Nick Bowlin — ProPublica

Toxic Ground: How Oil Field Pollution Is Threatening Oklahoma

About half of all Oklahomans live within a mile of an oil and gas site. A new documentary from The Frontier and ProPublica exposes the failure of state regulators to protect residents from a massive underground pollution crisis.

June 2, 2026, 6:00 am EDT

Oily Sludge Is Flooding Their Dream Home. Oklahoma Regulators Say They Can’t Help.

May 18, 2026, 6:00 am EDT
Oil Regulators Found Hundreds of Wells Violating Oklahoma Rules. Then They Ignored Their Findings.

March 17, 2026, 5:00 am EDT
Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why.

February 12, 2026, 5:00 am EST
New Bills Seek to Rein In Oil Companies’ Pollution of Oklahoma Groundwater

January 28, 2026, 5:00 am EST
“A Fraudulent Scheme”: New Mexico Sues Texas Oil Companies for Walking Away From Their Leaking Wells

January 22, 2026, 5:00 am EST
Toxic Wastewater From Oil Fields Keeps Pouring Out of the Ground. Oklahoma Regulators Failed to Stop It.

October 29, 2025, 5:30 am EDT
Show Us What It’s Like to Live with Oil Pollution in Oklahoma

October 29, 2025, 5:25 am EDT
Oklahoma’s Oil Industry Touts a Voluntary Fund to Clean Up Oil Wells. Major Drillers Want Their Contributions Refunded.

August 6, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
Oil Companies Contaminated a Family Farm. The Courts and Regulators Let the Drillers Walk Away.

May 6, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
Oil Companies Must Set Aside More Money to Plug Wells, a New Rule Says. But It Won’t Be Enough.

April 22, 2024, 5:00 am EDT