In The News
Tulsa World: EPA pressed on paint rules
Tuesday April 19, 2011
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, who battled a federal agency over lead paint removal rules last year, joined other senators Monday in raising new concerns over the matter.
As the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Oklahoma Republican also called for oversight hearings on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approach.
Inhofe and several other senators, including Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., also signed letters to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
As the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Oklahoma Republican also called for oversight hearings on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approach.
Inhofe and several other senators, including Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., also signed letters to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
Tulsa World: State transportation secretary blasts EPA proposal, highway agency
Thursday April 14, 2011
WASHINGTON -- Oklahoma Transportation Secretary Gary Ridley on Thursday accused one federal agency of running amok by dismissing sound engineering judgment and another one of pushing an agenda that will leave Tulsa and other areas on the dirty air list.
Testifying before a U.S. Senate committee, Ridley also took off the gloves when discussing the impact of a number of federal laws and policies on the state.
The goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said, can be supported without the abandonment of common sense.
Ridley used his oral testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to take on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, whose recent actions have made it a top target of Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe and other Republicans.
Ridley called for air quality standards that both states and the private sector consider reasonable in response to EPA's current efforts that could lead to beefing up ozone standards, a process that has faced multiple delays.
Testifying before a U.S. Senate committee, Ridley also took off the gloves when discussing the impact of a number of federal laws and policies on the state.
The goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said, can be supported without the abandonment of common sense.
Ridley used his oral testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to take on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, whose recent actions have made it a top target of Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe and other Republicans.
Ridley called for air quality standards that both states and the private sector consider reasonable in response to EPA's current efforts that could lead to beefing up ozone standards, a process that has faced multiple delays.
Inhofe Op-Ed: State, not EPA, should address regional haze power costs (Tulsa World)
Thursday April 14, 2011
The Environmental Protection Agency will conduct public hearings in Tulsa and Oklahoma City this week, and Oklahomans concerned about higher electricity bills should attend.
Those higher costs stand right with EPA. That's because the agency has rejected Oklahoma's reasonable and affordable air quality plan for regional haze. EPA has now imposed a more stringent and less flexible federal plan. That plan will cost Oklahomans more on their monthly electric bills, without any additional environmental benefits.
I believe the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality did the right thing: State officials worked with state utilities to construct a plan for regional haze that balances environmental protection with the need for affordable, reliable energy for consumers.
Those higher costs stand right with EPA. That's because the agency has rejected Oklahoma's reasonable and affordable air quality plan for regional haze. EPA has now imposed a more stringent and less flexible federal plan. That plan will cost Oklahomans more on their monthly electric bills, without any additional environmental benefits.
I believe the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality did the right thing: State officials worked with state utilities to construct a plan for regional haze that balances environmental protection with the need for affordable, reliable energy for consumers.
Inhofe Op-Ed: Less federal control over state waters (The Hill)
Thursday April 14, 2011
If you spend time in Washington, you will hear endless chatter about global warming, creating the impression that Americans are clamoring for action. But according to a Gallup poll released in March, despite the tens of millions of dollars spent promoting cap-and-trade, global warming ranked lowest on the list of environmental concerns.
Congress should work on what Americans have expressed, according to the Gallup poll, as their top environmental priority: protecting water.
One way to do that is to strengthen state authority over state waterways. When it passed the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1970, Congress recognized the pivotal role of states in protecting water bodies. The CWA clearly states that "it is the policy of Congress to recognize, preserve, and protect the primary responsibilities and rights of States to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution."
Congress should work on what Americans have expressed, according to the Gallup poll, as their top environmental priority: protecting water.
One way to do that is to strengthen state authority over state waterways. When it passed the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1970, Congress recognized the pivotal role of states in protecting water bodies. The CWA clearly states that "it is the policy of Congress to recognize, preserve, and protect the primary responsibilities and rights of States to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution."
Testimony of Gary Ridley, Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation
Thursday April 14, 2011
Madam Chair, Senator Inhofe and Members of the Committee, my name is Gary Ridley. I am Secretary of Transportation in Oklahoma. I am here today to testify on behalf of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
First, we want to thank you, Madam Chair, for your leadership and your interest in identifying ways to increase the efficiency of investing transportation funding and to accelerate project and program delivery. We appreciate that you, Senator Inhofe and the Members of your Committee recognize the important contribution of the transportation system in improving the Nation's economic viability and sustaining our quality of life.
Today, I want to emphasize three points -
The conditional deficiencies of a long underfunded national transportation system cannot be resolved by the States alone.
