Dexter, Welch Reintroduce Bicameral Bill to Decommission Offshore Oil and Gas Wells, Platforms, and Pipelines

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, today joined U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), alongside U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter (D-OR-03), in reintroducing the Plug Offshore Wells Act, bicameral legislation to address the growing threat of abandoned offshore oil and gas infrastructure to marine ecosystems and the environment as a result of climate change and extreme weather events. The lawmakers' bill would direct the Department of the Interior (DOI) to submit an annual, publicly available report to Congress on the status of decommissioning offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, and pipelines, in addition to reducing financial burdens on taxpayers by increasing oversight and accountability of Big Oil companies.

"Abandoned offshore oil and gas infrastructure is a growing threat to our oceans and coastal communities," said Rep. Dexter. "For too long, oil companies have walked away from their responsibilities, leaving the public to foot the bill. This legislation brings transparency and accountability to a system that has let Big Oil off the hook, and it ensures we are protecting both our environment and taxpayer dollars. This bill brings transparency, saves taxpayers dollars, and helps us hold corporations accountable that disregard the health and safety of our people and our planet."

"Big Oil's failure to decommission thousands of abandoned offshore oil and gas wells is inexcusable. It's not only costly to taxpayers, but harmful to our environment. As climate change worsens and extreme weather events increase, the harmful consequences of idle and abandoned offshore oil and gas infrastructure only grows," said Senator Welch. "We need to hold oil companies accountable on their promises to decommission abandoned offshore infrastructure to save taxpayer dollars and help protect our marine ecosystems."

"Big Oil has been ditching its responsibilities while profiteering off of our natural resources in this country for too long," said Senator Wyden. "At a time when oil companies are making record profits, it is not too much to ask that they use some of those profits to clean up many of the messes their profiteering has left behind."

"Orphaned wells are an environmental catastrophe waiting to explode. They pose the possibility of massive damage to the ocean by leaking oil and gas and must be addressed quickly," said Senator Merkley.

"Big Oil consistently puts their profits over public safety - leaving taxpayers with the bill for plugging thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells and dealing with toxic pollution. Safely decommissioning abandoned offshore oil and gas infrastructure should be a no-brainer. We need public disclosures of the status of well decommissioning efforts to hold the industry accountable. Congress must work to stop oil companies from saddling everyday Americans with their cleanup costs instead of cleaning up their own messes," said Senator Markey.

In addition to Rep. Dexter, the bill is cosponsored in the House by Reps. Tim Kennedy (D-NY-26), Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Dave Min (D-CA-47), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC-AL), Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), and Mike Levin (D-CA-49).

Idle and abandoned offshore oil and gas infrastructure increase the chance of oil leaks and pose environmental risks to marine ecosystems, especially as hurricanes and tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico increase in strength and frequency. Current delays and defaults in decommissioning offshore oil and gas infrastructure also leave American taxpayers responsible for covering the costs of decommissioning abandoned platforms and wells, an expensive and lengthy process.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), more than 2,700 wells and 500 platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are overdue for decommissioning. The Plug Offshore Wells Act would follow GAO's recommended steps on how Congress can address the current backlog of overdue decommissioning requirements, including instituting new reporting requirements from DOI to Congress on the status of decommissioning.

The Plug Offshore Wells Act is supported by the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana, Ocean Conservancy, and the Surfrider Foundation.

"As the Trump administration recklessly allows the fossil fuel industry to rip off the American public, strong oversight of decommissioning is more important than ever," said Rachel Rilee, Oceans Policy Specialist, Center for Biological Diversity. "This bill is a welcome first step toward holding deadbeat oil drillers accountable by exposing the aging infrastructure they've abandoned, and the cleanup costs ordinary Americans have been forced to shoulder. Once Congress sees the full scope of the problem, I hope there's more legislation to crack down on all of the outrageous ways the fossil fuel industry throws the health of our ocean environments under the bus just to pad their profits."

"This bill creates a commonsense framework for keeping track of abandoned offshore oil drilling wells that must be properly decommissioned and plugged for public health and safety. Unplugged wells can lead to oil spills, slicks, and other harmful incidents that jeopardize Gulf communities and marine life," said Laura Esquivel, Senior Legislative Representative, Earthjustice Action. "This legislation represents progress for people, the environment, and local industries like fishing and tourism."

"It is unacceptable that Big Oil has repeatedly failed to fulfill its obligation to clean up drilling sites, leaving behind a mess of abandoned wells and platforms that pollute our ocean and climate," said Becca Loomis, Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). "The Plug Offshore Wells Act is a critical first step towards holding companies accountable for cleaning up after themselves. "

"Pollution from deadly and destructive offshore drilling can poison generations when oil and gas companies are not held accountable for cleaning up their mess," said Joseph Gordon, Campaign Director, Oceana. "The law clearly states that Big Oil must pay for the full cost of decommissioning their dirty infrastructure, but in the Gulf of Mexico these companies are let off the hook nearly every time. There are enough abandoned pipelines in our waters to more than circle the planet, and an estimated 14,000 wells currently sit uncapped. Our communities, wildlife, and - ultimately - taxpayers are left to pay the price for this negligence. We need to hold polluters accountable for the true cost of their destruction, and the POW Act is an important step in that direction."

"Oil and gas companies are notoriously bad neighbors," said Andrew Hartsig, Arctic Program Senior Director at Ocean Conservancy, and seasoned lawyer and expert in oil and gas policy. "Offshore operators have left over 18,000 miles of out-of-use pipelines rotting on the ocean floor and have failed to clean up their unused and end-of-life wells and platforms-at times even leaving the expense of cleanup to the taxpayers. The Plug Offshore Wells Act will increase transparency and accountability, and will help protect the ocean and marine life. We are grateful for Senator Welch's leadership on this issue and urge Congress to pass this commonsense legislation."

"Abandoned oil and gas infrastructure, including offshore wells and platforms, pose an increasing risk to the health and safety of our communities and environment. They also highlight the failure of numerous oil and gas companies to follow the law and responsibly decommission such infrastructure in a timely manner. Surfrider Foundation strongly endorses the Plug Offshore Wells Act and appreciates the leadership of Senator Welch in introducing this bill. We call on Congress to pass this important legislation into law," said Pete Stauffer, Ocean Protection Manager, Surfrider Foundation.

Learn more about the Plug Offshore Wells Act of 2026.

Read and download the full text of the bill.

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