Funding Made Available Through Portman’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

May 25, 2022

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Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) announced that the Department of the Interior (DOI) will be making a $33 million investment to plug, remediate, and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells and well sites in national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, and on other public lands. This investment was made possible thanks to Portman’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which was signed into law last November. Today’s announcement includes funding for three wells in Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

“Today’s announcement is great news for Ohio and for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Cleaning up orphaned oil and gas wells is an important way keep our communities and recreations areas clean and safe,” said Senator Portman. “I was proud to lead negotiations on the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will continue to benefit communities across Ohio. And this is just the beginning – I look forward to other similar, important projects in Ohio, and around the country, being funded thanks to this infrastructure law.”

“As a national park with high visitation and located in an urbanized area, Cuyahoga Valley National Park and its visitors will benefit from this improvement to the park.  We are grateful to Senator Portman for his work on the infrastructure bill and his ongoing commitment to national parks and the people who enjoy them,” said Deb Yandala, CEO, Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The bipartisan IIJA provided a total of $21 billion to address legacy pollution, including funding to clean up clean up brownfield and superfund sites, reclaim abandoned mine lands, and plug orphan oil and gas wells. Specifically, IIJA provided $4.7 billion to address orphan wells for plugging wells on Federal land, and for issuing grants to States and Tribes on State, private and Tribal land.

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