U.S. Congress legislation · 119th Congress
SB5630: Stop Orphaned Wells Act
Status: In committee, September 30, 2026
A bill to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to ensure sufficient bonding and complete and timely reclamation of land and water disturbed by Federal and Indian oil and gas production, and for other purposes.
What the bill says
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to ensure sufficient bonding and complete and timely reclamation of land and water disturbed by Federal and Indian oil and gas production, and for other purposes.
From the introduced text, September 30, 2026:
A BILL To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to ensure sufficient bonding and complete and timely reclamation of land and water disturbed by Federal and Indian oil and gas production, and for other purposes. SECTION 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Stop Orphaned Wells Act . SECTION 2. Findings Congress finds that-- (1) according to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, there are in existence not fewer than 140,000 documented orphaned well sites, and between 250,000 and 740,000 undocumented orphaned well sites, across the United States on Federal, State, Tribal, and private land; (2) as of December 2024, the Bureau of Land Management estimated there were more than 15,000 orphaned wells on Federal land; (3) (A) orphaned well sites-- (i) pose significant public health, safety, and environmental risks; and (ii) should be remediated; (B) there are no identified responsible parties to provide for the remediation of those sites; and (C) as a consequence, Federal and State taxes are frequently used to provide funding for plugging and reclaiming those sites; (4) under the Mineral Leasing Act ( 30 U.S.C. 181 et seq. ), the Secretary of the Interior is required-- (A) to ensure the complete and timely reclamation of all Federal onshore oil and gas leases; and (B) to secure financial assurances in the form of …
Sponsors
- Bennet, Michael (D) · primary sponsor
- Padilla, Alex (D, SD-CA)
- Hickenlooper, John (D)
- Schiff, Adam B. (D)
- Lujan, Ben Ray (D)
Latest actions
- : Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- : Introduced in Senate
Subjects: Energy
Common questions
- What is SB5630?
- SB5630 is a bill in Congress (119th Congress): Stop Orphaned Wells Act.
- What does SB5630 do?
- In its own words: To amend the Mineral Leasing Act to ensure sufficient bonding and complete and timely reclamation of land and water disturbed by Federal and Indian oil and gas production, and for other purposes.
- What is the status of SB5630?
- In committee as of September 30, 2026. Latest action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (September 30, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB5630?
- Bennet, Michael (D), with 4 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB5630?
- On the Congress website: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5630
Source: official Congress record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.