The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB) is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its well site cleanup program, which is voluntarily funded by oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners.

To date, 17,000 orphaned or abandoned well sites have been cleaned at a cost of $120 million.

Oklahoma is the only state in the nation with a voluntarily funded cleanup program. Created at the request of the industry in 1993, the OERB is funded by one-tenth of 1 percent assessment on the sale of oil and natural gas. Most of the restoration projects are from 1900s to 1940s, well before today’s regulations.

“None of the OERB’s cleanup efforts would be possible without the leadership of Oklahoma¹s oil and natural gas industry,” said OERB Executive Director Mindy Stitt. “Through their voluntary contributions, we’ve been able to restore thousands of acres of land across the state.”

An average of two to three sites are done each day. All sites are cleaned at no cost to the landowner. For information, visit oerb.com/restoration.