EDMOND —
Recently, the federal government’s EPA issued new mandates on the oil and gas industry — requiring a process called “green completion.” These new EPA rules are meant to protect the air from harmful gases, such as methane, which can be released during the oil and gas drilling process.
A noble purpose — but it raises two questions in my mind: (1) Do Oklahomans need Washington, D.C., intervention to protect us from the oil and gas industry? And (2) If so, do these EPA rules accomplish their goal in the least burdensome, most efficient way?
In my opinion, the answer to both questions is “no.”
Speaking as only one commissioner — and not for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission as a whole — my private-sector experience has shown me that government intrusion from Washington, D.C., is not narrowly tailored to the needs of Oklahomans. When regulation is formulated at a local or state level, Oklahoma’s citizens and taxpayers have a better opportunity for meaningful dialog with less intrusive consequences.
The recently adopted EPA rules state that their goal was “cost-effective regulations, required by the Clean Air Act, to reduce harmful air pollution from the oil and natural gas industry while allowing continued, responsible growth in U.S. oil and natural gas production.” To support this new mandate of “green completion,” the EPA argues that it significantly will increase air quality, and will not be overly costly on businesses.
Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry — both big and small companies — disagrees, pointing out some of the faulty assumptions made by the EPA to justify these additional mandates. First, the amount of harmful gases emitted during the initial stages of a well’s life are far less than estimated by the EPA. Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry estimates that the EPA missed the mark by as much as 1,400 percent.
Secondly, the EPA states that the costs of “green completion” are offset by the additional recovery of natural gas and other products which can be sold. Again, our Oklahoma companies disagree. Oklahoma companies estimate that cost to business could be as much as $1 million per ton of harmful gas reduction. From a small business owner’s standpoint, these costs are huge and the benefit is small. The math simply does not work.
To their credit, our largest oil and gas companies already use “green completion” methods in more than 90 percent of the wells drilled — and were doing so prior to the EPA’s edict. As for the smaller companies, these new rules might cause them to choose not to drill a well — which means a loss of jobs for Oklahoma families.
Regulation has a place, and there are sound reasons for it. In fact, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the chief regulator of this industry. Before state regulations are enacted, we hold official conferences to gather input from parties who will be affected by new regulations. The Oklahoma commissioners are elected by Oklahomans — and are vested with the duty and responsibility to protect and defend Oklahoma’s resources, both natural and economic.
States should be allowed to regulate our industries. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has been a leader in sound regulation for this industry, and in my opinion, is the best way for Oklahomans to regulate Oklahoma.
PATRICE DOUGLAS, R-Edmond, is an Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner.
Opinion
Oklahomans governing Oklahoma is best
- Opinion
-
-
Witnesses missing; Behenna case could be heard at Supreme Court
The film “Breaker Morant” was nominated for an Oscar for the best screenplay in 1980. It told the story of Harry “Breaker” Morant, an Australian who served in the British Army and was court-martialed for alleged war crimes during the Boer War in Southern Africa in the early years of the last century.
That conflict pitted the British Army against the descendants of the Dutch settlers who had migrated to what is now South Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries. The majority of them were farmers and in their language of Afrikaans were known as “Boers.” -
Don’t leave Oklahoma!
May is graduation season. As I have done every year as lieutenant governor, I have given multiple commencement speeches. Advice flows freely during this time and it usually runs the gamut. What to do, what not to do, how to do ‘x’, be sure not to do ‘y.’ Too often commencement speakers speak in big generalities. So general, the message is frequently lost or forgotten.
-
Last-minute funding proposals not in state’s best interest
All indications point to this being the last week of this year’s legislative session. The Legislature will go home a week early. This is good news for Oklahomans as not only will there be cost savings but all Oklahomans should breathe a sigh of relief when the Legislature stops making new laws a week ahead of schedule.
As usual, the Legislature will take a number of important votes during the last week. Some will be forced due to attempts to introduce and pass far-reaching, new policies that should have been introduced much earlier in the year. -
BY THE NUMBERS: Oklahoma still needs to invest in its economy
After six months of stagnation, the Oklahoma economy finally appears to be expanding again albeit still weakly. Unfortunately, our leaders aren’t making the investments we need to give our economic prospects a boost.
Last week the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services reported that in April state General Revenue fund collections were 5.2 percent above the estimate and 14.7 percent higher than last year’s collections. Under normal circumstances, such a report would indicate that the Oklahoma economy was very strong. But this isn’t a normal circumstance, and April isn’t a normal month. -
Americans deserve the truth on Benghazi
Lately, the media has been consumed by the controversies surrounding the White House. Among these controversies is the horrific terrorist attack on the United States’ diplomatic compound in Benghazi that took place Sept. 11, 2012. As more people come forward with additional information regarding the attack on the consulate, many Americans, including myself, are still asking for the truth.
The Obama Administration and the State Department have been less than forthcoming with key information on Benghazi and recent information points toward a major cover-up. -
Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
HEY HINK: Some people just are not cut out for command
Recent headlines cause me to remember an incident that occurred on an army base some years ago. Warning here: I’m taking some liberties with names and details, but the basic outline of events is accurate.
A certain company commander, let’s call him Captain Duntz, had command of a motor pool on a large army base in the continental U.S. -
We’ve become our own worst enemies
The past couple months have been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
You don’t want to dwell too long on the negative, but we do have to take notice of horrific human events and we owe it to ourselves to respond to them in some way. We don’t always agree on those responses, however, and that usually exacerbates the problem. -
Let’s reimburse higher ed for remediation costs
The good news: Oklahoma schools are teaching phonics. The bad news: It’s in college.
Students at Tulsa Community College, for example, can take a college English course called “Spelling and Phonics,” which “helps students master basic spelling literacy, principles of phonics and decoding skills.”
This sort of higher education brings to mind former Boston University president John Silber’s quip: “Higher than what?” -
AGAINST THE GRAIN: Department of Commerce highlights Main Street successes
The 24th annual Oklahoma Main Street Awards Banquet was at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum last week. Oklahoma Department of Commerce Secretary Dave Lopez addressed the gathering, and spoke of how the Commerce Department works with Main Street organizations throughout the state that are working to improve their downtown areas. Lopez pointed out that the partnership between his department and those local organizations has brought new life to those communities and that the attendees would see some of that revitalization in a video presentation. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin also addressed the gathering, and said the Main Street program has resulted in more than $1 billion in investments in the state and more than 1 million volunteer hours in its 24 years of operation.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Witnesses missing; Behenna case could be heard at Supreme Court
