25-26 February, 2026

AAPG 4th Annual Orphan, Abandoned, Idle, and Marginal Wells: Opportunities with Legacy Assets


Tulsa, OK - Hyatt Regency

Registration is Open

Discover opportunities in all your legacy assets, from revitalization and repurposing idle and marginal wells to funding and revenue sources for plugging and cleanup. 

The focus of the 4th Annual Conference is on the hidden benefits of orphan, abandoned, idle, and marginal (OAIM) wells, and the information and tools needed to take full advantage of new opportunities. Sessions will focus on where the industry is now with OAIM wells, with changes in regulations, new funding sources, and tax credits, particularly for combined plugging and field revitalization and enhanced oil recovery (water and CO2 floods). Cost and efficiency improvements through new approaches and technologies will be covered, with case studies and key guidelines, including new materials, new techniques, sensors, AI modeling, drones, and detection. In addition, sessions will describe how OAIM development can spur real estate and commercial agricultural development, and electricity generation for data centers, microgrids for communities, with strategic plans and implementing partners.

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Program

The focus of the workshop is how to maximize the value of legacy assets by taking a look at every stage of the oil and gas well's life, including a big-picture look at field planning and optimization. As AAPG, we are particularly interested in how understanding the subsurface is critical in each life phase of the well, from exploration, drilling, completion, production, enhanced oil recovery, economics, environmental protection, legal (leasing, permitting and compliance), emissions and hazards detection and elimination, novel funding (carbon credits, tax credits, new types of funding).

In addition to the topics listed above, some of the key questions we address are:

  • Where are the unswept areas of a mature field? 
  • Where is the bypassed pay in a field and in a single well? 
  • What are new uses for old wells? (brine mining, helium, hydrogen, etc.) 
  • What is the best time to perform old well workovers, and how is it planned? 
  • What is the role of leak detection, emissions monitoring, and hazard detection in producing properties as well as abandoned or orphan wells? 
  • What are the best types of floods for your property? waterfloods, CO2 floods, etc? 
  • How do old wells contribute to providing energy for data centers? Where are we with bit coin mining? 
  • What is the quickest and most efficient way to get the data you need for a borehole assessment? 
  • What can a good borehole assessment tell you? 
  • Where are orphan wells and how can you find them? databases, drones, etc. 
  • What is the role of new plugging materials, borehole integrity testing, and reservoir fluid chemistry in the field and wells' life cycle? 
  • What are some of the new regulations for water management, plugging bonds, plugging liability, etc.? 
  • What happens to nearby vertical wells when there is a big horizontal well frac? How do you plan? How do you protect your wells? How can you benefit from an adjacent frac job? 
  • Where are we now with carbon credits? What's the future?

Business Track - Wednesday, February 25

7:00 AM–8:00 AM
Registration, Continental Breakfast, Badge Pick-up
8:00 AM–8:10 AM
Welcome and Opening Plenary Session Introductions by Susan Nash
8:10 AM–8:25 AM
History of Oil & Gas Drilling and the Future for Legacy Wells Nick Gianoutsos, Physical Scientist, USGS
8:25 AM–8:45 AM
The Diversified Energy Story: History of Legacy Assets, Life Cycle Management, and Asset Retirement Paul Espenan, Diversified Energy Corporation , Senior Vice President
8:45 AM–8:55 AM
Remaining Challenges, Solutions, Opportunities with Production, Water, and the Environment Dan Arthur, President, ALL-LLC
8:55 AM–9:00 AM
Transition to Tracks
Session 1: Getting the Most from Legacy Assets
9:00 AM–9:15 AM
Where Are the Unswept Areas of a Mature Field? Where Is the Bypassed Pay?

Lonnie Kennedy, Executive Geologic Advisor, Earth Science Services, LLC

9:15 AM–9:30 AM
The Timing of Strategic Interventions: Workovers, Pumps, Upgrades, etc.

