Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), enacted in August 2022, plays a pivotal role in addressing the environmental challenges posed by leaking natural gas wells in West Virginia through its Methane Emission Reduction Program (MERP). This legislation provides significant federal funding aimed at reducing methane emissions, through the permanent plugging of certain marginal conventional wells (MCWs).

West Virginia, with its extensive history of oil and gas extraction, has a large number of idle or low-producing wells that pose environmental and safety risks. The IRA allocates substantial resources to states like West Virginia to accelerate the plugging and reclamation of these wells. The funding is crucial for the OOG, enabling us to expand our well-plugging initiatives and engage specialized contractors.

By providing financial support and incentives, the IRA helps West Virginia significantly reduce methane emissions, safeguard groundwater quality, and restore land affected by marginal conventional wells.

You can learn more about the Inflation Reduction Act from the US. EPA.

Resources

Nominate a Well

Owners and operators have self-nominated their MCWs for this program; over 850 well nominations were received. After prioritization, DEP will provide funding for 3rd party well plugging contractors to permanently plug qualifying marginal conventional wells (MCWs).

The Nomination Window was open from August 4, 2025 - September 29, 2025.

Contact

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Administrator at the contact information below:

Phone: (864) 626-0865
Email: WVMERP@northwindgrp.com

Methane Quantification of Nominated MCWs

The grant administrator for this project and its contractors have begun sampling the nominated MCWs for methane emissions. As of the end of December 2025, 417 of 847 candidate MCWs had been sampled. Please see the Methane Quantification Plan under “Resources” for more information. This work will continue through approximately the first quarter of calendar year 2026, and will support the prioritization of these wells for plugging. Permitting, contracting and plugging will begin after initial prioritization.