Oklahoma City Rep. Richard Morrissette says the earthquake reparation fund he’s proposing to be financed by the oil and gas industry would be very much like the state’s tire indemnity fund.
It’s what he told OK Energy Today.
“We pay a dollar per used tire. You mean to tell me, we can’t, the oil and gas industry can’t pay a dollar per barrel of waste fluid as a fee for a reparation fee?” he asked as he criticized the industry and blamed it for the massive surge in earthquakes in the state. His proposal would generate a huge sum of money for earthquake reparations. It’s estimated some 200 million barrels of wastewater were disposed of every month in 2015 in Oklahoma. Do the math. That would be $2.4 billion to create such a fund. Even at 50 cents a bill it would be a tremendous sum.
But in explaining his reparation and how to create it, Morrissette remains highly critical of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and how it’s responded to the earthquake problem.
“Instead of making a mandatory emergency order, they come out and ‘oh please stop–can we ask you to please stop!’ This is an enforcement agency of the government making a request instead of a demand. What a joke!” declared Morrissette.
He wasn’t finished with his criticism of state agencies.
“By the way,”he added. “Where is the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) on this issue? Where have they been by the way. They’ve been incredibly silent on the issue.”
Morrissette said as a member of a House oversight committee, he might have to call for an investigation of the DEQ. The Democrat legislator from Oklahoma City openly admits the earthquake issue has produced support for him in considering a possible run for governor. When asked by OK Energy Today about such a prospect, he said it’s one of several issues that has him thinking about becoming a candidate for governor.
Here is OK Energy Today’s original story about the reparation fund announcement.
salty wastewater ? a byproduct of oil and gas production ? deep into the earth.
Listen to OK Energy Today’s Michael Dean talk with Morrissette about the reparation fund.