Rey Trevino, Director of Operations, Pecos Country Energy

9:30 AM–9:45 AM
Opportunities and Challenges in Valuations of Legacy Assets

John Wheeler, President, Lee Keeling and Associates

9:45 AM–10:00 AM
Open Forum

10:00 AM–10:30 AM
Networking Break
Session 2: Tribal Legacy Assets, Federal Lands
10:30 AM–10:45 AM
Osage Assets

William Lynn, Geologist, Osage Assets

10:45 AM–11:00 AM
Osage Orphan Wells Program

Fred Beartrack, Engineer, Osage Orphan Well Program

11:00 AM–11:15 AM
Technologies in Mature Fields: Osage County Case Study

Talee Redcorn, Chemical Engineer, Osage Minerals Council

11:15 AM–11:30 AM
Tribal Relations and Success with Coordinating P&A, Remediation, Reclamation on Tribal Land in Colorado

Jim Hughes, OWP Western Region EPS, Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission

11:30 AM–12:00 PM
Open Forum

12:00 PM–1:00 PM
Networking Lunch
Session 3: Innovative Funding: Carbon Credits, Tax Credits, Bonding Options
1:00 PM–1:15 PM
Capital, Carbon, and Continuous Monitoring: Building the Walker Ranch Methane Abatement Blueprint

Whitney Landress, CEO, CarbonX

1:15 PM–1:30 PM
How Carbon Credits Help Manage Oil and Gas Liabilities

Eric Unzervagt, CEO, BCarbon

1:30 PM–1:45 PM
Innovative Financing for Plugging Wells: Where Are We Now?

Brad Handler, Program Director, Energy Finance Lab, Colorado School of Mines

1:45 PM–2:00 PM
Orphan Well Funding Solutions - An Avenue for Regulatory Participation in Carbon Credit Plugging Projects

Ryan Swanson, Director of Carbon Management, DELSCO

2:00 PM–2:15 PM
Making Orphaned Well Carbon Projects Work

Alexis Wilkman, Senior Associate, Carbon Markets, RMI

2:15 PM–2:30 PM
Open Forum

2:30 PM–2:45 PM
Networking Break
Session 4: Panel
2:45 PM–3:45 PM
Producers' Perspective on Managing Legacy Assets Charles Teacle, Oklahoma Energy Producers Alliance (OEPA) Rey Trevino, Pecos Energy Natalie Givens, Scout Energy Paul Espanan, Diversified Energy Randy Pruitt, Hulen Oil
3:45 PM–4:15 PM
Open Forum
4:15 PM–4:45 PM
Breakout Groups - Operational Challenges & Opportunities Go to the breakout corners and write your top challenges & solutions and opportunities on the paper / whiteboards. As a group, rank them.
4:45 PM–5:45 PM
Networking Reception

Technical Track - Wednesday, February 25

Session 1: Planning and Risk Management
9:00 AM–9:15 AM
USGS Science to Support Orphan Well Plugging and Repurposing

Nick Gianoutsos, Geologist, USGS

9:15 AM–9:30 AM
End-to-End Life-Cycle Management for Decommissioning / Repurposing Assets

Sunil Garg, President, Datavedik and Eric Bruesewitz, Field Management, TAQ Energy

9:30 AM–9:45 AM
.

Eric Bruesewitz, President, TAQ Energy

9:45 AM–10:00 AM
Orphan Wells in the Tulsa Area

Ray Sorenson, Geologist

10:00 AM–10:15 AM
Open Forum

10:15 AM–10:45 AM
Break
Session 2: State and Federal Requirements, Including Emissions
10:45 AM–11:00 AM
Using Drone Magnetics and EM to Locate O&G Wells and Buried Pipelines in Colorado

Ron S. Bell, GeoDRONEologist, Drone Geoscience, LLC

11:00 AM–11:15 AM
Should They Have a Seat at the Table for Orphan, Abandoned, Ideal & Marginal Wells?

