For Drilling In-Site, episode 33, hosts Jeremy Verdusco and Brock Yordy welcome Curtis Shuck, chairman and CEO of the Well Done Foundation. The non-profit in 2019 took on the ambitious mission of plugging every “orphan” well in Montana — and beyond.

“Our particular program is really air/emissions-centric,” Shuck says. “Often, states have a prioritization process that typically has been driven by oil at the surface, either groundwater interaction or surface water interaction. It’s only been recently that [we’ve had] this whole awareness of methane gas and the problem that it’s creating. Our focus is primarily on the air/emissions side.”

The foundation brings together state agencies, regulators, landowners, drill contractors and a cast of other characters to finish a job left behind by, for example, a bankrupted oil & gas company. Some of these abandoned wells emit tons of methane, so putting drillers to work plugging them makes environmental sense.

As a non-profit, WDF operates with corporate sponsorship for wells and donations, and through selling “climate benefit units.” The group, which now operates in Montana, Pennsylvania and Louisiana, also seeks well-qualified drilling partners. Find out more at https://welldonefoundation.com.

This episode covers topics like:

• Putting an oilfield services background to work in conservation
• Equipment drillers use in plugging orphan oil & gas wells
• Locating abandoned wells
• Safety procedures for plugging orphan oil & gas wells
• Grouting and pumps
• Closure reporting for orphan oil & gas wells
• How to sponsor an orphan oil & gas well project

Check out today’s episode to hear more. Watch the video here or listen to the audio version of our conversation at www.thedriller.com/insite-podcast. You can also find our show on Apple Podcasts. Search for Drilling In-Site, then hit Subscribe.