An environmental bill supported by the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma but strongly opposed by environmentalists has yet to be signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
He received Senate Bill 1003 by Sen. Mark Allen, R-Spiro last week. The measure is an environmental and safety “self audit” program for chemical plants, utilities and other industries.
The measure was co-authored by Rep. Mark McBride, a Republican from Moore.
“This incentivizes industry to fix its own environmental issues while saving state resources,” said McBride. The bill, if made law, would allow companies to enter into agreements where they would conduct their own audits of their regulatory compliance. And those audits would not fall under the state’s open records law.
But McBride maintains there will be more transparency if SB1003 becomes law.
“Actually, it’s more transparency than what we have now. You’re going to get these regulated (industries) to report voluntarily, where now we’re getting nothing. We don’t have enough manpower to monitor these (industries) like they need to be.”
Environmentalists call it “The Polluter’s Cheat and Deceit Bill.”
They don’t believe the industry will police itself and properly protect the environment.
Texas has a similar law that was created in 1995. Oklahoma’s Secretary of Energy and Environment Ken Wagner openly patterned SB 1003 after the Texas law.
The bill is patterned after a 1995 Texas law and was sought by Secretary of Energy and Environment Ken Wagner, who said it will lead to better compliance and better working relationships between business and regulators.