Bill
HM 56
New Mexico studies transferring orphaned oil/gas wells to new operators to address environmental liabilities and remediation costs statewide.
HM 56 is a memorial requesting the New Mexico Legislature to study the feasibility and mechanisms for transferring ownership of orphaned oil and gas wells to entities capable of managing them. Orphaned wells are abandoned wells where the original operator cannot be located or lacks financial resources to properly plug and remediate them. The bill seeks to explore policy solutions to address the environmental and safety liabilities these wells create across the state.
Orphaned wells pose significant environmental hazards including groundwater contamination, methane emissions, and surface instability. New Mexico has thousands of documented orphaned wells, and their remediation is costly—currently estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Without clear ownership transfer mechanisms, these wells remain environmental liabilities that burden state budgets and local communities.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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