Chris Wiggers, Director of the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office, State Land Boards

11:15 AM–11:30 AM
New Legal Considerations in Orphan, Idle, Abandoned, and Marginal Wells

Niles Stuck, Attorney, A New Energy Law

11:30 AM–11:45 AM
Evaluating mass flow meter measurements from chambers for greenhouse gas emissions from orphan wells and other point sources

Karl Haase, Geologist, USGS

11:45 AM–12:15 PM
OPEN FORUM and BREAKOUTS -- Top Misunderstood Regulations- State, Federal, Local

12:15 PM–1:15 PM
Networking Lunch
Session 3: Borehole Integrity, New Materials
1:15 PM–1:30 PM
Failure Analysis of Casing–Cement-Formation Systems in Legacy Wells: Implications for Integrity Assessment and Monitoring

Yuxing Wu, Postdoctoral Researcher, Southern Methodist University and Saeed Salehi, Executive Director of Hunt Institute, Southern Methodist University

1:30 PM–1:45 PM
Overview of Historical Plugging and Impacts

Davis Lunsford, President, Hay Creek Investments

1:45 PM–2:00 PM
Methane Emissions in the EU and Europe: A Summary of the Problem and Action Plan

Fred Gyllenhammar, Geologist, CaMa Geoscience, Norway

2:00 PM–2:15 PM
Well Integrity, the Key to Well Re-Use

Les Skinner, Engineer

2:15 PM–2:30 PM
Self-Sensing Cement Systems for Integrity Monitoring of Orphaned Well Plugs

Ali Ettehadi, Research Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University

2:30 PM–3:00 PM
Open Forum

Session 4: Plugging Best Practices and Enhancing Production while Managing Environment, Water, Induced Seismicity Concerns
3:00 PM–3:15 PM
A Statistical Overview

Adam Peltz, Lead Attorney, EDF

3:15 PM–3:30 PM
Plugging Wells in Wetlands and Urban Areas

Curtis Shuck, CEO, Well Done Foundation

3:30 PM–3:45 PM
Engineered Permeability Reduction: Restoring Integrity, Enhancing Recovery

James Athans, Vice President, Southern Region, BioSqueeze

3:45 PM–4:00 PM
Well P&A: Challenges, Best Practices, Future Opportunities

David Perrin, Wells Engineer, Chevron

4:00 PM–4:15 PM
The Water, Oil and Gas Nexuas: What We Have Learn from Recent USGS Research

Josh Woda, Hydrologist, USGS

4:15 PM–4:30 PM
Abandoned Wells, Fluid Communication, and Water Management in the Perman Basin

Nadine Igonin, Assistant Professor, University of Texas - Dallas

4:30 PM–5:00 PM
Open Forum

Posters
Presenter/Company
Poster Title
Fred Gyllenhammar, CaMa Geoscience AS
Subsidence and Well Plugging
Keith Hackley and Myles Moore, Isotech and Donna C. Willette and Nathan D. Webb, Illinois State Geological Survey
Progress of the Illinois Well Abandonment Program

Business Track - Thursday, February 26

7:00 AM–8:00 AM
Registration and Continental Breakfast Sponsor Booths & Posters
Session 5: Legacy Assets for Mergers and Acquisitions, or Direct Investment
8:00 AM–8:15 AM
Generational Capital in a Changing Energy Landscape: Family Offices' Evolving Role in Legacy and Marginal Asset Investment

Travis Hagler, Chief Technical Officer, Pineywoods Energy

8:15 AM–8:30 AM
Why Plugging Should Not Be an Afterthought to Asset Acquisition and Development

Charles Teacle, Vice President, Ardmore Production and Exploration Co., Oklahoma Energy Producers Alliance (OEPA)

8:30 AM–8:45 AM
Assessment of Opportunities in Legacy Assets

Shawn Kerns, Managing Partner - Advisory Services, Cornerstone Engineering

8:45 AM–9:00 AM
An Operator's Experience, Caveats and Concerns

Steve Tedesco, President, Running Foxes

9:00 AM–9:15 AM
Buying Legacy Assets to Create Value through Optimization

Don Burdick, President, Olifant

9:15 AM–9:30 AM
Open Forum

9:30 AM–10:00 AM
Networking Break
Session 6: Meeting demand for Oil and Natural Gas through 2050: New data sources, technologies, techniques, chemicals
10:00 AM–10:15 AM
Gas Source Identification Applied to Well Abandonment and Well Integrity Issues

