It has just come to my attention that both bills we are supporting dealing with the water compact and/or sale, HJR 1038 (passed the House 95-5), and HB 2895 (passed the House 96-0), have been assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee. We are very distressed about this since Sen. Haney has been consistently pro-compact and pro-sale. We are concerned about getting a fair hearing for the bills. Appropriations seems to be a most inappropriate place for these bills.

When I spoke with Sen. Easley last week, he fully expected HB 2895 to be assigned to his committee since it concerns issues under his jurisdiction and because he is the bill's Senate author. Please call your Senator, Senator Cal Hobson, and Senator Stratton Taylor (205-524-0126) and urge them to reassign these bills to Senator Easley's Energy and Environment committee.  Please forward this message to other people who don't want a handful of politicians making money from selling our children’s future to Texas. Thanks SO much for your help on this important issue!!

                         —Keith Smith, Sierra Club Lobbyist

Why we don’t want the water compact/sale . . .

 One devastating impact, water diversion and construction of new impoundments, would be the loss of many miles of beautiful clear water flowing streams in southern Oklahoma. These streams have exceptionally high biodiversity and are tremendously important from an ecological perspective. These streams also must provide for the future needs of Oklahoma related to many other beneficial uses, such as irrigation, recreation and water supply.

Jeannine Hale, Sierra Club’s EPEC organizer, explained how the Water Board’s proposal does not adequately protect Oklahoma. She said it is pretty simple—if we let then suck the streams dry or reduce the flows by too much, we’ll be destroying naturally occurring fish and wildlife communities, eliminating opportunities for fishing, recreation and tourism, and concentrating pollutants into a murky soup no one in Oklahoma will want to drink or use.

HJR 1038 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would require a vote of the people to approve an out-of-state water sale.

HB 2895 would require legislative approval of any state/tribal compact related to water sales.