Nick Bowlin
@nickbowlin.bsky.social
oil and gas reporter for ProPublica and The Frontier
Freelance work in: Harper's, The Guardian, The Nation, The Drift, Outside, etc.
Freelance work in: Harper's, The Guardian, The Nation, The Drift, Outside, etc.
Pinned
Nick Bowlin
@nickbowlin.bsky.social
· Oct 31
Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.readfrontier.org
Every oil state disposes of toxic wastewater underground. But in Oklahoma, it hasn't been staying there, creating large, ongoing pollution events known as "purges."
An investigation a year in the making for @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
An investigation a year in the making for @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to find the culprit — then closed the case.
Their Water Was Undrinkable. Oklahoma’s Oil Regulators Failed to Help.
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to fin...
www.readfrontier.org
February 12, 2026 at 1:26 PM
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to find the culprit — then closed the case.
Oklahoma officials found signs of oil&gas pollution in Tammy Boarman's drinking water, which left sores in her mouth and corroded appliances. In the end, the state closed her case, with basic questions left unanswered @readfrontier.bsky.social[email protected]
www.readfrontier.org/stories/salt...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/salt...
Their Water Was Undrinkable. Oklahoma’s Oil Regulators Failed to Help.
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to fin...
www.readfrontier.org
February 12, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Oklahoma officials found signs of oil&gas pollution in Tammy Boarman's drinking water, which left sores in her mouth and corroded appliances. In the end, the state closed her case, with basic questions left unanswered @readfrontier.bsky.social[email protected]
www.readfrontier.org/stories/salt...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/salt...
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
“We are convinced that some of you are either inept at your job, just do not care, or you are protecting the operators,” she wrote in a Sept. 27, 2024, email to a half dozen agency employees.
More great work from @nickbowlin.bsky.social
More great work from @nickbowlin.bsky.social
Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why.
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to fin...
www.propublica.org
February 12, 2026 at 6:03 PM
“We are convinced that some of you are either inept at your job, just do not care, or you are protecting the operators,” she wrote in a Sept. 27, 2024, email to a half dozen agency employees.
More great work from @nickbowlin.bsky.social
More great work from @nickbowlin.bsky.social
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
The family’s water was undrinkable: It corroded taps. It withered plants. Their ice maker expelled clumps of salt.
Why?
For 2 yrs, Oklahoma oil regulators delayed basic tests that could help them find out.
Read @nickbowlin.bsky.social latest for @propublica.org + @readfrontier.bsky.social!
Why?
For 2 yrs, Oklahoma oil regulators delayed basic tests that could help them find out.
Read @nickbowlin.bsky.social latest for @propublica.org + @readfrontier.bsky.social!
Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why.
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to fin...
www.propublica.org
February 12, 2026 at 4:27 PM
The family’s water was undrinkable: It corroded taps. It withered plants. Their ice maker expelled clumps of salt.
Why?
For 2 yrs, Oklahoma oil regulators delayed basic tests that could help them find out.
Read @nickbowlin.bsky.social latest for @propublica.org + @readfrontier.bsky.social!
Why?
For 2 yrs, Oklahoma oil regulators delayed basic tests that could help them find out.
Read @nickbowlin.bsky.social latest for @propublica.org + @readfrontier.bsky.social!
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
Truly shocking story. Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why. by partner @nickbowlin.bsky.social @readfrontier.bsky.social
Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why.
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to fin...
www.propublica.org
February 12, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Truly shocking story. Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why. by partner @nickbowlin.bsky.social @readfrontier.bsky.social
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
“When you have a market that is unregulated, difficult to assess and evolves very quickly, that is a calling card for nefarious agents to step in and make money.”
How Intoxicating Hemp Seeped Into the First Recreational Marijuana Market in the Country w/ @denvergazette.com
How Intoxicating Hemp Seeped Into the First Recreational Marijuana Market in the Country w/ @denvergazette.com
Smoke and Mirrors: How Intoxicating Hemp Seeped Into the First Recreational Marijuana Market in the Country
Colorado, which once served as the model for marijuana regulation, generated billions of dollars in tax revenue while promising to keep consumers safe. Now it’s scrambling to keep harmful hemp off the...
www.propublica.org
January 29, 2026 at 6:13 PM
“When you have a market that is unregulated, difficult to assess and evolves very quickly, that is a calling card for nefarious agents to step in and make money.”
