October 18, 2024

State lawmakers haven been busy preparing for the next legislative session slated to begin next spring.

Part of that process is conducting and attending interim studies regarding possible upcoming bills that both the house and senate may consider.

District 55 Representative Nick Archer (R-Elk City) tells Paragon Communications that he was part of a Senate Energy Committee study regarding the possible regulation of groundwater usage in the state.

Archer said among those presenting at the study included Elk City, City Manager Tom Ivester.

The study stems from Senate Bill 1341, authored by Sen. Brent Howard (R-Altus), which passed in both the House and Senate last spring but was vetoed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Back in February, Sen. Howard stated that the original bill came from recommendations based on a critical groundwater study conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey. He explained that the bill would have applied only to the Upper Red River Basin in Southwest Oklahoma, which includes southern Beckham County. If it had passed, it would have required some irrigators, specifically those drawing from aquifers at risk of depletion, to install meters on their wells.