Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 1 - EXECUTIVE ORDERS › Section 1:2021-3

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
Executive Order 2021-3
WHEREAS, Oklahoma has always embraced its role as a national and
			 international leader in the production of oil & gas and other forms of
			 energy. That tradition continues today;
WHEREAS, the energy industry in Oklahoma, for generations, has
			 provided the energy to power and feed the world. Much of the global growth, and
			 indeed America's growth can be traced to the energy innovations originating
			 from Oklahoma;
WHEREAS, Oklahoma has fully embraced and implemented a
			 successful "all of the above" strategy that has resulted in Oklahoma having the
			 cleanest and most affordable energy in the country;
WHEREAS, since 2005, Oklahoma has reduced carbon dioxide
			 emissions from the power sector by more than 34% while the national average is
			 12% all while producing the most affordable power in the country across all
			 sectors for 8 of the last 10 quarters according to the U.S. Energy Information
			 Administration;
WHEREAS, the energy industry accounts for hundreds of thousands
			 of direct and indirect jobs in Oklahoma. The industry pays billions of dollars
			 of taxes to state and local governments assisting in providing schools,
			 services and infrastructure to citizens throughout the state;
WHEREAS, a sensible regulatory framework along with the
			 diversity of having abundant traditional fossil and new energy resources have
			 made Oklahoma the model for providing the cleanest, most affordable, and most
			 reliable power to its citizens in the safest and most environmentally friendly
			 manner;
WHEREAS, America's energy independence is vital to our national
			 security, our environment, and to our economy;
WHEREAS, President Biden's Executive Order 13990 is adverse to
			 energy producers throughout the United States and Oklahoma. His decision
			 terminates the Keystone XL pipeline and claims to rejoin the Paris Climate
			 Accord while failing to seek ratification by the US Senate. These policies
			 allow the world's powers to continue to increase CO2 emissions, causing the US
			 to harm its own economy, threatening millions of jobs in states like Oklahoma,
			 while making no meaningful difference in world's emissions. Special Envoy for
			 Climate, John Kerry, admitted as much only days ago;
WHEREAS, Executive Order 13990 is in contravention of Article II
			 Section 2 and the 10 
			 th Amendment of the United States
			 Constitution, preventing Oklahoma from exercising its ability to properly
			 determine how best to steward and develop its natural resources; and
NOW, THEREFORE, I, J. Kevin Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma, by
			 virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
			 the State of Oklahoma, hereby direct every state agency to utilize all civil
			 methods and lawful powers to protect its 10 
			 th Amendment powers and challenge any
			 actions by the federal government that would seek to diminish or destroy
			 Oklahoma's ability to encourage job growth and the responsible development of
			 our natural resources within the energy industry.
This Executive Order supersedes all previous orders that are
			 inconsistent or in conflict with its terms and shall remain in effect and full
			 force until it is modified, amended, rescinded or superseded by the Governor.
This Executive Order shall be distributed to all members of the
			 Governor's Executive Cabinet and the chief executives of all agencies, who
			 shall cause the provisions of this Order to be implemented by all appropriate
			 agencies of State government.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand and caused the Great Seal
			 of the State of Oklahoma to be affixed at Oklahoma City, this 8 
			 th day of February, 2021.
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA
J. Kevin Stitt
ATTEST:
Brian Bingman
Secretary of State