Oklahoma Military Sites Cleanup Will Cost $677 Million, Last Until 2099

"A government program to clean up 503 contaminated military sites across Oklahoma will have cost an estimated $677 million by the time it concludes at the end of the century, Department of Defense records show.

Tinker Air Force Base alone has required $277 million in evaluation and cleanup, with another $46 million needed between now and 2027, according to data released Thursday by ProPublica. Cleanup at Will Rogers World Airport is expected to cost more than $7 million by the time it ends in 2021.

Elsewhere in the state, the removal of explosives, munitions, arsenic and lead is expected to last until the year 2099. One site, deemed “high risk” by the federal government, is a popular hunting spot."

Justin Wingerter reports for the Oklahoma City Oklahoman December 2, 2017.