The 2009 Oklahoma legislature has come to a close. All in all, 2009 was a good year for conservation in Oklahoma. While our funding was cut by 7%, the Conservation Commission was given the authority to take up to 30% of our share of the oil gross production tax money (the natural resource REAP fund) for administration. This money was also earmarked to Conservation for another 5 years, insuring that these dollars will remain available for natural resource work. We also were successful in reauthorizing the $25 million conservation bond to repair damage from the storms of 2007.
In addition to budget items, legislation was passed directing the Conservation Commission and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to review dam safety standards and determine a strategy to reduce the number of high-hazard dam classifications caused by construction below low-hazard dams. The continuing increase in the number of high-hazard dams in Oklahoma and the costs associated with rehabilitation of these structures to meet safety requirements creates huge budget challenges for Conservation in Oklahoma. It is hoped that the Commission and the OWRB will be able to determine a strategy for reducing the number of dams that are reclassified from low-hazard to high-hazard in the future.
Legislation was also passed directing the Conservation Commission, the Okla. Department of Agriculture and the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service to collaborate on a study to determine the interest among agriculture producers in establishing a comprehensive stewardship program. If a producer participates in this program and establishes a comprehensive resource stewardship plan on their land, the participating producer would be given certain legal protections in the event of a lawsuit involving natural resources in their area. Since this would be a new program and would cost additional dollars, the legislature directed this study to judge interest in such a program before taking the step of passing it into law.
The bottom line is that the 2009 legislative session went well, especially for a year of extremely tight budgets. Thanks to all of you who called your legislators or came to the capitol. By working together, we continue to do good things for natural resource conservation in Oklahoma!!!!!
Many Reps and Senators showed strong support for our programs this year, but we owe a special thank you to Rep. Dale DeWitt and Sen. David Myers, the Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Sub-Committees on Natural Resources. These two legislators continue to show that they are true champions of conservation. There support was vital during the legislative process and we appreciate their leadership!!!
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