Well Done Foundation to plug orphaned oil well on Earth Day

The Well Done Foundation (WDF) of Montana has announced the plugging of Anderson #1, an orphaned oil well in Northern Montana, on Earth Day, April 22, WDF Chairman Curtis Shuck says.

Pacific Steel & Recycling of Great Falls, Montana, will assist in the project, which marks the first anniversary of WDF’s first adoption and plugging, the Big West Anderson #3 well.

The Anderson #1, which was originally drilled in 1924, produced oil, created jobs and helped support the economic vitality of the state of Montana. The well ran for 67 years until 1991, when it was idled and eventually orphaned.

“For two decades, Anderson #1 has been orphaned and left open to emit harmful methane gas,” Shuck says. “It is so rewarding to plug these legacy wells and quantitatively express the elimination of dangerous greenhouse gasses and fully restore the impacted surface areas.”

The WDF says it has plugged four other orphaned wells and has eliminated more than 250,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), the standard by which greenhouse gas emissions are measured.

The foundation formed in 2019 to fund awareness, plugging and land-resurfacing work necessitated by orphaned oil and gas wells, according to its website.

Pacific Steel & Recycling is an employee-owned company that specializes in steel manufacturing and recycling.

“Pacific Steel & Recycling is so pleased to be participating in this important project as a partner and a donor,” Pacific Steel and Recycling CEO Jeff Millhollin says. “The work that the Well Done Foundation is doing is great for the environment, great for the community and great for the industry.”

To celebrate the occasion, the Well Done Foundation will host an open house at its Shelby, Montana, visitor center on Earth Day from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 333 Main St.