Nick Mott Welcome to The Big Why, a series from Montana Public Radio where we find out what we can discover together. I’m Nick Mott, guest hosting this week for Austin Amestoy. This is a show about listener powered reporting. We’ll answer questions large or small about anything under the Big Sky. By Montanans, for Montana. This is The Big Why.
Joining me today is reporter Ellis Juhlin.
Ellis Juhlin Hey, Nick, I’m excited to be here. I’m bringing us a question from Bitterroot-based listener Marla Larson about abandoned oil and gas wells. Larson worked for the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in the ’90s, and she remembered something about the state’s so called “orphaned well” program. She’s retired now and recently saw news about federal funding to address orphan wells, which made her think back to her time at DNRC.
Marla Larson I was curious, how long has the program been in effect? How many have already been done? I remember it as being a pretty small program. The other thing I was curious about: is Montana unique in having an orphaned well program?
Nick Mott Well, I am excited to hear what you learned. But to start off, I need to understand what exactly is an orphan well.
Ellis Juhlin That is a great question. And the state actually has an orphan-well expert who can help explain it.
Ben Jones My name is Ben Jones, and I’m the Administrator and Petroleum Engineer for the Board of Oil and Gas Conservation.
Ellis Juhlin Jones acknowledges that “orphan wells” is a bit of a confusing term. I mean, I don’t really think of inanimate objects like oil and gas wells having parents, but they do, kind of, in the form of a parent company. An oil company comes in, drills a hole and a well is born. But wells have life spans, so eventually they’ll start producing or they’ll no longer be financially viable. Or sometimes the company in charge of the well goes bankrupt. And what gets left behind are these massive holes in the ground, sometimes thousands of feet deep. Despite orphan wells being all over Montana, Jones says that most people, even his own coworkers, ask him what they are all the time.
Ben Jones I remember presenting in front of the Legislature and talking about orphan wells, and then afterward, you know, I’m talking with someone in a different division of DNRC, and he was like ‘you’re going to have to explain to me one day what an orphan well is.’
Nick Mott All right. So orphan wells are these massive holes in the ground and the state is in charge of them?
Ellis Juhlin Yeah, pretty much, Nick. In Montana, all the management of orphan wells that are on state land — as opposed to federal land which usually belongs to the Bureau of Land Management — goes to the Board of Oil and Gas. That’s where Jones works, and it’s part of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. A lot has changed since our listener was with the state, but this is where all things orphan-well-related happen today. And all states with orphan wells have similar boards or agencies that deal with this issue. So Montana is not unique in that, like Marla wanted to know.
Nick Mott So how many of these big giant abandoned holes in the ground actually are there in Montana?
Ellis Juhlin So, the Board of Oil and Gas has counted close to a thousand wells across the state, and they’ve plugged about 600 of those. Jones told me the Board of Oil and Gas is in the process of plugging most of what it can on private and state land. But a lot of the wells that remain are on federal lands. So like I said before, they’re the responsibility of the BLM, not the state of Montana. But it is worth noting that these numbers are always in flux because other wells that are currently active could become orphan over time.
Nick Mott It makes sense to me that big holes in the ground are certainly an eyesore. But why so much focus on getting orphan wells plugged?
Ellis Juhlin Yeah, that’s a great question. To answer that, I’m actually going to introduce you to another orphan well expert by the name of Curtis Shuck. He’s a former oil and gas industry executive. And years ago when he was in the industry, a farmer was showing him around a field in northern Montana. They actually came across an orphan well and he was struck by the sight and this rotten-egg smell that was coming up from the hole in the ground.
Curtis Shuck I couldn’t believe what I saw. And I was absolutely just appalled … This is really a bad deal. Like this, this is embarrassing.
Nick Mott That’s totally wild. Can you tell me more about what these things are actually like and what their impact on the environment is?
Ellis Juhlin Shuck told me that since orphan wells, like you’ve said, are these giant holes in the ground, they can create flooding or sinkhole risks, they can contaminate groundwater, or they can also just make the land unusable for anything else. And especially in Montana, a lot of our orphan wells are on land that could otherwise be used for farming and ranching if it didn’t have a giant hole just sitting out in the middle of the field. But there’s also human health concerns. orphan wells emit gasses that can cause cancer, like hydrogen sulfide, or planet warming gasses like methane.
Nick Mott So they’re much more than just big holes in the ground. That’s not great. And so when he came across that rotten egg smell in that big hole, I’m guessing Shuck wanted to do something about it.
Ellis Juhlin Exactly. Today, Shuck is the founder of an organization called the Well Done Foundation, which is a punny name for his nonprofit dedicated to adopting orphan wells like you’d adopt a dog from a shelter. After adoption, they take the well and plug it up. So in this sense, they’re helping the state tackle this big problem. Back in the old days, he said …
Curtis Shuck It was kind of like everybody’s dirty little secret, you know what I mean? And nobody wanted to talk about it. And then here comes this knucklehead from Montana, you know, like shining light on it.
Ellis Juhlin They’ve adopted about 80 wells here in Montana and hundreds more across the country to get them plugged and keep those environmental impacts in check.
Nick Mott Got it. So what’s that actual plugging process like?
Ellis Juhlin It’s very technical. Plugging a well involves filling the cavity with cement to prevent any liquid at the bottom from moving, and then putting a cover on the top of the hole at the surface of the well. It can cost anywhere from $30,000-$60,000 per well or more if they have to do a lot of restoration at the surface. And this whole shebang takes about six months to a year. So with hundreds of wells to deal with across the state, that’s a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of money.
Nick Mott And like you said, the state’s already plugged something like 600 of these things, and the Well Done Foundation another 80. So that’s no small feat.
Ellis Juhlin Totally. Shuck’s Foundation has to fundraise well-by-well. But for the state, the Board of Oil and Gas actually gets a set amount from the Legislature to use to plug wells. They get $650,000 every two years, which comes from oil and gas bonds. And what’s more, Shuck told me orphan wells are kind of having a moment.
Nick Mott What do you mean by that?
Ellis Juhlin Well, more people than ever — like our listener Marla heard about — are thinking and talking about orphan wells, both in and out of policy circles. As an example, Montana actually recently received $25 million explicitly to address orphan wells as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And the state’s in the process of spending that big heap of cash on contracts for plugging 240 wells this very moment. As that happens, I’m hoping to get out and see a well plugging project in action next. So stay tuned for that.
Nick Mott Well, I’m excited to learn more about that process. Thanks so much for breaking this down for us, Ellis.
Ellis Juhlin Anytime. Thanks, Nick.
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