Enid News & Eagle

Send
this bill
Apr
12
packing
By The Journal Record
Wouldnt it be wonder-
2017 ful to own an industrial
waste site that wasnt sub-
ject to pesky government
regulation? Or a power
Page plant with no limit on
emissions? Maybe youd
A004 like to invest in a chemical
plant that could discharge
waste as it saw fit or an
Clip oil well that didnt have to
resized care what happened to the
produced water.
31% Wouldnt everyone?
Wouldnt that be the very
manifestation of prosper-
ity?
Property owners in the
McClain County town of
Criner might disagree.
Thats where the Hardage
Superfund Site is, ranked
second only to Tar Creek
on the Environmental
Protection Agencys clean-
up priority list. But from
1972 until 1980, the site
took in all manner of toxic
substances at a healthy
profit; it only stopped
when the EPA discovered
the groundwater and sur-
face water were contami-
nated along with the moni-
toring wells.
That operation might
have been prosperous for
Hardage, but there wasnt
much prosperity for the
town of Criner.
House Bill 2132, now
being considered in the
Oklahoma Senate, would
establish a system of
non-regulation that would
be an extraordinary oppor-
tunity for corporations to
profit at the expense of
their neighbors without
fear of recourse. The bill
was drafted by Houston-
based, libertarian-leaning
Compact for America
under its Prosperity States
initiative. It would estab-
lish so-called prosperity
districts a name that
could have only been the
product of a disinforma-
tion lab in which one
or more property owners
could petition for the des-
ignation. County officials
would have just 20 days to
consider the request and
if they didnt proactively
deny it within that time,
the self-governing district
would be formed.
The legislation has been
shopped to Arizona, Miss-
issippi, Missouri, Arkansas
and North Dakota, none of
which have passed it.
The bill runs 88 pages,
but the most critical phrase
appears on Page 16: ...
every Prosperity District
shall have exclusive gov-
erning jurisdiction within
its boundaries .. It goes on
to say that all other govern-
mental entities are barred
from exercising jurisdic-
tion within the districts
boundaries.
Every business would
be more prosperous if it
didnt have to answer to
the public as represented
by its government. No
taxes, no regulations, no
accountability that
sounds like corporate
Nirvana. But the end of
that game is a disaster for
society, and that includes
the very business that
wanted to prosper.
The Senate must fulfill
its role as the upper cham-
ber the voice of reason
and send this dangerous
bill packing.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 The Hinton Record

Apr
12

2017

Page
A002
Legislature Again Tries to
Clip
resized
59% Undo Will of the People
Oklahoma Stewardship Council says HB2132 is response to defeat of SQ 777
OKLAHOMA CITY, April
7, 2017 The Oklahoma
Stewardship Council (OSC)
says a bill pending before the
state lawmakers is nothing
more than a legislative scheme
to undermine the will of
Oklahoma voters.
The OSC, a coalition of fam-
ily farmers, community leaders
and concerned citizens, was the
lead organization opposing
State Question 777 in last falls
election. The groups chairman,
former Oklahoma attorney gen-
eral Drew Edmondson, said the
language in House Bill 2132 is
a misguided attempt at a leg-
islative end-around which will
grant many of the same danger-
ous legal protections that were
the intent of SQ 777.
This is just another brazen
effort by the legislature to
ignore the voice of the people,
Edmondson said. Weve seen
The Hinton Record
Established in 1902
P.O. Box 959 - Hinton, Oklahoma 73047-0959
(USPS 246-220)
it repeatedly this session. For
example, voters approved
needed changes to our criminal
justice system by passing SQ
780 and SQ 781 but our elected
leaders proposed legislation to
roll back those reforms. Voters
soundly beat back the legal pro-
tections proposed in SQ 777,
but once again, here comes the
legislature with a ploy to thwart
the will of the people, this time
in the form of HB2132.
SQ 777, which was over-
whelmingly defeated in
November, proposed the high-
est level of constitutional legal
protections to a broad range of
agricultural activities. The OSC
argued the proposals language
was so expansive and the pro-
tections so complete that it vir-
tually prohibited local, county
and state officials from enact-
ing necessary and reasonable
regulations.
HB2132 is basically SQ
777 on steroids, Edmondson
said. Under HB2132, corpo-
rations can create so-called
prosperity districts which
basically grant those who con-
duct business there the ability to
operate with little to no regula-
tion. This bill shifts governance
within the designated zones
away from elected city councils
and state lawmakers and gives
the power to a non-elected
board that is not answerable to
the citizens. Thats bad policy,
plain and simple.
Other local organizations,
including the League of
Women Voters of Oklahoma
and the Oklahoma Policy
Institute, are warning
Oklahomans of the dangers of
HB2132.
When you look at the pow-
ers behind this bill you find out-
of-state corporate interests,
Edmondson said. Just like
with SQ 777, I understand why
these huge corporations would
want to operate with impunity,
but I cant fathom why our leg-
islature would want to let
them.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Muskogee Phoenix

