Agricultural News
OERB Cleaning Up Site 15,000 As the Journey to Restore Every Abandoned Well in Oklahoma Continues
Wed, 13 Apr 2016 05:36:20 CDT
The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board is one of those true success stories that was initially created at the request of the state's oil and gas industry by the State Legislature. They saw a need to address abandoned well sites and the industry advocated being taxed by the government to fix the problems statewide. The OERB was the agency created- established in 1994. The agency, now led by Executive Director Mindy Stitt has quietly offered a service to landowners that is free and cleans up, in many cases, messes that are decades old.
This week, the agency is announcing that they have reached a milestone, with the 15,000th well site clean up underway. Site 15,000 is located in the Oklahoma City metro, just east of the Bricktown Fire Station (also built on an OERB-restored site) on Reno Ave. and will be developed into a new OKC hotel. Stitt says that about $20,000 will be used to restore this site.
The OERB voluntarily restores abandoned well sites - at absolutely no cost to landowners. Common restoration work includes:
· Removing or burying lease roads and location pads.
· Removing or burying equipment, concrete, trash and debris.
· Repairing erosion and saltwater "scars" left on the land.
· Treating hydrocarbons and closing pits.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays talked about the journey of the OERB with Executive Director Mindy Stitt, who says that her job is secure for a while longer, as there are still many well sites- some dating back to the early days of oil drilling in Oklahoma- to be reviewed and in many cases, restored.
You can hear their conversation about OERB's journey to well site 15,000 by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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