The Illinois Petroleum Resources Board (IPRB) utilized voluntary funding from Illinois oil producers and royalty owners to restore 14 White County abandoned tank battery sites in 2023. Exact GPS coordinates for the 14 sites and a map showing general locations of the projects can be found below.
IPRB has restored 37 abandoned tank battery sites across the state this year and more than 500 sites over the past 20 years. The restoration process includes removal and proper disposal of all oilfield infrastructure at these sites along with dirt-work and soil remediation – if needed – to return sites as close as possible to their pre-production state.
“Illinois oil producers are committed to preserving the Southern Illinois landscape and returning abandoned oilfield sites to their pre-production state,” IPRB executive director Seth Whitehead said. “A vast majority of Illinois oil producers live and work in the same southern Illinois communities where they produce and care deeply about the environment in their local communities.
“IPRB’s restoration program was established to ensure that the industry as a whole can step up and address abandoned tank battery sites in the unfortunate instances in which Illinois oil producers have passed away or gone out of business.”
Several other abandoned tank battery restoration projects are planned for White County and throughout the Illinois Basin in 2024.