Apr
12 Schools brace for AROUND THE STATE been the product of a
disinformation lab
painful cuts too many high schools, to the produced water. in which one or more
2017 Anticipating the loss but the consolidation Wouldnt everyone? property owners could
of $12 million in state effort overcomes some Wouldnt that be the petition for the desig-
Page funding next year, Tulsa of the inefciencies in very manifestation of nation. County ofcials
A011 Public Schools Superin- the system, and would prosperity? would have just 20 days
tendent Deborah Gist make sense even if they Property owners in to consider the request
Clip recently announced a werent forced by the the McClain County and if they didnt pro-
resized plan for painful cuts. budget situation. town of Criner might actively deny it within
52% Booker T. Washing- The plan is still a disagree. Thats where that time, the self-gov-
tons wrestling squad work in progress, as is the Hardage Super- erning district would be
and Hale High Schools the state budget. If law- fund Site is, ranked formed.
baseball team would makers come through second only to Tar The legislation has
be ended next year, as with more money for Creek on the Envi- been shopped to Arizo-
would six high school schools, some of the cuts ronmental Protection na, Mississippi, Missou-
golf programs. Sports at can be reconsidered. If Agencys cleanup prior- ri, Arkansas and North
10 of 11 middle schools that happens, wed vote ity list. But from 1972 Dakota, none of which
would be merged into for rolling back two fur- until 1980, the site have passed it.
multi-school programs. lough days (at a savings took in all manner of The bill runs 88 pag-
For people in west of $1.9 million) rst. toxic substances at a es, but the most critical
Tulsa, there is, under- To those who dont healthy prot; it only phrase appears on Page
standably, great con- like the changes: We stopped when the EPA 16: . every Prosperi-
cern about Gists plan understand. They stink. discovered the ground- ty District shall have
to consolidate students They are the direct re- water and surface wa- exclusive governing
from Remington Ele- sult of systematic inad- ter were contaminated jurisdiction within its
mentary, Park Elemen- equate funding of public along with the moni- boundaries .. It goes
tary and ECDC Porter toring wells. on to say that all other
schools, and it will only
to one campus, the
get worse in the future, That operation might governmental entities
current home of Clinton have been prosperous are barred from exercis-
Middle School, 2224 W. if there isnt a drastic ing jurisdiction within
for Mr. Hardage, but
41st St. Clinton stu- turnaround in the state there wasnt much pros- the districts boundar-
dents would be moved Capitol, which is where perity for the town of ies.
to the Webster High complaints should be Criner. Every business would
School campus at 1919 directed. House Bill 2132, now be more prosperous if it
W. 40th St. Tulsa World being considered in didnt have to answer to
That saves $906,877 April 10 the Oklahoma Senate, the public as represent-
and it makes educa- would establish a sys- ed by its government.
tional sense, too. De- State Senate should tem of non-regulation No taxes, no regula-
mographic trends have dismiss dangerous bill that would be an ex- tions, no accountability
left the TPS buildings traordinary opportuni- that sounds like cor-
behind. The result is Wouldnt it be won- ty for corporations to porate Nirvana. But the
schools outsized to the derful to own an indus- prot at the expense of end of that game is a
number of students us- trial waste site that their neighbors with- disaster for society, and
ing them. wasnt subject to pesky out fear of recourse. that includes the very
To avoid closing high government regulation? The bill was drafted by business that wanted to
schools, the district has Or a power plant with Houston-based, liber- prosper.
previously combined no limit on emissions? tarian-leaning Compact The Senate must ful-
middle schools into un- Maybe youd like to in- for America under its ll its role as the upper
derutilized campuses vest in a chemical plant Prosperity States initia- chamber the voice of
elsewhere, and thats that could discharge tive. It would establish reason and send this
what will now happen waste as it saw t or an so-called prosperity dangerous bill packing.
on the west side. Frank- oil well that didnt have districts a name The Journal Record
ly, TPS probably has to care what happened that could have only April 10

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.