Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Marc Miller announced that private property owners in Illinois can receive funding assistance to plug abandoned oil and gas wells located on their property.  The IDNR Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management, which administers the program, is now accepting applications from qualifying landowners.  Plugging is the process of removing production equipment and decommissioning a well that is no longer in use by sealing the well, usually by filling it with cement and drilling mud to a prescribed depth and restoring the well site to its pre-production condition.  For detailed information on the application process, a list of eligible wells and a copy of the application form, follow this link: www.dnr.illinois.gov/OilandGas/Pages/ProgramsandRegulations.aspx or for phone 217-782-7756.