Energy Community Revitalization Program (ECRP)

 

To reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions, help clean up water contamination, restore native habitat, create good-paying union jobs, and benefit disproportionately impacted communities through grants to State and Tribal governments to plug, remediate, and reclaim orphaned oil and gas well sites on State, Tribal, and private lands, as authorized by Congress under Public Law 117-58, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Active 15.018 Departmental Offices, Department of The Interior A - Formula Grants; B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2022 State Initial Grant Program: The Department awarded $25 million in Initial State Grants to one state recipient for plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells and for other authorized purposes.
Fiscal Year 2023 State Initial Grant Program: The Department awarded $535 million in Initial State Grants to State orphaned well-plugging programs in 23 states to augment existing well-plugging activities, to build capacity, and for other authorized purposes. State Formula Grant Program: The Department issued formula grant guidance to make $660 million available to 26 states for orphaned well plugging, remediation, and reclamation for FY24 award. Tribal Grants/Assistance: The Department published an initial funding opportunity for plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells on Tribal lands and anticipates issuing up to $50 million in awards in the 4th quarter.
Fiscal Year 2024 State Initial Grant Program: The Department projects that it will award an estimated $15 million in funding to additional states for the purposes outlined in the BIL and published program guidance. State Formula Grant Program: The Department projects that it will award up to $660 million in available funding to eligible states to identify, characterize, rank, plug, remediate, and reclaim orphaned wells located on state or private land and for other purposes as outlined in the BIL and published program guidance. State Performance Grant Programs: The Department anticipates issuing Performance Grant guidance to states. Cooperative Agreement: The Department plans to award a cooperative agreement in the amount of $1.9 million to the specified entity for the activities in Section 40601 of the BIL. Tribal Grants/Assistance: The Department anticipates issuing guidance and awarding $50 million in funding related to the second of three opportunities for funding for plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells on Tribal lands. This section of the Act provides grant funding to the States and Tribes to address orphaned oil and gas wells in an effort to minimize methane release from the wells., Title The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Part Title VI, Section 40601
P.L. 117-58, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Title VI, Methane Infrastructure Reduction, Section 40601, Orphaned Well Site Plugging, Remediation, and Restoration. 42 U.S.C. § 15907: Orphaned, abandoned, or idled wells on Federal land. State, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Not applicable. For State and Tribal grants, 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies. For Tribal grants, funding is not available for activities that occur prior to the submission of the application. Preapplication coordination is required. For State projects, preapplication coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O.12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. For Tribal projects, preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Funding opportunity announcements for State programs, along with application packages, instructions, points of contact, and procedures for submitting application will be available on the State Orphaned Wells Program webpage: https://doi.gov/state-orphaned-wells-program Funding opportunity announcements for Tribal programs, along with application packages and instructions, points of contact, and procedures for submitting applications will be available on the Tribal Orphaned Wells Program webpage: https://www.doi.gov/tribal-orphaned-wells-program Award procedures vary by grant program and assistance type. Application deadlines are included in published program guidance. Contact the headquarters for application deadlines by program type. From 90 to 120 days. Date ranges vary by grant program and assistance type. Not applicable. Not applicable. Not applicable. State grant funds must be used for certain activities related to orphaned well sites on State or private lands. These include: 1) plugging, remediation, or reclamation of orphaned wells; 2) identifying, characterizing, and assessing undocumented orphaned wells; 3) ranking orphaned wells based on factors including, public health / safety, potential environmental harm, & other land use priorities; 4) making information available on a public website; 5) measuring and tracking the emissions of methane & other gases associated with orphaned wells and the contamination of groundwater or surface water; 6) remediating soil & restore native species habitat that has been degraded due to the presence of orphaned wells & associated pipelines, facilities, infrastructure; 7) remediating land adjacent to orphaned wells and decommissioning or removal of associated pipelines, facilities, and infrastructure; 8) identifying and addressing any disproportionate burden of adverse human health or environmental effects on communities of color, low-income communities, and Tribal and indigenous communities; and 9) developing or administering a program to carry out any activities described above. Tribal grants may be used for the following activities: 1) plugging, remediation, or reclamation of an orphaned oil and gas well site on Tribal land; 2) remediation of soil and reclamation of habitat that has been degraded due to the presence of an orphaned well or associated pipelines, facilities, or infrastructure on Tribal land; 3) remediation of Tribal land adjacent to orphaned wells and decommissioning or removal of associated pipelines, facilities, and infrastructure; 4) publicly accounting for the cost of plugging, remediation, and reclamation for each orphaned well site on Tribal land; 5) identifying, characterizing, and or assessing orphaned wells on Tribal land; and, 6) developing or administering a Tribal program to carry out any activities described above. Performance Reports: Narrative performance reports are required as dictated by the grant terms and conditions. A final report is due within 120 days of grant completion or termination. Recipients must track and report the data for each well for all actions under awards, as dictated in published grant guidance and the grant terms and conditions. There may be additional reporting requirements as published in grant guidance and included in grant award terms and conditions. Financial assistance awards are also subject to inspection and audit by Interior's Office of the Inspector General, OIA staff, or any other authorized representative of the Federal government. Records retention requirements are, at a minimum, the same as those contained in 2 CFR 200. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is mandatory. Beginning on the date that is 180 days after the date on which an initial grant is provided to a State, the Department shall, subject to availability of appropriations, provide to the State funding, in an amount equal to the difference between - - the average annual amount expended by the State during the period of fiscal years 2010 through 2019: -- to plug, remediate, and reclaim orphaned wells; and -- to decommission or remove associated pipelines, facilities, or infrastructure; and -the amount that the State certifies to the Department the State will expend, during the fiscal year in which the State will receive the grant - -- to plug, remediate, and reclaim orphaned wells; -- to remediate or reclaim adjacent land; and -- to decommission or remove associated pipelines, facilities, and infrastructure. The Department shall not issue more than one grant for each fiscal year for matching grants. The State Initial Grant Program, the State Formula Grant Program, the Tribal Implementation Grant Program, and the Tribal Development Grant Program have no matching requirements.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. As outlined in the BIL language, the length and time phasing of assistance varies by program. Specific requirements are included in published program guidance and award terms and conditions. Grant payments will be made through the Department of Treasury’s Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system. None/Not specified. Susan Lee, State Program Division Chief
U.S. Department of the Interior
Orphaned Wells Program Office
1849 C Street, NW Office 5012
Washington, DC 20240 USA
orphanedwells@ios.doi.gov
Phone: 202-208-3100