How Intoxicating Hemp Seeped Into the First Recreational Marijuana Market in the Country w/ @denvergazette.com
How Intoxicating Hemp Seeped Into the First Recreational Marijuana Market in the Country w/ @denvergazette.com
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
"When utilities earn substantial profits, one might expect customers to see some relief in their monthly bills. But as a result of the ownership model of the utilities that serve most Americans, this is rarely what happens."
Treat your customers like captives, expect them to leave when they can.
Treat your customers like captives, expect them to leave when they can.
Power Brokers, by Nick Bowlin
What’s really behind your soaring utility bills
harpers.org
January 13, 2026 at 12:31 PM
"When utilities earn substantial profits, one might expect customers to see some relief in their monthly bills. But as a result of the ownership model of the utilities that serve most Americans, this is rarely what happens."
Treat your customers like captives, expect them to leave when they can.
Treat your customers like captives, expect them to leave when they can.
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
"Monopoly utilities are supposed to have their profits tightly regulated to protect ratepayers. Yet their stock prices are surging in ways that are totally unmoored from the expectation for a regulated monopoly," write @ddayen.bsky.social and James Baratta: prospect.org/2025/12/18/w... 🔌💡
Why Californians Will Pay $340 More for Electricity Next Year - The American Prospect
The state public utility commission is poised to approve a rate of return that critics say overcharges customers by $4.4 billion per year.
prospect.org
December 18, 2025 at 7:06 PM
"Monopoly utilities are supposed to have their profits tightly regulated to protect ratepayers. Yet their stock prices are surging in ways that are totally unmoored from the expectation for a regulated monopoly," write @ddayen.bsky.social and James Baratta: prospect.org/2025/12/18/w... 🔌💡
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
“You’re not targeting a criminal; you’re targeting a mom of four.”
Here’s how ICE detained and deported a Tulsa single mother—tailing her after she dropped her kids off at school—and how the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office made it possible.
thepickup.com/ice-separate...
Here’s how ICE detained and deported a Tulsa single mother—tailing her after she dropped her kids off at school—and how the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office made it possible.
thepickup.com/ice-separate...
ICE Separated A Family In Midtown Tulsa - The Pickup
Immigration detentions in Oklahoma are on the rise. One case shows how ICE’s cooperation with Tulsa County makes it possible.
thepickup.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
“You’re not targeting a criminal; you’re targeting a mom of four.”
Here’s how ICE detained and deported a Tulsa single mother—tailing her after she dropped her kids off at school—and how the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office made it possible.
thepickup.com/ice-separate...
Here’s how ICE detained and deported a Tulsa single mother—tailing her after she dropped her kids off at school—and how the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office made it possible.
thepickup.com/ice-separate...
Power bills are sky-high, and data centers are to blame, right? Well, yes, but there's something else, upstream of the AI boom: a utility sector beholden to financial interests, resulting in massive corporate profits. I looked into this dynamic for @harpers.bsky.social
harpers.org/archive/2026...
harpers.org/archive/2026...
Power Brokers, by Nick Bowlin
What’s really behind your soaring utility bills
harpers.org
December 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Power bills are sky-high, and data centers are to blame, right? Well, yes, but there's something else, upstream of the AI boom: a utility sector beholden to financial interests, resulting in massive corporate profits. I looked into this dynamic for @harpers.bsky.social
harpers.org/archive/2026...
harpers.org/archive/2026...
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
This story from @nickbowlin.bsky.social does as good a job as any journalism I've read of explaining how utilities have largely captured their regulators, and why that dynamic is driving skyrocketing utility bills. harpers.org/archive/2026...
Power Brokers, by Nick Bowlin
What’s really behind your soaring utility bills
harpers.org
December 17, 2025 at 11:55 PM
This story from @nickbowlin.bsky.social does as good a job as any journalism I've read of explaining how utilities have largely captured their regulators, and why that dynamic is driving skyrocketing utility bills. harpers.org/archive/2026...
