and site restoration.

From well inventories to environmental risks, this session examines the national orphan well picture with a lens on Texas as a case study. Attendees will hear about regulatory approaches, idle well trends, and innovations that could inform programs across the Southwest.

Orphan and idle well programs rely on collaboration—but too often, key voices are left out. This session explores how to better engage diverse stakeholders, including Indigenous communities, local governments, and underrepresented groups. We'll look at tools, technologies, and practical strategies that can strengthen trust and deliver better outcomes across the Southwest.

As interest grows in using carbon credits to fund orphan well plugging, the market is still catching up with credible, scalable methodologies. This session brings together leaders developing frameworks to turn well remediation into verified, tradable offsets. We'll explore what’s working, what’s missing, and how the Southwest could help shape the future of this emerging space.

The U.S. Geological Survey is building one of the most comprehensive national views of orphan and idle wells—bringing consistency to fragmented state-level data and helping inform smarter strategies on the ground. This session will explore recent findings from the USGS Orphan Wells Project, including regional trends, mapping tools, and the intersection of science and remediation planning.

Learn how the U.S. Department of the Interior is strategically allocating federal funding to address orphan and idle wells. This session will explore interagency coordination, priority-setting strategies, and real-world results from funded projects.

As carbon credit markets evolve, a new model for orphan well remediation is gaining traction—project developers structuring and financing methane reduction entirely through carbon crediting, without operating in the field. In a year defined by tightening standards and shifting funding landscapes, this session explores how credit-based strategies are delivering credible outcomes, scaling across the Southwest, and opening new pathways for investment in legacy well closure.
This session explores how remote, credit-based models are accelerating methane reductions across the Southwest—and what it takes to make those projects real, reliable, and scalable in 2025.
 

Effective orphan well policy must consider not only technical and regulatory challenges, but also the long-term impact on landowners and surrounding communities. This session will explore how transparency, community oversight, and public engagement are shaping the conversation around idle well remediation in Texas and the Southwest. From data access and reporting to public trust and equity in decision-making, this discussion will highlight what’s working—and where improvements are still needed.

As plugging activity accelerates, questions around liability, risk transfer, and insurance are becoming more complex. New frameworks are emerging to define legal exposure and shape industry obligations across state lines.
Understanding these trends is essential to managing financial and operational risk—particularly as new entities enter the plugging space.
This session will examine evolving legal interpretations, insurance products, and risk-sharing models affecting orphan well programs.