Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe says the just passed Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act included priorities for Oklahoma he inserted into H.R. 2028. The measure passed on a 90-8 vote.
“As passed by the Senate, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act will improve water supply and quality in Western Oklahoma by directing the Army Corps to prioritize projects in drought-stricken areas—projects that are further prioritized in my Water Resources Development Act of 2016 that passed out of my committee with strong bipartisan support,” explained Inhofe. He is chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The bill will also advance America’s energy independence, said the Senator, by encouraging the development of state-based oil and gas regulations.
“Once again, we fully fund the Risk-Based Data Management System, which supports the FracFocus program at the Ground Water Protection Council that receives strong praise by both industry and government leaders for effectively monitoring development at the local level of our domestic energy resources,” added Sen. Inhofe.
The Senator also took credit for securing the Red River Chloride Control project which focuses on treating brackish water by removing chloride salts from the tributaries to the red River.
Another project is continued funding for the Risk Based Data Management System within the Department of Energy. The system is managed by the Ground Water Protection Council and operates in state oil and natural gas environmental agencies.
Still another project is the Ground Water Protection Council. The Energy Information Administration is to use available funding to build the interface of the National Oil and Gas Gateway. But Sen. Inhofe said he EIA has not kept pace with state-run databases and interfaces to provide near real-time statistics on production of oil and natural gas and well integrity.
The Appropriations Act also includes funding by Army Corps projects along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.
