Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Great Seal of Oklahoma
Agency overview
Formed	November 16, 1907
Headquarters	Jim Thorpe Building 2101 N. Lincoln Blvd Oklahoma City
Employees	372 classified 95 unclassified
Annual budget	$304 million (FY 2010)
Minister responsible	Bob Anthony, Chair of the Commission
Website
Oklahoma Corporation Commission

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the state of Oklahoma run by three state-wide elected Commissioners, assisted by over 400 employees. It regulates oil and gas drilling, utilities and telephone companies.

Qualifications

To be elected to the Corporation Commission, a person must meet the following requirements:

• Have been a citizen of Oklahoma for over two years before their election
• Must be at least 30 years old
• Must not have interest, directly or indirectly, in any entity regulated by the Commission

Each member serves a six-year term. The terms are staggered so that one Commissioner is up for re-election every two years, in even-numbered years. Commissioners are not subject to term limits. The Commission Chairman is determined by the membership.

In case of vacancy the Governor of Oklahoma appoints a replacement, to stand until the next general election. The Commissioner elected at that election will serve the remaining unexpired term, so as to maintain the staggered term system.

Duties

The Commission regulates and enforces the laws and supervised the actives associated with:

• The exploration and production of oil and gas
• The storage and dispensing of petroleum based fuels
• The establishment of rates and services of public utilities
• The operation of intrastate transportation

Early emphasis for the Commission was on regulation of railroad routes and rates. Through changes by the Legislature, and the change in services considered essential to the public welfare, the Commission presently regulates public utilities, oil and gas industry (exploration, drilling, production and waste disposal), motor carrier transport, and petroleum products industry (transportation, storage, quality and dispensing). The Commission also monitors a number of federal programs for compliance in Oklahoma. The Commission also oversees the conservation of natural resources, avoiding waste production, abate pollution of the environment, and balancing the rights and needs of the people of Oklahoma with those of the regulated entities.

Membership

As of October 2011, the following are the members of the Commission:

Member	Officer	Since	Party
Bob Anthony	Chair	January 9, 1989	Republican
Patrice Douglas	Member	October 10, 2011	Republican
Dana Murphy	Member	January 12, 2009	Republican

Governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin appointed Patrice Douglas to the Corporation Commission to serve out the remainder of Jeff Cloud's term in office due to his resignation.

Notable former members

• J.C. Watts (member 1990-1995, chairman 1993-1995), resigned to successfully run for Congress
• Jim Roth (member 2007-2009), first ever openly LGBT to hold a state-wide elected office in Oklahoma
• Jeff Cloud

Organization

Oklahoma

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Oklahoma

Constitution United States Constitution Oklahoma Constitution Executive Government Governor: Mary Fallin Lieutenant Governor: Todd Lamb Secretary of State: Glenn Coffee State Auditor: Gary Jones Attorney General: Scott Pruitt State Treasurer: Ken A. Miller State School Superintendent: Janet Barresi Labor Commissioner: Mark Costello Insurance Commissioner: John Doak Corporation Commission: Bob Anthony - Chair Jeff Cloud - Vice Chair Dana Murphy - Secretary Governor's Cabinet and State Agencies State Budget Legislature Legislature: 53rd Senate President Pro Tem of the Senate: Brian Bingman House of Representatives Speaker of the House: Kris Steele Judiciary Court System Supreme Court Court of Criminal Appeals Court of Civil Appeals Court on the Judiciary Court of Impeachment Nominating Commission Elections Elections State Election Board Last election Political parties Democratic Party Republican Party Political party strength Divisions Counties Cities and Towns Federal Relations Federal representation Senate Jim Inhofe (R) Tom Coburn (R) House of Representatives 1: John Sullivan (R) 2: Dan Boren (D) 3: Frank Lucas (R) 4: Tom Cole (R) 5: James Lankford (R) Politics of the United States

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• Corporation Commission
  • Administration Division - responsible for providing central services to the Commission's division as well as direct support staff to the Commission members
    • Public Information Office
    • Finance Office
    • Human Resources Office
    • Administrative Programs Office
    • Office of the Secretary to the Commission
  • Administrative Hearings Office - responsible for overseeing all hearings and appeals of the Commission's regulations
  • Transportation Division - responsible for licensing and regulating commercial motor carriers, natural gas pipelines, and railroad companies, and administers the International Fuel Tax Agreement and International Registration Plan
    • Administrative and Regulatory Operations Unit
      • Administrative Support Department
      • Requirements Department
      • Enforcement Support Department
      • Safety Support Department
    • Field Operations Unit
      • Motor Carrier and Motor Vehicle Enforcement Department
      • Pipeline Safety Department
      • Railroad Department
    • IFTA/IRP Unit
      • IFTA/IRP Registration and Licensing Services Department
      • Technical Services Department
      • Audit Department
  • Oil and Gas Conservation Division - responsible for enforcing Commission rules that prevent pollution caused by oil and gas
    • Field Operations Department
      • District 1 Office - Bristow
      • District 2 Office - Kingfisher
      • District 3 Office - Duncan
      • District 4 Office - Ada
    • Pollution Abatement Underground Injection Control Department
    • Technical Services Department
  • Consumer Services Division - responsible for hearing complaints against regulated utilities and for overseeing appeals to the Commission members
    • Oil and Gas Complaints Department
    • Public Utility Complaints Department
    • Mineral Owners Escrow Account Department
    • Administrative Proceedings Office
  • Public Utilities Division - responsible for licensing and regulating electric power utilities, natural gas utilities, drinking water utilities, and telecommunications utilities
    • Regulatory and Administrative Oversight Department
    • Economic Analysis and Research Department
    • Financial Auditing Department
  • Petroleum Storage Tank Division - responsible for enforcing state and federal regulations and administers certain assistance programs applicable to the storage, quality, and delivery of refined petroleum products
    • Accounting Department
    • Administration Department
    • Compliance and Inspection Department
    • Technical Department
  • Information Technology Division - responsible for overseeing all information technology used by the Commission
  • Office of the General Counsel - responsible for providing legal advice to the Commission
    • Agency Counsel Section
    • Consumer Services Section
    • Deliberations Section
    • Petroleum Storage Tank/Transportation Section
    • Oil and Gas Section
    • Public Utilities Section

Staffing

The Corporation Commission, with an annual budget of over $60 million, is one of the larger employers of the State. For fiscal year 2009, the Commission was authorized 480 full time employees.

Division	Number of Employees	Budget (in millions)
Administration Division	34	$4.4
Consumer Services Division	17	$1.4
Petroleum Storage Tank Division	55	$9.2
Oil and Gas Conservation Division	123	$15
Administrative Hearings Office	35	$3.4
Public Utilities Division	33	$5.2
Office of Legal Services	26	$2.7
Transportation Division	131	$16.2
Information Technology	26	$2.8
Total	480	$60.2

External links

• Oklahoma Corporation Commission official website
• Voices of Oklahoma interview with Bob Anthony. First person interview conducted on April 27, 2010 with Bob Anthony. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.