Idle Well Management Plans (IWMP)

An operator may file an IWMP in lieu of paying idle well fees no later than May 1 of each year. An IWMP filed after May 1 will not be accepted and the operator will be required to pay the annual fee and any associated late payment penalties and accrued interest. By filing an IWMP, the operator is committing to eliminating a specific number of idle wells per year. The IWMP and any revisions must be approved by CalGEM. The IWMP may cover a period up to 8 years and is subject to annual review by CalGEM. The required rate of elimination for an IWMP is based on the operator's idle well inventory as of January 1 of the current calendar year.

Effective January 1, 2025, the required annual percentage of all idle wells required to be eliminated is:

State-Wide Idle Well Count	CY 2025-2027	CY 2028-2029	CY 2030
0-250	5%	6%	8%
251-1,250	6%	8%	10%
1,251-3,000	7%	10%	15%
3,001+	15%	18%	20%

An operator who fails to comply with their IWMP will have their IWMP cancelled and must immediately pay their idle well fees required under paragraph (1) of PRC section 3206. The operator may not propose a new IWMP for the following two years after the year that CalGEM determined that the operator failed to comply with their IWMP. In addition, the operator will only be able to propose a new IWMP after two years if the operator has paid all required idle well fees and any associated late payment penalties and accrued interest. (Pub. Resources Code, § 3206, subd. (a)(2)(H).) An operator whose IWMP or IWMP amendment has been either not approved or cancelled may appeal to the Department of Conservation (Department) pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with PRC § 3350).

Idle Well Management Plans FAQs

Q: What are the testing requirements for a long-term idle well in an IWMP?

If an idle well on an approved IWMP is scheduled to be plugged and abandoned and the operator is in compliance with their IWMP, then the operator is not required to meet the testing requirements of CCR, title 14, sections 1772.1 and 1772.1.1 and the 15-Year Engineering Analysis requirements of CCR, title 14, section 1772.1.2 and 1772.1.3.

If an idle well on an approved IWMP is scheduled for return to use, then the operator must include the well on the operator's Testing Compliance Work Plan. If the well is due for testing during the six consecutive months of production for returning the well to use, the well must be tested in accordance with the requirements of CCR, title 14, sections 1772.1 and 1772.1.1 and, if applicable, a 15-Year Engineering Analysis must be conducted in accordance with the requirements of CCR, title 14, section 1772.1.2 and 1772.1.3.

If an idle well was initially scheduled to be plugged and abandoned as part of an approved IWMP, but the operator has amended its IWMP to schedule the well to return to use, and CalGEM has approved the amendment, the operator must submit a revised Testing Compliance Work Plan with the well included. The well must be scheduled for testing in accordance with the requirements of CCR, title 14, sections 1772.1 and 1772.1.1 and a 15-Year Engineering Analysis must be conducted in accordance with the requirements of CCR, title 14, sections 1772.1.2 and 1772.1.3.

Q: When is a well eliminated?

A well is eliminated under an IWMP if the well is abandoned in accordance with PRC section 3208 or if the well maintains production of oil or gas or been used for injection for a continuous 6-month period. (PRC §§ 3008, subd. (d); 3206, subd. (a)(2)(A).)

Transferring idle wells to another operator does not eliminate the well.

Converting an idle well to an observation well does not eliminate the well.

Q: When must elimination be completed?

Elimination must be completed within the calendar year, January 1 through December 31. CalGEM’s annual review is conducted at the end of each yearly cycle.

Wells being returned to production or injection must achieve 6 consecutive months of service within the IWMP calendar year - meaning the latest a well can be returned to production or injection and achieve the required 6 consecutive months of service within the IWMP calendar year is July.

Q: How do I submit an IWMP?

AThere are three ways an operator may submit a completed IWMP form. The preferred method is to submit the completed form electronically through WellSTAR using the ‘Idle Well’ form. The completed Excel file may also be returned to CalGEM’s Idle Well Program via email at CalGEMIdleWells@conservation.ca.gov, or paper copies may be submitted to:

Geologic Energy Management Division
Attn: Idle Well Program
715 P Street, MS 1803
Sacramento, CA 95814

Q: What if I need to change my IWMP?

With CalGEM’s approval, changes may be made to the wells scheduled for elimination during the year. Please contact the Idle Well Program at CalGEMIdleWells@conservation.ca.gov with the well(s) to be removed, added, or elimination method changed. When submitting a request to add or remove well(s), please include the API, well designation (lease name and well number combination), and the elimination method, either plugging and abandonment or return to use. Changes will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by CalGEM. Please be prepared to submit a revised Testing Compliance Work Plan.

Q: How do I identify wells I want to plug and abandon in future years of my IWMP?

CCR, title 14, section 1772.3, subdivision (b) requires operators to specify whether the long-term idle well(s) on an IWMP are being eliminated through plugging and abandonment or return to use. An operator may schedule long-term idle wells (LTIW) for elimination via plugging and abandonment for up to five years into the future. An operator who is using the IWMP form, may identify these wells and the proposed year of elimination on Tab ‘1D-Elimination Bank.’

An idle well that is projected to become a LTIW may be included on the ‘1D-Elimination Bank.’ However, the well must be a LTIW as of January 1 of the year the well is scheduled for elimination. An idle well eliminated before it becomes a long-term idle well does not count towards the elimination requirements for an IWMP.

A well scheduled on tab ‘1D-Elimination Bank’ must be scheduled for plugging and abandonment, and will not be required to meet the testing requirements of CCR, title 14, sections 1772.1 and 1772.1.1 and the 15-Year Engineering Analysis requirements of CCR, title 14, sections 1772.1.2 and 1772.1.3. Wells scheduled for elimination through return to use must meet testing requirements and may not be scheduled on tab ‘1D-Elimination Bank’.