# 119-s-818: Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act

119-s-818, Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-818
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-818
- Congress: 119
- Title: Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-03
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Creates a federal research, development, and demonstration program to find, plug, and repurpose abandoned oil and gas wells.** The bill focuses on better mapping, testing detection technologies, and evaluating ways to plug or reuse wells while measuring environmental risks like methane leaks and groundwater harm. - Communities and the environment: Would fund research to map undocumented wells, measure how well features affect methane emissions, and study impacts on groundwater quality. This aims to reduce local air and water risks. - Researchers and industry partners: Would support universities, National Laboratories, and private firms to improve remote sensing, LiDAR, optical gas imaging, magnetic surveys, and other detection tools. It also pushes work on cost and efficiency of plugging remote wells. - Energy and reuse opportunities: Would test low-carbon cements and other plugging materials and study repurposing wells for geothermal energy or carbon capture, utilization, and storage. *Authorizes $162.5 million in appropriations over fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the program.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] (R-ND), 2025-03-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New research and funding for abandoned wells: benefit, medium. This bill would create a federal research, development, and demonstration program for abandoned oil and gas wells. The program would be set up within 120 days after enactment. It would define an "abandoned well" as an oil and gas well not used, not plugged, and with no planned future use. The progr…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act

## Sources
- [119-s-818 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/818)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4668)
- [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)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-818 (as of 2026-09-10).