The federal program offers $5 million to close low-producing and idle wells to prevent errant methane gas emissions.
Gov. Mark Gordon announced this week the state will decline an invitation to apply for millions in federal Inflation Reduction Act funds aimed at shuttering low-producing oil and gas wells.
The Mitigating Emissions from Marginal Conventional Wells program would pay the costs of voluntarily closing and remediating wells that produce less than the equivalent of 15 barrels of oil per day - aka "stripper" wells.
Wyoming is eligible for up to $5 million of the $350 million program, according to federal documents. The funds could mostly only be used to pay for plugging non-federal wells - wells that...