# 119-s-4239: Plug Offshore Wells Act

119-s-4239, Plug Offshore Wells Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT); status in_committee (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4239
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4239
- Congress: 119
- Title: Plug Offshore Wells Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-03-26
- Sponsor: Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-11-01

## Summary

**Annual public reporting on offshore oil and gas decommissioning** would require the Department of the Interior to publish yearly data on wells, platforms, pipelines, and related enforcement actions to boost transparency and oversight. - The Department of the Interior would have to deliver a public report to Congress and post it on the Department website starting two years after enactment and then every year. The report must cover six data categories tied to subpart Q of part 250 and related CFR sections. - Offshore operators would see their decommissioning activity reflected in the report, including applications submitted and received, missed decommissioning deadlines, and approvals to decommission in place or remove infrastructure. - The public and Congress would get annual information on pipeline lengths removed versus decommissioned in place and on Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement enforcement statuses. That includes notices of noncompliance, orders, citations, civil penalties, and disqualifications from future operations. - The Act does not authorize new spending and instead creates a standing statutory obligation for the Secretary to gather, compile, and publish the specified metrics.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4239 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4239)

## Related
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4239 (as of 2026-11-01).