AG Drummond Subpoenas Oklahoma Corporation Commission Over Winter Storm
Utility customers are still paying for a surge in natural gas prices that came with Winter Storm URI nearly three years ago.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond continues to investigate, and now is focusing on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
In July, Drummond announced legal action against natural gas middlemen, saying they artificially restricted supplies just before sub-zero temperatures hit.
Oklahoma utility companies were left to foot the $3 billion bill, and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission agreed to let them recover those costs from ratepayers using long-term utility price hikes.
Now, Drummond’s office is ordering the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to hand over all communications from commissioners and employees that had anything to do with Winter Storm Uri cost recovery. That’s according to The Oklahoman, which obtained a copy of the AG’s subpoena.
Drummond’s office says it will keep investigating natural gas prices during Uri until QUOTE “proper relief for ratepayers is secured.”
State Education Department Spending Nearly $4 M To Manage Tax Credit Program
The state’s new Parental Choice Tax Credit program is turning out to have a big price tag.
The partnership between a third-party vendor and the Tax Commission will cost Oklahomans nearly $4 million.
The Parental Choice Tax Credit program gives tax credits to families with students in private or home school.
The commission estimated the program would cost $1 million this fiscal year to set up. As it turns out, it’s going to cost nearly four times that.
The commission chose third-party software vendor Merit for $3.95 million.
So, what are Oklahomans getting for their money? According to the agency, Merit will train OTC personnel, assist in verifying schools’ accreditation, set up a contact center for taxpayers and schools to ask questions, and develop marketing materials.
Because the Legislature only allotted $1 million to the OTC, the agency says the remaining $2.95 million is coming from its own funds.
An OTC spokesperson says it’s uncertain if the agency will be reimbursed.
E-cigarette Use Among Oklahoma Youth
Nationwide, 4% fewer high school students are using e-cigarettes compared to last year, according to new CDC data. Oklahoma continues an effort to reduce e-cigarette use among youths.
This year, 10% of U.S. high schoolers report using e-cigarettes.
The most up-to-date Oklahoma statistics are from 2021, and they showed nearly 22% of Oklahoma high school students using e-cigarettes.
The Oklahoma ABLE Commission also identified nearly 500 violations from minors caught in school with products that year.
Oklahoma recently became one of the first states to launch a registry where manufacturers and retailers report the vapor products they plan to sell.
Yukon Republican Rhonda Baker says this will help local law enforcement crackdown on illegal product distribution.
“Those statistics are pretty staggering, and this truly is a wake-up call to all of those that have young children," Baker said.
Baker says Oklahoma schools are also using settlement money to invest in things like school vapor detectors.
Choctaw Nation To Address Climate Pollution
The Choctaw Nation will soon start climate pollution reduction projects using grants from the EPA.
The Tribal Nation wants to focus on sustainability and stewarding a healthier environment in Southeast Oklahoma.
Tye Baker, the Choctaw Nation’s Senior Director of Environmental Protections Services, said the pillars for his community are having access to clean natural resources, good health care, and a sustainable future.
“Doing what we do sustainably and then adapting to the climate as we do it is sort of in essence, what climate pollution reduction is,” Baker said.
Baker said that’s the ultimate goal for more than $400,000 of $2 million in grant funding the nation received from the EPA to assess what pollution exists in Choctaw Nation territory and to clean up abandoned properties.
“And we're going to find ways to reduce those emissions and any new technologies out there for our generators, our businesses, or our manufacturing,” Baker said.
One project Baker is looking forward to launching will assess how LED lights can reduce emissions from homes, businesses, and other buildings.
Funds are also going towards assessing and cleaning up the Talihina Indian Hospital in Latimer County.
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