First, we want to thank you, Madam Chair, for your leadership and your interest in identifying ways to increase the efficiency of investing transportation funding and to accelerate project and program delivery. We appreciate that you, Senator Inhofe and the Members of your Committee recognize the important contribution of the transportation system in improving the Nation's economic viability and sustaining our quality of life.
Today, I want to emphasize three points -
The conditional deficiencies of a long underfunded national transportation system cannot be resolved by the States alone.
Tulsa World: 'Fracking' is termed eco-safe at hearing
Wednesday April 13, 2011
WASHINGTON - Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Jeff Cloud told key U.S. senators Tuesday that his agency's record on protecting water from pollution makes it clear that states, not the federal government, should regulate hydraulic fracturing.
The decades-old practice has helped spark a natural-gas boom in parts of the country, along with growing controversy.
"During more than half a century of hydraulic fracturing experience, there has not been a single documented instance of contamination to groundwater or drinking water as a result of hydraulic fracturing," Cloud told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
That record, he said, covers more than 100,000 wells in Oklahoma.
Cloud's testimony triggered praise from an unlikely source, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who not only led Tuesday's hearing into natural-gas drilling and public health but who also represents a state that has imposed a moratorium on "fracking operations.''
The decades-old practice has helped spark a natural-gas boom in parts of the country, along with growing controversy.
"During more than half a century of hydraulic fracturing experience, there has not been a single documented instance of contamination to groundwater or drinking water as a result of hydraulic fracturing," Cloud told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
That record, he said, covers more than 100,000 wells in Oklahoma.
Cloud's testimony triggered praise from an unlikely source, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who not only led Tuesday's hearing into natural-gas drilling and public health but who also represents a state that has imposed a moratorium on "fracking operations.''
The Oklahoman: Senate committee holds hearing on fracking
Wednesday April 13, 2011
WASHINGTON - States have stepped up their oversight of hydraulic fracturing as the natural gas drilling boom in several regions of the United States has raised citizen concerns that drinking water may be endangered, officials told a Senate committee on Tuesday.
The most stringent restrictions are being put into place in states such as New York and Maryland, which have little experience with oil and gas drilling or the hydraulic fracturing process that the industry says has been used safely for 60 years.
"We are proceeding cautiously and deliberately and do not intend to allow drilling and fracking in the Marcellus Shale until the issues are resolved to our satisfaction," Robert Summers, acting secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The most stringent restrictions are being put into place in states such as New York and Maryland, which have little experience with oil and gas drilling or the hydraulic fracturing process that the industry says has been used safely for 60 years.
"We are proceeding cautiously and deliberately and do not intend to allow drilling and fracking in the Marcellus Shale until the issues are resolved to our satisfaction," Robert Summers, acting secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Testimony of David Neslin: Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
Tuesday April 12, 2011
Madame Chair, thank you for this opportunity to provide our perspective on how the state of Colorado is protecting public health and the environment while we develop our important, indigenous oil and gas resources. My name is David Neslin, and I am the director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the state agency responsible for regulating oil and gas development. I thank you and your colleagues for your thoughtful consideration and your efforts to gather the information necessary to properly evaluate these matters.
Testimony of Jeff Cloud, Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Tuesday April 12, 2011
I very much appreciate the opportunity to testify today before the joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife about the regulation of hydraulic fracturing and Oklahoma's many decades of experience in this regard.
Oklahoma's first commercial oil well was drilled in 1897, which was 10 years before Oklahoma officially became a state in 1907. Since then, oil and natural gas production has expanded into almost every part of the state.
Oklahoma's first commercial oil well was drilled in 1897, which was 10 years before Oklahoma officially became a state in 1907. Since then, oil and natural gas production has expanded into almost every part of the state.
Wash. Examiner: Editorial: EPA's days as 'rogue agency' are numbered
Monday April 11, 2011
Lost in the kabuki-dance drama of last week's budget showdown were immensely important votes in the Senate and House on the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to govern through regulation. In the House, 19 Democrats joined the Republican majority in a decisive 255-172 vote to defund the EPA's attempt to circumvent Congress and begin its own cap-and-trade program.
The measure was introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan. A companion measure introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jim Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who is the ranking minority member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, fell just short of the votes needed for passage, despite support from three Democrats.
The measure was introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan. A companion measure introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jim Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who is the ranking minority member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, fell just short of the votes needed for passage, despite support from three Democrats.
