Oklahoma Energy Resources Board
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oklahoma Energy Resources Board | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Website | www.OERB.com |
Created by the Oklahoma Legislature and energy industry leaders in 1993, the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (abbreviated OERB) is funded voluntarily by oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners through a one-tenth of 1 percent assessment on the sale of oil and natural gas.[1] The OERB’s purpose is to conduct environmental restoration of orphaned and abandoned well sites, to encourage the wise and efficient use of energy, and to promote energy education.
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[edit] Environmental Restoration
Since its creation in 1993, the OERB has committed $40 million to restore more than 8,000 abandoned and orphaned well sites as part of its environmental restoration program.[2] It has made restoration progress in 59 of Oklahoma's 77 counties and has a restoration budget of $7 million for the current fiscal year.
[edit] Education
Throughout its history, the OERB has reached more than 1 million Oklahoma students with energy curricula, classroom supplies, field trips, college scholarships and presentations. OERB reaches all academic grade levels – from elementary through college – with its energy education programs, including:[3]
- The OERB Petroleum Scholar Program distributes $400,000 each year to Oklahoma college students majoring in petroleum-related fields. The deadline for these scholarships is March 1, 2008 and applications can be found at the official OERB Petroleum Scholar page.
- The PetroTech Program is OERB’s newest education program, which provides scholarships, training and certification for Oklahomans interested in Geo Tech, Land Tech and Engineering Tech positions within the oil and natural gas industry. Detailed information about the programs can be found at the official PetroTech page.
The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board created the PetroTech Program to help prepare Oklahomans for careers in the energy industry. A year after its inauguration, the program has accepted more than 400 students and industry employers are now hiring PetroTech graduates.[4]
- Petro Pros gives oil and natural gas professionals an opportunity to volunteer their time to visit classrooms and show children the science and business side of the industry.
- Fossils to Fuel is an elementary school energy curriculum with more than 4,000 teachers trained.
- Petro Active is a middle school energy curriculum with more than 1,200 teachers trained.
- Core Energy is a high school energy curriculum with more than 1,000 teachers trained.
- Museum Partnerships allow the OERB to partner with several museums across the state to enhance energy education curricula and provide free classroom field trips.
- The OERB uses Safety Videos to demonstrate the dangers of playing around well sites. The video titled, "What's the risk" can be found at OERB's safety page
- Well Site Safety Day is an annual event at the State Capitol to spread awareness of well site dangers to children, parents and teachers.
[edit] Conservation
Through its Conservation Education Program, the OERB has contributed $1.75 million to help more than 600 Oklahoma families weatherize their homes and save up to 30 percent on their utility bills. In addition to providing weatherization assistance, the OERB provides tips on saving energy and money through advertisements, community events and a website, which includes a “Weatherize Your Home” video demonstration, conservation tips and information on how to apply for home heating assistance.
