The oil industry in the United States and throughout the world is faced with a myriad of environmental issues associated with current and past production and refining practices.  WRI and the U.S. Department of Energy have teamed up to develop and demonstrate advanced bioremediation technologies—the use and enhancement of microbial organisms as hydrocarbon digesters—for the oil industry.

Hydrocarbon-laden drilling mud, tank bottoms and contaminated soils and groundwater are top concerns.  Laboratory testing and field-scale applications have demonstrated the high performance and cost-effectiveness of WRI's methods for cleaning up contaminated materials.