Oily Sludge Is Flooding Their Dream Home. Oklahoma Regulators Say They Can’t Help.

The Merediths were forced to abandon their house after it filled with black goo, reaching gas concentrations at explosive levels. Despite evidence of oil and gas pollution, the state “wanted to act like it would go away,” the family says. By Nick Bowlin, The Frontier, and Katie Campbell, ProPublica. Co-published with The Frontier. Originally published May 18, 2026. Recorded by News Over Audio.Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.