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
The problem for Trump is that the US government doesn't drill for oil and Big Oil generally doesn't think its worth investing in Venezuela right now: www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
December 17, 2025 at 9:43 PM
The problem for Trump is that the US government doesn't drill for oil and Big Oil generally doesn't think its worth investing in Venezuela right now: www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
NEW: One of the most significant accomplishments of the Trump Admin: Decimating the US's humanitarian aid.
We went to S. Sudan to see the effects.
Rubio says no one has died from the cuts.
Spoiler: That's not true.
@annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy:
www.propublica.org/article/usai...
We went to S. Sudan to see the effects.
Rubio says no one has died from the cuts.
Spoiler: That's not true.
@annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy:
www.propublica.org/article/usai...
Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.
Behind closed doors in Washington, top advisers made a series of decisions that had devastating repercussions for the poorest country on earth. We went to South Sudan and found people who died as a re...
www.propublica.org
December 15, 2025 at 12:10 PM
NEW: One of the most significant accomplishments of the Trump Admin: Decimating the US's humanitarian aid.
We went to S. Sudan to see the effects.
Rubio says no one has died from the cuts.
Spoiler: That's not true.
@annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy:
www.propublica.org/article/usai...
We went to S. Sudan to see the effects.
Rubio says no one has died from the cuts.
Spoiler: That's not true.
@annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy:
www.propublica.org/article/usai...
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
December 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
A wave of big data centers is triggering a scramble for new electricity generation. OG&E and PSO are pushing to charge ratepayers more as they race to keep up.
Oklahoma’s data center boom Is about to hit the grid — and your power bill
A wave of big data centers is triggering a scramble for new electricity generation. OG&E and PSO are pushing to charge ratepayers more as they race to keep up.
www.readfrontier.org
December 11, 2025 at 2:43 PM
A wave of big data centers is triggering a scramble for new electricity generation. OG&E and PSO are pushing to charge ratepayers more as they race to keep up.
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
We've got 2 great stories today in our series about drivers of the affordability crisis.
First up by James Baratta: Electricity rates are set by public utility commissions. But that process has become captured, with corporate utilities pushing through rate hikes and extracting profits.
First up by James Baratta: Electricity rates are set by public utility commissions. But that process has become captured, with corporate utilities pushing through rate hikes and extracting profits.
Lightning in a Bottle - The American Prospect
Regulatory capture is at the root of the affordability crisis in electricity. Public power could offer a way out.
prospect.org
December 3, 2025 at 1:30 PM
We've got 2 great stories today in our series about drivers of the affordability crisis.
First up by James Baratta: Electricity rates are set by public utility commissions. But that process has become captured, with corporate utilities pushing through rate hikes and extracting profits.
First up by James Baratta: Electricity rates are set by public utility commissions. But that process has become captured, with corporate utilities pushing through rate hikes and extracting profits.
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
An Oklahoma expert investigating toxic gas and oil wastewater brine migration and “surges” of waste injected at high pressure quit after 3 years when regulators refused to act. Now he’s speaking out.
@nickbowlin.bsky.social @readfrontier.bsky.social: bit.ly/4oh7KMc
@buckeyeenviro.bsky.social
@nickbowlin.bsky.social @readfrontier.bsky.social: bit.ly/4oh7KMc
@buckeyeenviro.bsky.social
Toxic Wastewater From Oil Fields Keeps Pouring Out of the Ground. Oklahoma Regulators Failed to Stop It.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
bit.ly
December 3, 2025 at 11:10 AM
An Oklahoma expert investigating toxic gas and oil wastewater brine migration and “surges” of waste injected at high pressure quit after 3 years when regulators refused to act. Now he’s speaking out.
@nickbowlin.bsky.social @readfrontier.bsky.social: bit.ly/4oh7KMc
@buckeyeenviro.bsky.social
@nickbowlin.bsky.social @readfrontier.bsky.social: bit.ly/4oh7KMc
@buckeyeenviro.bsky.social
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
This is so bleak dude
November 24, 2025 at 3:38 PM
This is so bleak dude
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
New story from me and our summer intern Katie about how the state opted out of regulating bitcoin mines, leaving counties and municipalities to deal with them on their own: thepickup.com/data-centers...
