WASHINGTON, DC - Governor Kevin Stitt recently testified before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The hearing was titled, “The Water Quality Certification Improvement Act of 2019, and Other Potential Reforms to Improve Implementation of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.”
“I have had the honor and opportunity to view the regulatory environment from the side of the government,” Stitt said. “I can speak with great assurance that regulations are best left to the states as often as possible. We know our people. We know our geography. We know our economies. And we know best when innovation demands regulatory flexibility and when protecting our citizens requires action.”
Oklahoma is ranked third in natural gas production, fourth in oil production, and a leader in natural gas liquids that form the building blocks for the products Americans use every day, he said.
“We are meeting our obligations and certifying water quality standards within 60 days of the application, well under the one-year timeline proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency,” Stitt said.
Oklahoma has reduced emissions at more than double the national average, he said.
“I support the actions taken by EPA and members of this committee to restore certainty to the Clean Water Act permitting process and certification under Section 401,” Stitt said. “A clear scope and a reasonable timeline are not invasive to states’ rights. The current proposed rule, and the opportunity to strengthen it legislatively, does nothing to prevent Oklahoma’s regulators from properly and scientifically considering whether a project negatively affects water quality in our state.”
“It has been almost 50 years since this regulation has been reviewed, and I support creating a reasonable baseline for Clean Water Act permitting and certification of interstate infrastructure, whether it be transmission line, pipeline or an interstate highway, to get Oklahoma’s products to market,” Stitt said.