My service on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, first as an administrative legislation decide and since 2009 as a commissioner, comes to an finish this month. I recall stating, simply after my first election, that I assumed this job would turn into extra sophisticated and difficult as expertise and the world modified. What an understatement. I’m extra firmly satisfied than ever that the power to adapt and collaborate are keys in assembly the challenges of change.
I’ve logged many hundreds of miles assembly with Oklahomans throughout the state and from all walks of life on various matters, together with oil and fuel improvement, earthquakes, electrical energy, pure fuel and telecommunications public utility points, trucking, pipeline security, fuel stations and gas storage tanks, rail crossings and extra. This outreach strengthened my perception that efficient public coverage is most frequently constructed step-by-step beginning on the native degree with openness, communication and customary sense. The means to hear and study, hold an open thoughts and adapt to the problem whereas nonetheless striving to make truthful and well timed selections have served because the cornerstone of my strategy.
This strategy has served me nicely in my many day by day duties and actions as a commissioner and in associated participation on the varied boards and committees. An instance of that is my 11-year tenure because the fee’s consultant on the Regional State Committee of the Southwest Power Pool, working with different states to develop insurance policies to strengthen and enhance the reliability of the electrical grid and provide that serves taking part states together with Oklahoma, whereas additionally engaged on the fee degree to cope with prices.
Ensuring dependable, inexpensive and sustainable power has been and can proceed to be a problem for Oklahoma and the nation. February 2021’s Winter Storm Uri touched off debate on many gadgets exterior fee jurisdiction. The fee doesn’t management the largely unregulated pure fuel market that noticed the value of pure fuel skyrocket through the storm, nor can it mandate precisely how a utility will meet its gas wants. I labored with stakeholders, together with Oklahoma’s fuel producers and utilities, to incorporate the teachings realized from Uri into optimistic change that at the very least mitigate the probabilities of one other occasion having the identical influence.
On the oil and fuel manufacturing aspect, we have had a profitable course of that introduced collectively producers, mineral and floor house owners and others to develop laws permitting for larger manufacturing from shale reservoirs whereas offering stakeholder protections. The outcome was the Shale Reservoir Development Act, and fee rule modifications crucial to implement the act. This ushered in a increase that helped propel Oklahoma from the standing of a “has-been” to one of many high producers on the planet. The continued evolution of oil and fuel guidelines and laws, all whereas keenly attuned to the setting and public security, will stay a centerpiece for fee and state coverage.
With oil and fuel technological developments enhancing reservoir manufacturing, a corresponding improve in saltwater volumes additionally occurred. As we all know now, the sharp improve of saltwater disposal into the state’s Arbuckle formation led to earthquake exercise. Collaboration and communication with all stakeholders, together with the scientific neighborhood and most of the people, proved a key to understanding and addressing this subject. Today the fee’s Induced Seismicity Department is credited with a greater than 95% discount in so known as “induced seismicity.”
There is not any “magic bullet” that may resolve all of the challenges Oklahoma has and can face sooner or later as a state. But keys to options will all the time include cooperation, communication and collaboration.
Thank you for permitting me to serve this nice state.
Dana Murphy is a member of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
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