Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony was sworn into office Monday morning after winning re-election last November to his sixth consecutive term.
Of the 9 statewide offices, Anthony is the longest-serving Oklahoma statewide elected official. It was 30 years ago when he was first sworn into office.
Anthony was administered two oaths of office. One was the oath administered to all statewide office holders. The second was the oath required by the Oklahoma Constitution for the office of Corporation Commissioner.
The second oath is considered unique in that it includes many elements that refer to Oklahoma’s past and to the responsibility of being a corporation commissioner.
Here is the special oath taken by Commissioner Anthony.
I, (name), do solemnly swear that I am not, directly or indirectly, interested in any railroad, street railway, traction line, canal, steam boat,pipe line, car line, sleeping car line, car association, express line, telephone or telegraph line, nor in the bonds, stocks, mortgages, securities, contract or earnings of any railroad, street railway, traction line, canal, steam boat, pipe line, car line, sleeping car line, car association, express line, telephone or telegraph line; and that I will, to the best of my ability, faithfully and justly execute and enforce the provisionsof this Constitution of the State of Oklahoma, and all the laws of the State of Oklahoma concerning railroads, street railways, traction lines,canals, steam boats, pipe lines, car lines, sleeping car lines, car associations, express lines, telephone and telegraph h lines, compress andelevator companies, and all other corporations over which said Commission has jurisdiction.
As commissioner, Anthony’s jurisdiction includes electric, natural gas and private water utilities, wind farms, telephone companies, trucking, oil and natural gas production as well as related environmental protection, storage and dispensing of gasoline and other motor fuels, environmental remediation of areas polluted by motor fuels and other refined products, intrastate pipelines, cotton gins, rail crossings, wrecker service, taxis, limousines and transportation networks. The transportation networks include Uber and Lyft.
