Federal funding will help evaluate former oil and gas properties and abandoned gas stations for potential cleanup and redevelopment over the next five years.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has been awarded a $2 million federal grant to expand environmental assessments of contaminated and potentially contaminated properties across Oklahoma, with a particular focus on sites affected by historic oil and gas operations and former gas stations.
The grant, awarded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Fiscal Year 2026 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup grant competition, will fund the OCC’s Brownfields Program for a five-year period beginning Oct. 1.
The funding will be used to conduct Environmental Site Assessments at properties enrolled in the state’s Brownfields Program. Those assessments identify environmental conditions, evaluate potential cleanup needs and help determine whether sites are suitable for redevelopment.
Brownfields are properties where redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances or other contamination. In Oklahoma, many such sites stem from decades of oil and gas production or former petroleum retail operations.
According to the OCC, assessing those sites is often the first step toward returning underutilized properties to productive economic use.
“This grant strengthens the Commission’s ability to assist communities in addressing environmental concerns at underutilized properties,” Jeffrey Meyers, manager of the OCC Brownfields Department, said in a statement. “By expanding assessment capacity statewide, we can help communities better understand site conditions, attract redevelopment opportunities, and support the safe return of these properties to productive use.”
The commission said the funding also will expand technical assistance for communities seeking to evaluate sites, identify cleanup options and pursue redevelopment opportunities.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission administers the state’s Brownfields Program in addition to its regulatory responsibilities for public utilities, oil and gas, and transportation industries.
