NEWS: Schiff, Padilla, Bennet, Ansari, Hickenlooper, Luján Introduce Legislation to Protect Public Lands and Taxpayers from Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (both D-Calif.), joined U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) to introduce the Stop Orphaned Wells Act, legislation that would prevent oil and gas companies from abandoning oil wells on public lands, a practice that shifts well cleanup costs from oil and gas companies to the American taxpayer.

"Oil companies can't just walk away from abandoned oil and gas wells and leave taxpayers to bear the cleanup costs," said Schiff. "I'm joining Senator Bennet and other colleagues to make sure that Big Oil is responsible for cleaning up their messes. Americans should not have to deal with the consequences of an oil company's negligence."

"Across California, there are over 5,000 orphaned oil wells that pose a threat to the health and safety of our communities and the environment," said Padilla. "When wells are left abandoned, drinking water is polluted, greenhouse gases are emitted, and the climate crisis is accelerated. This bill will help ensure orphaned oil and gas wells are plugged so Californians and communities across the country are protected from toxic emissions and contaminated air and water."

"For too long, taxpayers have footed the bill to clean up abandoned wells after companies walk away from their responsibilities," said Bennet. "As the Trump administration moves to weaken the safeguards that hold companies accountable, Congress must protect taxpayers and the public lands that power Colorado's outdoor economy, while making sure oil and gas companies pay the cost of cleanup, rather than Colorado's future generations."

"Trump asked oil and gas executives to bankroll his campaign with a $1 billion contribution in exchange for a big payback. Meanwhile, Americans are left footing the bill for the damage they leave behind," said Ansari. "Orphaned wells threaten our water, wildlife, and air. I'm proud to lead the effort alongside Senator Bennet to make the oil and gas industry clean up its own mess. Our bill would ensure oil and gas companies pay to clean up the wells they abandon."

"Abandoned wells put Colorado communities in danger," said Hickenlooper. "As Governor, we capped as many of these wells as we could, and that work continues here in the Senate, where we're protecting taxpayers from getting stuck with the bill. Capping wells creates jobs and lowers pollution. It's a win-win."

"In New Mexico and across the country, abandoned wells pose serious environmental harm and threaten the health of our communities," said Luján. "We must ensure that oil and gas companies are held accountable and that taxpayers are not on the hook for the cost of cleanup. I've long fought to address abandoned wells, including championing the REGROW Act that was passed into law, and continue to work to ensure we identify and plug the thousands of abandoned wells nationwide. That's why I'm cosponsoring this legislation to prevent companies from abandoning their wells and help reduce the number of abandoned wells in New Mexico and across the country."

"When an oil and gas company goes bankrupt, New Mexicans shouldn't be the ones left to pick up the tab for cleanup costs," said Heinrich. "Right now, the Trump administration is making it easier for these companies to walk away without enough money set aside to clean up their wells. The Stop Orphaned Wells Act ensures that companies set aside money to meet their cleanup responsibilities, so taxpayers aren't left paying the bill."

Until 2024 when the Biden administration added agency rules, oil and gas fiscal assurance requirements were minimal, leading companies to abandon wells instead of remediating the land after drilling. The Trump administration is now rolling back these essential protections for public lands and American taxpayers. Nationwide, there are currently over 140,000 documented orphaned wells, including more than 15,000 on federal lands, and hundreds of thousands more that may be orphaned. Additionally, the number of documented orphaned wells in the United States has more than doubled since 2020. These sites are not only a significant liability for taxpayers and a growing threat to water resources, air quality,wildlife habitat, and private lands, but also jeopardize public health, ecosystems, grazing lands, outdoor recreation sites, and cultural resources that are at high risk from contamination.

In Colorado alone, there are nearly 1,400 orphaned wells, with almost a third of these wells on federal or Tribal lands. Estimates from Colorado's Energy & Carbon Management Commission predict that it could cost over $36 million to clean up all of the existing orphaned wells on federal and Tribal lands in Colorado. Moreover, there are currently 245 idled federal wells in Colorado that have the potential to eventually become orphaned, which could cost taxpayers approximately $23 million to remediate. Due to new leasing policies enacted by Congress in 2025, executive orders to increase federal oil and gas drilling, and the financial assurance rollback, industry is likely to drill as many as 3.8 million wells on national public lands in the coming years, and to then pass as much as $753 billion in potential financial liabilities back onto local communities and taxpayers.

