One of the companies behind a planned Oklahoma smelter has a history of air pollution violations
Century Aluminum paid a settlement and fines tied to emissions issues as it pitches a new facility near Tulsa that it says will be cleaner.
Kayla Branch April 9, 2026
Century Aluminum paid a settlement and fines tied to emissions issues as it pitches a new facility near Tulsa that it says will be cleaner.
Nick Bowlin March 17, 2026
Oklahoma took on an ambitious project to catalog all of the state’s injection wells, which shoot toxic waste generated by oil drilling back into the ground. Despite records showing risk of drinking water pollution, the state chose not to act.
Dylan Goforth February 13, 2026
Across Oklahoma, oilfield wastewater has continued to surface from the ground — even as regulators failed to contain it. This investigation examines how oversight fell short, how contamination spread and how families were left to navigate the consequences.
Nick Bowlin February 12, 2026
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to find the culprit — then closed the case.
Kayla Branch January 8, 2026
State regulators are reviewing a proposal to expand sand mining over the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer, despite Oklahoma’s moratorium on new mines in the area.
Clifton Adcock December 19, 2025
The judgment also permanently limits the application of bird waste to fields in the region.
Kayla Branch November 3, 2025
Residents near Enid say the smell of an oilfield waste disposal site made them feel sick. State officials weren’t sure who was in charge of enforcement.
Nick Bowlin October 29, 2025
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drinking water.
As a nonprofit news organization, The Frontier is funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism.
Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? We can’t do it without your support.