The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources is launching separate programs to plug and later reclaim current abandoned well sites in the state. The $66 million cost of the project is coming from CARES Act funding authorized earlier this year by the state legislature’s Budget Section. The programs will create numerous job, while addressing one of the biggest challenges facing the oil industry
The work is now being bid and well plugging is expected to sustain more than 600 oil and gas service sector jobs, with 300 to 500 additional jobs managing reclamation of the sites. The projects will keep skilled workforce in the state and others who invested in oilfield service companies. When fully and properly reclaimed, the wells and sites that have already been confiscated as a part of the process will return over 2,000 acres of land to farming, grazing or personal use for North Dakota surface owners.
Educational Series Outline:
- July 30 – Part 1: North Dakota’s Abandoned Wells (available online here)
- August 6 – Part 2: Proper Plugging in North Dakota
- August 13 – Part 3: Reclaiming disturbed land in North Dakota
The education series is available online here and participants can subscribe to receive it directly via email by visiting the Contact Us page to sign in.
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