The Stop Orphaned Wells Act builds on Bennet's Oil and Gas Bonding Reform and Orphaned Well Remediation Act and recent state-level reforms in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah to fix this broken system and close long-standing industry loopholes around orphaned wells. This legislation would ensure operators, not taxpayers, pay for cleanups and aligns directly with the interests of Western voters, nearly 9 in 10 of whom believe oil and gas companies should cover reclamation costs once drilling ends.

"In La Plata County, orphaned wells are a nuisance for property owners and a danger for people and animals alike. This bill builds on Colorado's innovative work to ensure that federal regulation protects our communities, livestock, and wildlife - and prevents this public health issue from happening in the first place," said Marsha Porter-Norton, La Plata County Commissioner.

"The Board of County Commissioners strongly supports Senator Bennet's Stop Orphaned Wells Act. When a well is abandoned, local communities must shoulder the risks to their health, environment, and taxpayer dollars. This legislation provides the accountability needed to ensure oil and gas companies, not our community, pay to restore the lands they use," said Jody Shadduck-McNally, Larimer County Commissioner and Chair of the Board of County Commissioners.

"Adams County is glad to see Senator Bennet leading the charge on this significant bipartisan issue, as it is of critical importance to our communities. Our county has the second highest number of orphaned wells in the state; taking action to preserve the health and safety of both our residents and our environment is a top priority for our Board. We look forward to working with the Senator in honing this legislation to be as helpful and effective as possible," said Commissioner Julie Duran Mullica, Chair of the Adams County Board of Commissioners.

"Like countless places across the country, San Miguel County has been forced to clean up after reckless operators. Orphaned wells are not only an unfair burden on our taxpayers but also a dangerous polluter of our beloved natural resources and public lands. Senator Bennet's bill takes long-overdue actions to strengthen regulations and hold irresponsible companies accountable," said Galena Gleason, San Miguel County Commissioner.

"The Stop Orphaned Wells Act is urgently needed in Western Colorado, where orphaned, non-producing wells irresponsibly emit harmful methane gas and harm our health, air and water quality, and critical wildlife habitat. This Act will finally make producers responsible for properly closing, remediating, and reclaiming lands after they stop producing oil and gas," said Lynn Padgett, Ouray County Commissioner.

Bennet has consistently worked to deliver funding to clean up abandoned orphaned wells to keep communities safe and to strengthen bonding requirements to hold companies accountable for future cleanup. The Stop Orphaned Wells Act builds on Bennet's previous legislation introduced in July, 2021, the Oil and Gas Bonding Reform and Orphaned Well Remediation Act, which would restore the public's vital role in shaping oil and gas leasing decisions on public lands. In August 2026, Bennet and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) led their Democratic colleagues to oppose the recent rescission of two key Bureau of Land Management oil and gas rules on leasing and waste prevention. In November 2025, Bennet joinedSenators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Hickenlooper, and Luján to urge U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Bureau of Land Management Acting Director Bill Groffy to maintain the federal oil and gas bonding requirements in the 2024 Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Rule to hold developers accountable for the costs of site cleanup on federal lands. In July 2023, Bennet issued a statement after the U.S. Department of Interior released a proposed rule that includes oil and gas bonding reform for wells drilled on public lands. In July 2023 and December 2022, Bennet sent letters to the Biden administration urging them to finish the work envisioned in his bill by reforming our antiquated oil and gas bonding system. In August 2022, Bennet and Hickenlooper welcomed $25 million in grant funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to create jobs cleaning up orphaned oil and gas wells across Colorado.

This legislation is supported by 20 organizations, including Earthjustice Action, Colorado Fiscal Institute, Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, Conservation Colorado, Montana Wildlife Federation, National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nevada Wildlife Federation, New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Public Land Solutions, Rocky Mountain Wild, San Juan Citizen's Alliance, Sierra Club, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Trout Unlimited, Western Colorado Alliance, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Western Resilience Center, Wild Montana, Wilderness Workshop, and The Wilderness Society. In addition, this legislation was endorsed by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The text of the bill is available HERE.

A summary of the bill is available HERE.

Additional stakeholder quotes are available HERE.

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