Marginal Well Plugging
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Abandoned and Marginal Wells in the United States
Beyond fully orphaned wells, the United States is home to a vast population of abandoned and marginal (low producing) oil and gas wells that pose significant environmental and climate risks. Researchers estimate that the country has 2–3 million abandoned wells, with more than 117,000 officially classified as orphaned across 27 states.
In addition, marginal wells—defined by the U.S. EPA as wells producing 15 barrels of oil equivalent per day or less—represent a massive share of the nation’s active well inventory. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, there are over 565,000 actively producing marginal well sites, accounting for 80% of all U.S. oil and gas production sites, despite contributing only a small fraction of total production. These wells often sit at the edge of economic viability, making them prone to neglect, deferred maintenance, and eventual abandonment.
The environmental impacts of abandoned and marginal wells are substantial. Low producing wells are disproportionately responsible for methane emissions: research cited by the EPA shows that low production well sites account for roughly 50% of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and leaks from aging wellbores can also release volatile organic compounds, contaminate groundwater, and degrade surrounding ecosystems.
Our work targets these high impact wells by identifying, plugging, and permanently remediating abandoned and marginal sites, eliminating their emissions and environmental hazards. We finance this remediation through the sale of high integrity carbon credits generated under the Carbon Path Methodology, independently verified by ALL Consulting Engineers, and listed on the Cloverly Exchange. This model transforms a longstanding environmental liability into a measurable, verifiable climate benefit that supports communities and accelerates decarbonization.
