State lawmakers will head into special session Sept. 25 to address the $215 million budget hole created from the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s overturn of the state Legislature’s $1.50-per-pack cigarette fee.  In February, legislators began the 2017 legislative session facing a nearly $900 million budget shortfall. A wide variety of revenue-raising measures were considered including a gross production tax increase, a cigarette tax increase, a fuel tax increase and a reduction in the earned income tax credit.  Gov. Mary Fallin officially called the special session on Sept. 15, asking the state Legislature to address the immediate budget shortfall, find long-term solutions […]

On behalf of Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers, Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan this week urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repeal the 2015 Waters of the United States rule. The EPA and the Corps have proposed a rule to rescind the 2015 WOTUS rule and restore it to pre-2015 language, thanks to a June 2017 executive order from President Donald Trump. The current rulemaking is the first in a two-step process, as the second step will clarify the definition of “waters of the U.S.” “Oklahoma doesn’t need additional murky regulations from […]

More than 450 Oklahoma Farm Bureau members recently urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repeal the 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule. County Farm Bureaus collected more than 300 signatures over a two-week period, while other members submitted written comments at the organization’s annual August Area Meetings. Finalized in June 2015, the WOTUS rule has been despised by farmers, ranchers and landowners across the country. The rule vastly expanded the definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act, granting the EPA and the Corps regulatory authority over virtually […]

Applauded by farmers and ranchers, the Environmental Protection Agency announced in late June its decision to rescind the Waters of the U.S. rule. The agency also said it will look carefully at the definition of waters of the United States and propose a new rule. Farmers and ranchers support clean water and work hard to protect natural resources. But the WOTUS rule had more to do with land than water. It was a land grab, pure and simple, that: Created a huge regulatory burden for farmers, ranchers and others who depend on their ability to work the land; Increased costs […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau has announced the details for its upcoming August Area Meetings, which serve as the kickoff for the organization’s grassroots policy development process. “August is one of the most exciting times of the year because it signals the beginning of another year of fighting for agriculture and rural Oklahoma,” said Tom Buchanan, OKFB president. “I look forward to hearing from our members as they cultivate ideas to lead agriculture into the future.”  All OKFB members are encouraged to attend their area meeting, which provides an opportunity to discuss organizational policy with fellow members and OKFB leaders. Members also […]

Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement to repeal the Waters of the U.S. rule.  June 27, 2017—“After years of battling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Waters of the U.S. rule, Oklahoma farmers and ranchers today applaud the agency’s decision to rescind the rule.  “Clean water is crucial to farmers and ranchers because our very livelihoods depend on it. The WOTUS rule had nothing to do with clean water, but instead was an enormous land grab that created great confusion for farmers and ranchers.  “Where the previous EPA blatantly ignored […]