# 117-hr-2415: Orphaned Well Cleanup and Jobs Act of 2021

117-hr-2415, Orphaned Well Cleanup and Jobs Act of 2021, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] (D-NM); status Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 464. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-2415
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-2415
- Congress: 117
- Title: Orphaned Well Cleanup and Jobs Act of 2021
- Status: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 464.
- Introduced: 2021-04-08
- Sponsor: Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 34
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Orphaned Well Cleanup and Jobs Act of 2021 This bill establishes incentives and requirements to permanently plug orphaned (i.e., abandoned) oil and gas wells and clean up pollution leaking from such wells. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish grant programs to plug and clean up orphaned wells located on federal, state, tribal, and private land. Interior must also issue regulations that require each operator of an idled well on federal land to pay an annual, nonrefundable fee for each well. If the operator fails to pay the fee, then Interior may assess a civil penalty. Revenues generated from such fees must be used for activities related to cleaning up orphaned wells. Additionally, the bill requires the review of the adequacy of bonds or other financial arrangements for oil and gas development on public land leased from the federal government. Such bonds or financial arrangements are currently required to ensure developers have adequate financial resources to remediate and reclaim public land, water, or other resources after wells are abandoned or oil and gas development ceases.

## Cosponsors (34)

- Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2021-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (D-CA), 2021-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14] (D-FL), 2021-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Doyle, Michael F. [D-PA-18] (D-PA), 2021-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-8] (D-PA), 2021-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (D-CO), 2021-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2021-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2021-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY), 2021-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2021-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2021-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-31] (D-CA), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49] (D-CA), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2021-05-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Porter, Katie [D-CA-47] (D-CA), 2021-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2021-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sires, Albio [D-NJ-8] (D-NJ), 2021-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jones, Mondaire [D-NY-17] (D-NY), 2021-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Yarmuth, John A. [D-KY-3] (D-KY), 2021-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Newman, Marie [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2021-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4] (D-PA), 2021-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] (D-VA), 2021-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2021-08-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McNerney, Jerry [D-CA-9] (D-CA), 2021-08-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2021-09-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2021-11-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2022-02-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Levin, Andy [D-MI-9] (D-MI), 2022-06-08T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 117-hr-5723: Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust
- 117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Build…
- 117-hr-5441: PAST Act of 2022
- 117-hr-4: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021
- 117-hr-3755: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021

## Sources
- [117-hr-2415 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2415)

## Related
- [117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1842)
- [117-hr-5723: Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5723)
- [117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 C…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5577)
- [117-hr-5441: PAST Act of 2022](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5441)
- [117-hr-4: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-4)
- [117-hr-3755: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3755)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-2415 (as of 2025-11-18).