Keith Hackley, Senior Geochemist, Isotech (Stratum Reservoir)

10:15 AM–10:30 AM
From Behind-Pipe to the Hottest New Horizontal Play: The Story of the Cherokee Shale in western Oklahoma

Tiffany Stephens, Exploration Manager, Duncan Oil Properties

10:30 AM–10:45 AM
Using Data and Analytics for Derisked Deals, Estimating Remaining Reserves and Behind the Pipe Resources

Galen Dillewyn, Vice President of Business Development, NuTech

10:45 AM–11:00 AM
Need for a Midcontinent Geological Library

Dan Boyd, President, Scarab

11:00 AM–11:30 AM
Open Forum

11:30 AM–12:00 PM
Breakout Groups

List the new technologies, techniques, chemical treatments you have used and rank them

12:00 PM–1:00 PM
Lunch
Session 7: Risk and Environmental Considerations
1:00 PM–1:15 PM
Methane detection and monitoring for compliance

Sean Epps, Management of Business Development, Heath US

1:15 PM–1:30 PM
Avoiding Environmental Damage in the Life Cycle of Oil and Gas Operations

Adam Peltz, Director and Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund

1:30 PM–1:45 PM
Improper Risk Assessment Leading to Well Integrity Disasters

Dwight Bulloch, President, Capstone EOS

1:45 PM–2:00 PM
Managing Risk in Plugging Wells on State, Tribal, and Federal Lands

Scott St. John, Vice President, Reagan-Smith

2:00 PM–2:15 PM
Engineered Placement of a Sealing Material for Refrac, Casing Perforations, Breaches, and Leak Mitigation

Dhruwal Bhimani, Technical Support Engineer, Five Star Downhole Service

2:15 PM–2:45 PM
Open Forum

2:45 PM–3:00 PM
Networking Break
Session 8: Future Opportunities
3:00 PM–3:15 PM
.

Dan Arthur, ALL-LLC

3:15 PM–3:30 PM
Sustainable Well Upcycling for Greenhouse Heating: A Pennsylvania Case Study

Arash DahiTaleghani, Professor, Chair of Natural Gas and Petroleum Engineering, Penn State University

3:30 PM–3:45 PM
.

3:45 PM–5:00 PM
Breakout Groups -- Identify and Rank Opportunities
5:00 PM–6:00 PM
Thank You & Final Networking TGS Happy Hour!
Posters

Technical Track - Thursday, February 26

7:01 AM–8:00 AM
.
Session 5: Subsurface Modeling, Remote Sensing, and Methane Sensors for Legacy Assets and Orphan Wells
8:00 AM–8:15 AM
Geomagnetic Drone Mapping of Flowlines in Orphaned Water Flood Fields

Deborah Abrams, Senior Orphaned Well Program Specialist, Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission

8:15 AM–8:30 AM
Geomechanical Modeling of Potential Stress Changes and Deformation for Repurposing Oil and Gas Wells

Ganiyat Shodunke, Ph.D. Candidate

8:30 AM–8:45 AM
Application of 3D Geocellular Modeling to Mature Oil Fields

Lonnie Kennedy, President, Earth Science Services

8:45 AM–9:00 AM
Sentinel Datection Systems - Closing the Post-Plug Data Gap: Long-Term Integrity and Emissions Assurance