Brian Davis, Tribal Program Division Chief
U.S. Department of Interior
Orphaned Wells Program Office
1849 C Street NW
Office 5012
Washington, DC 20240 USA
doi_orphanedwells_tribal@ios.doi.gov
Phone: 202-219-3283 https://www.doi.gov/orphanedwells 14-2641-0-1-302 (Project Grants) FY 22$25,000,000.00; FY 23 est $535,000,000.00; FY 24 est $15,000,000.00; FY 20 Estimate Not Available FY 21 Estimate Not Available - State Initial Grants.(Formula Grants) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $0.00; FY 24 est $660,000,000.00; FY 20 Estimate Not Available FY 21 Estimate Not Available - State Formula Grants(Project Grants) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $0.00; FY 24 Estimate Not Available FY 20 Estimate Not Available FY 21 Estimate Not Available - State Performance Grants. Estimate not available.(Project Grants) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 Estimate Not Available FY 24 est $50,000,000.00; FY 20 Estimate Not Available FY 21 Estimate Not Available - Tribal Grants.(Cooperative Agreements) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $0.00; FY 24 est $1,930,000.00; - Cooperative agreement. State Initial Grants ranged from $5M to $25M in FY22 and FY23, for FY24 and beyond they are limited to $5M. Phase 1 State Formula Grants will range from $1.6M to $50M. Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements, 2 CFR 200. Fiscal Year 2022 FY 2022 State Initial Grants: Funds were used to hire inspectors to witness plugging operations for projects to ensure safety and contract protocols are followed, and to add GIS capabilities to an Orphaned Wells database.
Fiscal Year 2023 FY 2023 State Initial Grants: Funds were used for identifying, ranking, plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells. FY 2023 Tribal Grants/Assistance: Initial funding opportunity for plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells on Tribal lands published; awards anticipated in 4th quarter.
Fiscal Year 2024 FY 2024 State Initial and Phase 1 Formula Grants: Funding for plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells sites on state and private lands, and for other purposes authorized in PL 117-58. FY 2024 Tribal Grants/Assistance: Second of three opportunities for funding for plugging, remediating, and reclaiming orphaned oil and gas wells on Tribal lands to be awarded. FY 2024 Cooperative Agreement: Anticipate awarding funds to the entity specified in Section 40601 of the BIL for authorized purposes, including technical assistance and consultation.