Join us for an opening session with the US Department of the Interior to understand federal funding allocations. 

• Learn about the strategic allocation of federal funding to best address pressing orphan and idle wells 
• Gain insights into the coordinated approach by federal agencies 
• Explore challenges, opportunities, and stories of success 

Explore the history of the Texas Railroad Commission’s state-managed plugging program, including state-managed program statistics, current Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) federally funded plugging project, and success stories.

• This session will discuss the environmental impacts of orphaned and idle wells  using the latest research and  the role of geological studies in effective remediation and reclamation practices.
• Insights into current levels of groundwater contamination, soil degradation, and methane emissions, and their impact on the environment in 2024.
• Methodologies and improved best practices for assessing environmental risks and ongoing mitigation efforts. 
• Practices for better integration of geological studies into project planning

This panel will bring together industry experts and technology innovators to explore the latest advancements in well-plugging technologies and their impact on improving orphan well remediation efforts. Panelists will discuss:

• Exploration of advancements in well-plugging technologies.
• Discussion on cutting-edge techniques, materials, and equipment for well plugging.
• Impact of these innovations on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability.
• Insights into transforming orphan well remediation and accelerating well closures.
• Mitigation of environmental and public health risks through advanced technologies.

• Explore long-term policies and solutions for decommissioning, monitoring, and redeveloping the estimated 2-3 million abandoned wells in the U.S., including over a million orphaned wells.
• Discuss the shift in oil and gas operations from drilling to filling or repurposing well sites as shale deposits shrink and states transition to cleaner energy.
• Present case studies of successful policies and programs for cleaning up abandoned sites using trust funds, such as the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Fund and Nuclear Decommissioning Trust (NDT) Funds.
• Address potential job creation from well decommissioning and related workforce development needs.
• Examine the development of fiscal policy solutions and new financial assurance approaches to support long-term well-decommissioning efforts.
   

Orphan wells can be significant sources of methane emissions and accurate detection, and quantification of these emissions is crucial for effective mitigation efforts. Xplorobot has developed a cost-effective solution tailored for measuring methane emissions, in accordance with the United States Department of Interior regulations. The Xplorobot Laser OGI device meets the DOI's 1-gram-per-hour detection threshold and provides emission quantification capabilities. This presentation will showcase field deployments in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio, illustrating the efficacy and versatility of our solution.

In this panel discussion, industry leaders and technology experts will explore the latest innovations and strategies being employed to mitigate orphan and idle wells. The panel will discuss:

• Exploration of the latest innovations and strategies for mitigating orphan and idle wells.
• Emphasis on leveraging technology to address environmental and regulatory challenges.
• Discussions on real-world examples and best practices in well monitoring and maintenance.
• Insights into collaborative strategies driving practical well mitigation efforts.

In this session, we will explore the opportunities and challenges with using carbon credits for plugging orphan wells.

• Discuss the basics, benefits, and regulatory processes for using carbon credits.
• Apply successful case studies of carbon credit-funded well-remediation projects.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of carbon credits as a tool for well-remediation projects.
• Analyse how carbon credits are received by the market and how broad of a solution they may be. 

Join us for interactive afternoon round tables where we will delve into case studies, lessons learnt and tailored industry updates.  Each roundtable has a unique topic, and attendees can select the roundtable of their choice. Bring your questions and feedback! Each roundtable will develop 3 -5 industry recommendations which will be shared with the whole audience, and summarized in the post-event report.

• Strategies for Effective Well Monitoring and Maintenance
   
• Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Challenges
   
• Modifying the options for inactive well plugging extensions to reduce future populations of unplugged wells
  Speaker: Virginia Palacios, Commission Shift
   
• Carbon Credit Certification and Verification Processes
  Speaker: Brad Handler, Program Lead, Sustainable Finance Lab, Payne Institute for Public Policy
   
• Economic Incentives for Operators to Prevent Orphan Wells
   
• Case Studies and Lessons Learned from Successful Reclamation Projects
  Speaker: Ted Boettner, Senior Researcher, Ohio River Valley Institute
   
• Innovative Well-Plugging Techniques and Technologies
   
• Data Analytics and Predictive Modeling for Well Management
   
• Legal and Liability Issues in Well Decommissioning
   

International, federal and state collaboration is required to address challenge areas for Well Closure Systems across the US. In this session, we will unpack the scope of the challenge, including: 

• Considering the economic, technical, and regulatory liabilities. 
• Assessing the appropriate length and depth of due diligence processes to comply with regulatory requirements.
• Working towards international collaboration to address the main challenges and explore opportunities to streamline future processes.