Data Centers Got You Worried? Wait Until You Find Out About The Bitcoin Mines - The Pickup
A state law that quietly passed in 2024 with help from a crypto advocacy group has already created a headache for one Oklahoma town.
thepickup.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:29 PM
New story from me and our summer intern Katie about how the state opted out of regulating bitcoin mines, leaving counties and municipalities to deal with them on their own: thepickup.com/data-centers...
This is tonight: Anthem Brewing, 6 pm. OKC folks, c'mon by
Will you be in OKC tomorrow? Come get a beer and talk about oil&gas pollution. We'll have a good time.
Signup here: www.readfrontier.org/overpressured/
And here's my story on Oklahoma's oilfield waste crisis
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
@readfrontier.bsky.social @propublica.org
Signup here: www.readfrontier.org/overpressured/
And here's my story on Oklahoma's oilfield waste crisis
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
@readfrontier.bsky.social @propublica.org
Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.readfrontier.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM
This is tonight: Anthem Brewing, 6 pm. OKC folks, c'mon by
Will you be in OKC tomorrow? Come get a beer and talk about oil&gas pollution. We'll have a good time.
Signup here: www.readfrontier.org/overpressured/
And here's my story on Oklahoma's oilfield waste crisis
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
@readfrontier.bsky.social @propublica.org
Signup here: www.readfrontier.org/overpressured/
And here's my story on Oklahoma's oilfield waste crisis
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
@readfrontier.bsky.social @propublica.org
Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.readfrontier.org
November 17, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Will you be in OKC tomorrow? Come get a beer and talk about oil&gas pollution. We'll have a good time.
Signup here: www.readfrontier.org/overpressured/
And here's my story on Oklahoma's oilfield waste crisis
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
@readfrontier.bsky.social @propublica.org
Signup here: www.readfrontier.org/overpressured/
And here's my story on Oklahoma's oilfield waste crisis
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
@readfrontier.bsky.social @propublica.org
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
After Charlie Kirk's death, the Oklahoma State Department of Education received over 400 complaints about schools and school staff accused of disrespecting the slain conservative activist. But the agency didn’t follow through on promises to investigate.
Ryan Walters’ promised investigations into schools that didn’t honor Charlie Kirk never happened, records show
Records reveal the Oklahoma State Department of Education never launched any school investigations, underscoring a tenure marked by spectacle rather than action.
www.readfrontier.org
November 12, 2025 at 2:20 PM
After Charlie Kirk's death, the Oklahoma State Department of Education received over 400 complaints about schools and school staff accused of disrespecting the slain conservative activist. But the agency didn’t follow through on promises to investigate.
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
Incredibly comprehensive reporting on what sounds like a massive sleeping giant oil pollution problem going on in Oklahoma right now.
Inspiring how so many people in such a defunct regulatory agency nevertheless still kept trying to affect change.
I feel sorry for Danny Ray.
Inspiring how so many people in such a defunct regulatory agency nevertheless still kept trying to affect change.
I feel sorry for Danny Ray.
Every oil state disposes of toxic wastewater underground. But in Oklahoma, it hasn't been staying there, creating large, ongoing pollution events known as "purges."
An investigation a year in the making for @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
An investigation a year in the making for @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.readfrontier.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Incredibly comprehensive reporting on what sounds like a massive sleeping giant oil pollution problem going on in Oklahoma right now.
Inspiring how so many people in such a defunct regulatory agency nevertheless still kept trying to affect change.
I feel sorry for Danny Ray.
Inspiring how so many people in such a defunct regulatory agency nevertheless still kept trying to affect change.
I feel sorry for Danny Ray.
Reposted by Nick Bowlin
Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.
grist.org/accountabili...
#OK #Oklahoma #Water #Toxic #Oil
grist.org/accountabili...
#OK #Oklahoma #Water #Toxic #Oil
Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from Oklahoma oil wells.
grist.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Every oil state disposes of toxic wastewater underground. But in Oklahoma, it hasn't been staying there, creating large, ongoing pollution events known as "purges."
An investigation a year in the making for @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
An investigation a year in the making for @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.readfrontier.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Every oil state disposes of toxic wastewater underground. But in Oklahoma, it hasn't been staying there, creating large, ongoing pollution events known as "purges."
An investigation a year in the making for @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
An investigation a year in the making for @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...