Orphan Well Records 2026: 3 Federal Source Types

3 federal source types support an audit: program records, oversight reports, and state submissions. No single federal page replaces state well files. The sources serve different policy and record functions.

The inventory uses public agency pages and preserves the meaning of each measure. Landman Business treats every number as a dated observation, not as a promise about a project, market, or staffing result.

Orphan Well Records 2026: Key findings

What the primary measure means

Orphan, abandoned, idle, and plugged are program terms that vary by jurisdiction. Federal funding reports, state inventories, and well files should not be pooled until the governing definition and snapshot date are known.

How records can be compared

Useful joins preserve well identifier, location, responsible agency, status, status date, and program source. Counts may change as wells are verified, transferred, plugged, or removed from a published inventory.

Decision boundary

An inventory entry is not proof of a private party liability or of a completed plugging project. Case specific responsibility requires the controlling regulatory and ownership record.

Data fields to capture

• Program grants and implementation material
• Oversight findings and risk definitions
• State level well inventories

Also retain publisher, source URL, stable record identifier, covered period, access date, and revision status. Store interpretation in a separate notes field so the source observation remains unchanged.

Interpretation limits

• Orphan and inactive are not interchangeable terms.
• Counts can change after field verification.
• State definitions may differ.

An inventory entry is not proof of a private party liability or of a completed plugging project. Case specific responsibility requires the controlling regulatory and ownership record.

Review questions

A reproducible review of Orphan Well Records 2026: 3 Federal Source Types should answer these questions before a value enters a client work file:

• Which public authority defines Program grants and implementation material, and does the saved page state the same covered period as the copied value?
• Can Oversight findings and risk definitions be traced to a stable record, table, or download rather than an unlabeled search result?
• Does State level well inventories use the same unit, geography, event status, and revision stage as the proposed comparison?
• Is the observation being used only for the administrative purpose that the source supports?
• Are every missing field, definition conflict, and unavailable primary record visible in the exception log?

Answering no to one of these questions does not justify filling the gap. It identifies a verification task or a decision that belongs with the authorized client reviewer.

Data sources and methodology

This article reviewed 10 named public sources on July 16, 2026. The method identifies the primary publisher, records what each page covers, and avoids combining measures until period, unit, and geography agree.

The inventory does not estimate missing values. A blank, suppressed cell, unavailable county index, or unpublished period remains unresolved until a primary record supports it.

Practical research workflow

1. Read the program definition used by the publishing agency.
2. Download the inventory with its snapshot or update date.
3. Keep state and federal well identifiers in separate fields.
4. Track status changes as new observations rather than replacing history.
5. Refer liability and ownership questions to authorized reviewers.

The final file should let another researcher locate the same source, understand the selected definition, and see every unresolved exception without relying on an undocumented assumption.

Frequently asked questions

Why use multiple official sources?

The sources combine federal program and oversight material with state well systems because orphan, inactive, and remediation status are defined and maintained by different authorities.

Does this inventory replace title review?

No. Public statistical and regulatory sources provide context, while parcel and title conclusions require the controlling records for the jurisdiction.

How often should the page be checked?

Check the source on its stated release schedule and verify the article at least annually. Update the verification date only after opening the source and reviewing the affected statement.

Conclusion

No single federal page replaces state well files. The sources serve different policy and record functions. Use the source table as a starting point, then preserve the primary record behind every case level conclusion.

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Sources

1. Department of the Interior, Orphaned Wells Program
2. U.S. Government Accountability Office, Oil and Gas Wells
3. Bureau of Land Management, Oil and Gas Statistics
4. Bureau of Land Management, Mineral and Land Records System
5. Office of Natural Resources Revenue, Natural Resources Revenue Data
6. Railroad Commission of Texas, Oil and Gas Research and Statistics
7. North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas
8. Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission, Data
9. New Mexico Oil Conservation Division, OCD Data
10. U.S. EIA, Open Data