In California's current regulations, an “idle well" is an oil or gas well that has not been used for two years or more and has not yet been properly “plugged and abandoned". The plugging and abandonment of a well involves permanently sealing and closing the well with a cement plug. If a well is not properly sealed and closed, it may provide a pathway for hydrocarbons or other contaminants to migrate into drinking water or to the surface. Improved reporting shows there are approximately 32,000 wells in California categorized as idle.
The Department of Conservation's Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) revised its idle well regulations in April 2019 to create far more stringent testing requirements that better protect public safety and the environment from the potential threats posed by idle wells. The regulations require idle wells to be tested and, if necessary, repaired, or permanently sealed and closed. View the table below to see the program's progress, and work still to be done.
