Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4877, the Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act. This bill was introduced by two of my Science Committee colleagues, the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Lee) and the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice). The bill directs the Department of Energy to support research, development, and demonstration activities that accelerate the remediation of abandoned or orphaned oil and gas wells across the country. Currently, there are an estimated 700,000 to maybe 3 million abandoned wells in the United States. These wells cost between $30,000 to potentially as much as $1 million per well to plug, meaning a remarkable amount of money will be needed just to cover past developments. Wells in remote locations, like Tribal land in Oklahoma, are more difficult and costly to locate and plug, thus increasing the likelihood they will remain unmitigated. Improving the technologies and methods associated with plugging and remediation processes for abandoned wells would lower the overall cost, improve efficiency, reduce the environmental harm, and potentially result in new and improved purposes. Mr. Speaker, that is why I support H.R. 4877. This bill will capitalize on the Department of Energy's existing research and infrastructure within the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management to improve the processes and lower the costs associated with abandoned wells.…”