OKLAHOMA CITY – State regulators are moving ahead with a study into possible nuclear development, but they expressed their doubts and criticism during an Oct. 9 meeting.
All three Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners expressed dismay that the study required by Senate Bill 130, a bill passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt, did not include any funding for hiring a consultant.
Public Utilities Division Director Mark Argenbright explained how his division is relying on volunteers from the Hamm Energy group and declared, “It’s gonna be challenging.”
The commissioners agreed that lack of funding from the Legislature would be costly to the agency. It not only is required by the law to carry out the study, but to do so with no additional funding for hiring a consultant. The commissioners also pointed out they are expected to dig into the agency’s budget – which was cut by the Legislature.
“The language in the law states ‘shall employ,’” Argenbright noted, “and we’re not sure how to address it.”
“I don’t know if the Legislature thinks we’re over here twiddling our thumbs when we issue 10,000 to 12,000 orders a year,” Commissioner Todd Hiett said. “We’ll have to drop a lot of things to do this.”
“I don’t think the Legislature is serious about it,” said Commissioner Brian Bingman. “It’s not funded. They didn’t give us any money, and I hate to see the staff spend a lot of time on it. Let’s not spend any money. Our budget’s been cut.”
Commission Chair Kim David, who arrived in Oklahoma City at midnight after touring the Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona, offered a plan.
“I do not want to use Public Utility Division money. The Legislature should have given us money, and I don’t want ratepayers to pay for it,” she said. David suggested the commission ask for a supplemental appropriation of $125,000.
A request for $125,000 would “send a message to the Legislature,” said Hiett, a former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. “They must think we have a big slush fund over here. But this is an assessment on ratepayers. It really goes against my grain.”
David and Hiett voted to ask for the supplemental appropriation but Commissioner Bingman voted against the proposal.
Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, House sponsor of SB 130, said there were companion bills calling for the study and he had funding included in the House version. But Boles told OK Energy Today the Legislature had “other priorities” and “the budget didn’t work out for us,” so he withdrew the funding after discussing it with some Corporation Commission leaders. “They said to go ahead and run it. I’m aware and sensitive to them but they were good with us,” he said.