WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has awarded two contracts for the decommissioning of nine orphaned wells in the Matagorda Island area, in federal waters approximately 12 miles off the Texas coast.
Promethean Energy has been awarded a five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to conduct the on-site decommissioning activities. This contract is partially funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through a recently announced $64 million commitment by the Biden-Harris Administration to address orphaned oil and gas wells on public lands.
Additionally, Endeavor Management has been awarded a five-year IDIQ contract to support BSEE with project management and oversight of orphaned infrastructure decommissioning projects.
“These contracts represent BSEE’s commitment to address the most immediate and urgent need to tackle decommissioning of orphaned infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico,” said BSEE Director Kevin Sligh. “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is providing critical funding to help us remove these serious hazards to safety and the environment.”
An important part of BSEE’s responsibilities is ensuring that infrastructure used in exploration, development, and production activities is properly decommissioned according to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, to provide for the long-term protection of offshore resources and the environment.
For additional information regarding BSEE’s decommissioning requirements and activities, visit the Decommissioning page.
This year’s funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to five federal bureaus at the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture is part of an overall historic $16 billion investment in addressing legacy pollution across the nation that will create good-paying union jobs, catalyze economic growth and revitalization, improve public safety, and reduce harmful methane leaks. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution in American history, including a $4.7 billion investment to plug orphaned oil and gas wells.