Petroleum Alliance applauds EPA approval of state agency regulatory primacy
[av_post_meta av_uid=’av-8xupd’]
Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma President Brook A. Simmons issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s request that the agency activate an Oklahoma-specific provision in the 2005 federal highway bill to give state agencies primacy on environmental regulations in Indian country:
“On behalf of our members across every sector of the oil and natural gas industry, The Petroleum alliance of Oklahoma greatly appreciates Administrator Wheeler and the work done by EPA Region 6 staff to provide regulatory certainty for tribal members and non-Indians alike.
“The Supreme Court ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma had the potential to upend business development in Oklahoma by creating a regulatory patchwork throughout the eastern half of the state. Gov. Stitt’s request and Administrator Wheeler’s approval means regulatory authority will remain at trusted and experienced state agencies. This provides regulatory certainty for all businesses, including Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas industry.”
ABOUT THE PETROLEUM ALLIANCE – The Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma is the only trade association in Oklahoma that represents every segment of the oil and natural gas industry, representing more than 1,300 member companies engaged in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the state’s defining industry.