Oklahoma regulators have launched efforts to do their legal business by remote means, such as Internet. The Corporation Commission released steps to be taken by those energy firms and others who need to do filings and other work at the now-closed Jim Thorpe building in Oklahoma City and the commission’s offices in Tulsa.
Ways to conduct Corporation Commission court business until further notice (instructions may change as conditions warrant)
NOTE: To mitigate the spread of Covid-19, the Jim Thorpe Building and the Tulsa courtrooms are closed to the public, as of March 23, 2020. Court hearings will continue – conducted by Scopia or by telephone. If by phone, the judge will provide a phone number.
Pleadings, continuances and exhibits need to be emailed to CourtClerk@occ.ok.gov **
There is always the option to continue causes that are on the docket – preferably for 28 days unless there is a reason to set them sooner. Considerations for the timing of continuances will include the economic impact if the cause is not heard more quickly than 28 days from the original setting.
Pleading Submissions via Email
New applications will be filed by emailing the application and corresponding notice of hearing (as required by rule) to CourtClerk@occ.ok.gov. A new cause number will be generated and sent to the filer. The cause number and file stamp will be affixed to the application (and notice of hearing, as applicable) electronically and returned to the filer via email. The applicable filing fee should be sent to the OCC cashier in the form of a
check after the application is filed, and this payment should clearly indicate the cause type and cause number to which your payment is to be applied.
All other filings in established OCC causes should likewise be emailed to CourtClerk@occ.ok.gov. In order to route your pleadings to the appropriate clerks for fastest processing, your email should indicate the subject matter (such as O&G, PUD, Transportation, etc.) and the nature of the pleadings on the subject line to the extent practical. The clerk will electronically attach a file stamp to each of the itemized documents in your email and return the itemized documents to the filer. The finalized document pdfs will be uploaded into our imaging system and coded into Case Processing by the clerk.
Please note: Unless an alternate email recipient address is clearly specified, all finalized document pdfs will be returned to the email address from which they were received.
Exhibit Submissions via Email
At least 24 hours prior to the scheduled hearing, exhibits (including technical response forms) should be emailed
to CourtClerk@occ.ok.gov, in an itemized list, with each individual exhibit pdf sufficiently named to be readily distinguished by title to the greatest extent possible. Please remember each exhibit must contain the cause type and cause number on the document. The exhibits should also be emailed to the assigned ALJ, as determined by the hearing docket that is posted on www.occeweb.com.
Proposed Order Submissions via Email
A Word version of draft orders should be emailed to CourtClerk@occ.ok.gov. This will allow us to circulate the orders to the appropriate reviewers and the Commissioners without using paper. Please indicate in the subject line of any such submission the cause type, cause number, and title of your proposed order. Doing so will help us more effectively process your proposed order.
Continuances via Email
If continuances and an announcement of the status of a case can be provided to the Commission no later than 24 hours in advance of the hearing, we can enter that information on the docket prior to the docket call, thereby minimizing the need to participate in a docket call via telephone. As usual, an attorney must notify the counsel for an applicant of an appearance in a cause, and additionally notify the ALJ of said appearance. Continuances should be sent to CourtClerk@occ.ok.gov in an itemized list which indicates the cause type, cause number,
attorney name, and the client that attorney represents for each continuance.
At the calling of the uncontested docket on Mondays and Tuesday, the ALJ will prioritize all cases. Any emergency cause will take precedent over others. Spacing and Pooling hearings will be treated as being of high priority. The Location Exception, Multi-Unit, Increased Density and Rule Exception Applications will be heard in that order.
** For oil and gas attorneys: There is an opportunity to use the “Optional Procedures” process pursuant to OAC 165:5-13-3.1 for eligible types of causes. This involves submitting your application, pre-filed testimony (affidavit), draft order and other documents in the case to the Technical Department in the Oil and Gas
Conservation Division two weeks prior to the hearing date. This may result in an order being issued more quickly because Technical staff will have reviewed the exhibits and proposed order and sent them on to the judge prior to the hearing.
We are committed to continue service to our stakeholders. Please contact us at 405-521-2352.