E.P.A. Adds Wilcox Oil Location in Creek Co., OK, to National Priorities List of Superfund Sites; 9 hazardous waste sites added, 8 suggested nationally

(Dallas - December 11, 2013) Today the E.P.A. (EPA) announced it will add the Wilcox Oil Company location in Creek County, Oklahoma, to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites, a list of sites that pose risks to people's health and the environment. Superfund is the federal plan that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.

The site, about 35 miles southwest of Tulsa, consists of the former Lorraine and Wilcox Refinery. The 2 companies operated refineries and associated facilities on the property from 1915 to 1965. The 125-acre location includes remnants of the former oil refining operations and tank farms. Contaminants at the location include metals-mainly lead-and polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons, a group of chemicals found in crude oil that might cause cancer or reproductive and skin effects.

"Cleaning up National Priorities List sites is one of EPA's most important priorities," said E.P.A. Regional Administrator Ron Curry. "The families who live near the Wilcox Oil location deserve to be protected from these contaminants."

Adding the Wilcox Oil location to the NPL allows for the E.P.A. to evaluate the nature and extent of the contamination and assessing how best to treat it.

Since 1983, E.P.A. has listed 1,694 sites on the NPL. At 1,147 or 68 percent of NPL sites, all cleanup remedies are in place. Approximately 645 or 38 percent of NPL sites have all necessary long-term protections in place, which means E.P.A. considers the sites protective for redevelopment or reuse.

More information about the National Priorities List: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/

More information about E.P.A. Region 6: http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central

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