# 119-s-5630: Stop Orphaned Wells Act

119-s-5630, Stop Orphaned Wells Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5630
- As of: 2026-10-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5630
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stop Orphaned Wells Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-16

## Summary

**Moves cleanup costs from taxpayers to oil and gas operators** by strengthening bond rules, adding predecessor liability and transfer approvals, and requiring operator fitness certifications for activity on Federal land. The bill would tighten rules for idled, temporarily abandoned, and shut-in wells and publish an annual public database of those wells. - Communities near wells: clearer oversight and a public database of idled, temporarily abandoned, and shut-in wells aim to improve transparency and public safety. - Operators and buyers: higher financial-assurance minimums ($200,000 per lease and $650,000 aggregate per operator in a State), replacement of nationwide bonds on a 1–3 year schedule, a 50% idled-well threshold triggering full liability bonds, and strict transfer-approval checks including credit and compliance history. - Federal land managers and taxpayers: establishes predecessor liability until transfers are approved and would require certification that operators are fit to operate; it also authorizes funding for oversight activities. *Would authorize $30.0 million annually for FY2028–2032 for compliance oversight, totaling $150.0 million in authorized spending over five years.*

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Funding for federal oversight: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would authorize $30 million each year for fiscal years 2028 through 2032 for the Secretary to carry out compliance oversight, data compilation, and related implementation. This is an authorization, so Congress would still need to appropriate the money. The funds would support f…
- Public lists and idle-well database: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary would keep a public list of people and companies who failed to meet standards for Federal oil and gas leases. The list would show which standards each holder failed to meet and enforcement actions. The Secretary would also publish an annual public database of idled, tempor…
- Rules for shut-in and abandoned wells: mixed, medium. If enacted, operators would have to verify a shut-in well’s mechanical integrity and ability to produce within three years of shut-in. Within four years after shut-in they would have to plug the well, restart production, begin injection/disposal, or submit a detailed plan and timeline for beneficia…
- Stricter bonding and financial assurance: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would require financial assurance before starting surface-disturbing work on Federal oil and gas leases. Minimums would be at least $200,000 per lease and $650,000 per operator per State, with the Secretary able to set higher amounts and require full liability bonds if half or…
- Lease limits for noncompliant operators: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary would be barred from issuing a lease or approving a lease transfer to an operator or related entity while the Secretary finds it materially failed to meet reclamation or other standards on another lease. The restriction would also cover subsidiaries, affiliates, and person…
- Predecessor liability for lease transfers: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary would issue rules within 60 days making lessees and sublessees responsible for plugging wells and removing facilities until a transfer is approved. After the Secretary approves an assignment or transfer, the prior holder would still be liable for obligations that accrued b…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5630 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5630)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5630 (as of 2026-10-16).