•    Oil Field History – Discuss what we can learn from the many players who have attempted to plug wells, success stories, and more. 
•    Carbon Market in 2024 - Review the new carbon protocol approved for the US compliance market. 
•    Methane Mitigation – Accelerating methane mitigation through sharing best practices
 

Join us for an opening session with the US Department of the Interior, where we will explore the general framework and development of the Regulatory Improve Grant (RIG) programs. We will walk through program development, lessons learned, and best practices for the program and plugging standards. And how they can benefit Orphan Well management in the US in 2024.

This session will describe recent updates to PRIMO: an open-source, optimization-based decision-support tool that is being developed in support of EPA & DOE’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP). PRIMO is designed to aid the broader emission mitigation community, with a particular focus on prioritizing wells for planning and optimizing Plugging and Abandonment (P&A) campaigns, and Project PRIMA – Undocumented Orphaned Well Characterization and Plugging Optimizer

• Learn about how much efficiency can be gained by using PRIMO and perhaps a successful case study showing the best practices in action
• Explore how PRIMO integrates data analytics, advanced algorithms, and optimization techniques to make data-based and transparent recommendations about well plugging. 
• Identify how PRIMO can effectively identify high-risk wells, forecast environmental impacts, and plan efficient and cost-effective abandonment strategies. 
• Review the details of a new interactive GUI and webapp that the team is developing and planning to make available to streamline operations for stakeholders.

Don't miss this especially beneficial presentation for stakeholders seeking advanced technological solutions to address the complex challenges of large-scale well abandonment and emissions reduction.

• Through the Lens of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) , we will explore the potential risks and impacts on ground and surface water from Orphan Wells.  Understand the development and evolution of the AAAS EPI Center Orphaned and Abandoned Wells (OAW) working group
• Review the AAAS’s report on the potential risks and impacts to ground and surface water 
• Evaluate best practices, recommendations and next steps for calculating the impact of Orphan and Idle Wells on water quality 

• Exploration of challenges in implementing carbon credit initiatives within oil and gas operations.
• Addressing measurement and verification (M&V) challenges, regulatory compliance, and financial risks.
• Practical insights, strategies, and best practices for overcoming barriers.
• Maximizing benefits of carbon credit programs.
   

• Discuss P&A costs based on data for 500+ orphaned wells
• Discuss methane emissions based on data from 800+ orphaned wells,
• Extrapolate P&A costs and potential emissions to unplugged Louisiana orphans and idle wells
• Explore how methane measurement influences achievable methane reductions, as well as key uncertainties
   

• Linking leakage rates to leakage pathways
• Variability of primary cementing outcomes
• Uncertainty and consequences – can we ever get it right?
• Repairing: squeeze cementing and how effective this is
• Strategies for reducing leakage

Key topics in this presentation include: 

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): 

• Overview of the significance of the IRA for the industry
• Implications of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program for oil and gas operations

Methane Emissions Reduction Program:

• Details on the program's objectives and requirements and strategies for compliance and effective implementation

Oil and Gas Methane Monitoring & Mitigation:

• Current best practices in methane monitoring
• Collaboration between public and private sectors to achieve sustainability goals

The United States has a long history of oil and gas drilling, dating back to the mid-1800s. This presentation will give an overview of methane emissions in the United States, particularly from oil and gas sources. Additionally, we will delve into primary research on methane and harmful air pollutants originating from legacy wells and the supply chain, as well as other significant environmental impacts.

• Delve into an overview of the National Picture of orphan and idle wells across the Nation. -  
• Review preliminary analytics on the Texas idle well population.
• Participate in a robust discussion surrounding innovative and scalable solutions - from technological advancements to policy recommendations, we will explore viable strategies.

This session will provide an overview of processes that lead to delayed plugging and analyze policy interventions that can ensure timely plugging across Texas. 

• Review maps of orphaned and inactive well counts in Texas alongside rates of plugging and orphaning
• Explore policy levers in Texas for reducing market failures in decommissioning
• Consider emerging risks (e.g. fraudulently plugged wells, carbon injection)