Mark Mersman, Founder, Offset Energy Partners

9:00 AM–9:15 AM
Using AI and Agentic AI for Rapid, Low-Cost, Improved Modeling

Sashi Gunturu, President and Founder, Petrabytes

9:15 AM–9:30 AM
Open Forum From Behind-Pipe to the Hottest New Horizontal Play: The Story of the Cherokee Shale in western Oklahoma
9:30 AM–10:00 AM
Open Forum & Breakout Finding the Best Technological Solutions for Problems with Legacy Assets
Session 6: Repurposing and Multiuse: Geothermal, Brine Mining, Energy Storage, Microgrids, Bitcoin
10:00 AM–10:15 AM
Helium and Hydrogen Potential in Repurposed Wells

Steve Tedesco, President, Running Foxes

10:15 AM–10:30 AM
Bitcoin Mining and MicroGrids

Jonathan Kohn, President, BitPetro

10:30 AM–10:45 AM
The Path to Understanding Corrective Action Needs for Potentially Leaking Artificial Penetrations at Deep Geologic Carbon Storage Sites

Danny M. Kingham, Principal Hydrogeologist, GSI Environmental, Inc.

10:45 AM–11:00 AM
Repurposing Legacy Wells for Dense-Phase Bio-Oil Carbon Sequestration

Jennifer Anderson, Principal Geologist, Charm Industrial and Casey Karejwo, Charm Industrial, Senior Business Operations Leader, Renewables

11:00 AM–11:15 AM
Bridging Brines and Bytes: Training the Next Generation for Repurposed Energy Systems

Tiffany Legg, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Oklahoma

11:15 AM–11:30 AM
Open Forum

11:30 AM–12:00 PM
Breakout Session - Selecting Your Repurposing Solution: A Checklist
12:00 PM–1:00 PM
Lunch
Session 7: Optimizing Marginal Wells: Lifecycle Management, Emissions, Waterfloods, and more
1:00 PM–1:15 PM
Smart Waterfloods

Geoff Thyne, Chief Geologist, E-Sal and Teresa Nealson, E-Sal

1:15 PM–1:30 PM
From Leak Rate to Leak Profile: Ai-Driven Monitoring and Predictive Modeling

Nima Daneshvarnejad, Research Scientist, University of Southern California

1:30 PM–1:45 PM
Micro Vapor Recovery Across Asset's Lifecycles

Andrew Lane, President, Capwell

1:45 PM–2:00 PM
Implementing and Managing Colorado's Marginal Well Plugging Program

Forrest Smith, Director of Engineering, TAQ Energy

2:00 PM–2:15 PM
Implementing and Managing Colorado's Marginal Well Plugging Program

Dida Osborne, MERP Program Manager for Colorado's Energy & Carbon Management Commission

2:15 PM–2:45 PM
Open Forum and Breakout Sessions: Top EOR "Must-Know" Facts

2:45 PM–3:15 PM
Networking Break
Session 8: Future Directions
3:15 PM–3:30 PM
EOR for Shale Plays

Tongwei Zhang, Research Professor, UT-Austin

3:30 PM–3:45 PM
Field-Scale Modeling and Techno-Economic Analysis of CO₂-EOR and Geological Storage in a Depleted Shallow Fluvial System

Reza Barati, Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Kansas Geological Survey, Kansas University

3:45 PM–4:00 PM
Repurposing and Plugging Legacy Wells for CCS Projects

Andrew Duguid, Vice President, ADV-RES

4:00 PM–4:15 PM
Turning 1002A PDFs into GIS-Ready Well Locations

Priyank Jaiswal, Professor, Oklahoma State University

4:15 PM–5:30 PM
Open Forum and Breakout Sessions - Identify and Rank Technical Opportunities
5:30 PM–7:30 PM
Networking Reception and TGS Happy Hour The Well
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Venue

Venue
Tulsa, OK - Hyatt Regency
100 East Second Street Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 United States

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Included in rate: Wi-Fi, Fitness Center, Airport Shuttle.

Please go to our main website for more information.

AAPG Accommodation Rates

Hyatt Regency Tulsa

Rate: Single/Double $109 + 16.517% tax

Booking Deadline: 24 January 2026

Booking Info
Hotel
Tulsa, OK - Hyatt Regency
100 East Second Street Tulsa , Oklahoma 74103 United States

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