Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) announced that Texas will receive $107,563,479 in federal funds from the Department of the Interior’s program to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells that is based on her Revive Economic Growth and Reclaim Orphaned Wells (REGROW) Act of 2021, which was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law in November.  Congresswoman Fletcher has continuously advocated for funding for Texas from this program, and today Texas is receiving more funds than any other state in this first round of funding.

“As the lead sponsor of the bill to create this program in the House, it is exciting to see this truly transformative investment of more than $107 million in the State of Texas, and others across the country, made so quickly,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “The significant investments in orphaned well site plugging, remediation, and restoration activities introduced in the REGROW Act and included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will have monumental impacts on the future of our public health and safety, our environment, and our economy.  As the largest energy-producing state in the nation, Texas is home to at least 6,489 documented orphaned wells and many skilled oil and gas workers who have felt the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and who are ready to get right to work plugging these wells.  This funding will be pivotal in shaping the future of our state, helping to eliminate dangerous environmental conditions and pollution across Texas while revitalizing our economy.”

Congresswoman Fletcher’s legislation, the REGROW Act, directs the Department of the Interior to establish a program to provide funds for the plugging, remediating, and reclaiming of more than 56,000 documented orphaned oil and gas wells throughout the United States.  The legislation was passed and signed into law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act last year.  In total, the program will award $4.6 billion toward cleaning up these sites, creating tens of thousands of jobs for skilled oil and gas workers. $1.15 billion was awarded in this first round of funding.