How High Integrity Carbon Credits Closed an Orphan Well

Curious how a modern carbon credit intersects with a 97-year-old orphan oil well in Toole County, Montana? It all comes down to plugging the past to protect the future.

When an orphaned oil well is properly plugged and sealed, the methane emissions it would have released are calculated and converted into verified and certified high-integrity carbon credits. The sale of these credits helps to fund the work done by the Well Done Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to locating and capping abandoned oil and gas wells across the U.S. Thus,  creating a powerful cycle of climate action.

If you're ready to join the movement toward carbon neutrality and leaving things better than we found them, learn more here — and read on to see how Well Done is putting these values into action.

The A. Lorenzen #15 Story

In the high plains of Toole County in northern Montana’s “Golden Triangle” region, surrounded by open prairie, wheat fields, and century-old farmland, a ghost from the early oil boom era quietly leaked potent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. For nearly a century, the A. Lorenzen #15 Orphan Well (“A. Lorenzen #15”) — first drilled in 1927 — stood abandoned and unplugged. It was a relic of a time when there were no regulations requiring companies to clean up after a dry well. Thanks to carbon credits and a growing movement of climate-minded investors and individuals who decided to act, this orphan well leaks no more.

From Boomtown to Bust

The A. Lorenzen #15 was part of the famed Kevin-Sunburst oil field boom that fueled Montana’s early energy development. Commencing on August 10, 1927, the well took only 19 days to be deemed a “dry hole” after a fire broke out and destroyed the wooden derrick that was drilling the well. It was quickly abandoned, and despite state records claiming it was plugged in the same year, no such closure had taken place. For 96 years, A. Lorenzen #15 leaked methane — an invisible and odorless greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere.  

High Integrity Carbon Credits: Turning Climate Liability into Climate Action

What’s the cost of doing nothing? Orphan wells like A. Lorenzen #15 have silently leaked potent methane and other toxic gasses such as Benzene and Hydrogen Sulfide into our air for decades, threatening climate stability and local community health. But now, you can help stop it.

In 2021, the Well Done Foundation adopted the A. Lorenzen #15, after discovering it had never been plugged. Our team immediately launched a well-monitoring process, confirmed the ongoing methane leak, and set out to close the well for good. Backed by climate-conscious individuals and businesses purchasing verified and certified high-integrity carbon credits tied to the project, we successfully sealed the well and eliminated a nearly century-old source of emissions. 

Behind each high-integrity carbon credit generated by the Well Done Foundation is a success story of restoration — of long-abandoned wells finally sealed and emissions that will no longer escape into the atmosphere and threaten community health.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

The plugging of A. Lorenzen #15 reduced 20,366 metric tons of CO₂, the equivalent of:

• 4,427 cars removed
• 925,273 mature trees   

A Call to Climate Action: Plugging Wells, Protecting Futures

Every orphaned oil and gas well plugged is a chapter closed in a long and largely invisible legacy of neglect. The A. Lorenzen #15 quietly leaked methane for more than nine decades. Its eventual closure wasn’t theoretical — it was funded in part by high-integrity carbon credits purchased by individuals and organizations committed to turning abstract emissions data into concrete action.

Plugging orphan wells doesn’t just prevent greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere — it protects groundwater, restores farmland, and brings long-forgotten sites back into safe use. It’s a kind of climate action that’s visible and tangible, measured not just in carbon reductions but in clean air, healthy soil, and local jobs.

For businesses pursuing their ESG goals or individuals looking for a more grounded way to engage in climate solutions, this work represents a rare kind of impact: scientifically measurable but deeply human. It’s a reminder that real change doesn’t always start with sweeping legislation or technological breakthroughs. Sometimes, it starts with an orphan well that stops leaking.

When you work with the Well Done Foundation:

• Every carbon credit is linked to a specific well.
• Third parties validate emissions reductions and are publicly available.
• Annual post-plugging monitoring ensures long-term integrity and permanence.
• You can proudly say, I helped eliminate a Century-old methane leak!

Let’s plug the past and power a more sustainable future. To learn more and purchase carbon credits, visit our website.