Environment

SB 269, now law after Governor approval on May 20, 2025, gives Oklahoma's Corporation Commission exclusive authority over CO2 sequestration facilities and storage units, including Class VI injection wells. It updates rules for facility authorization, requires specific notice procedures for owners, and creates a revolving fund for carbon sequestration projects funded by fees. The bill directly affects companies building CO2 storage facilities and the Corporation Commission, which now manages permits, inspections, and fee collection for these operations. Key changes include defining CO2 storage unit ownership requirements, establishing a process for facility modifications, and allowing appeals of Commission decisions to the Supreme Court.

SB 259 requires groundwater permit holders to submit annual usage reports, with specific additions for swine operations using liquid waste systems that must indicate if they are licensed under Oklahoma's Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Act. It updates waste prevention rules to prohibit inefficient use, pollution, and unauthorized drilling, while expanding the Oklahoma Water Resources Board's authority to investigate complaints, implement metering schedules, and enforce penalties. The bill directs the Board to monitor groundwater use, notify agriculture officials about unlicensed operations, and require landowner notice before inspections. An appropriation funds the Board's new monitoring and enforcement responsibilities under this legislation.

HB 1817 creates the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Well Driller and Pump Installer Program to license professionals and prevent groundwater pollution. It requires well drillers and pump installers to meet training standards, partners with Oklahoma's Tier 1 research universities to develop groundwater workforce training, and establishes a revolving fund for program funding. The bill directly affects well drillers, pump installers, and groundwater industry professionals by mandating licensing and providing skills-based training. It aims to address groundwater protection through standardized practices and workforce development, effective November 1, 2025.

SB 914 creates the "Oklahoma Regional Water District Act," requiring the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to designate geographic water districts by July 1, 2026. Each district must develop a regional water plan by 2026 addressing drought scenarios (at 75% and 50% normal flow), water conservation, infrastructure needs, and equitable adjustment of water rights. The plan must include specific strategies for managing supply during droughts, protecting existing water rights, and exploring regional water-sharing options like water banks. This directly affects counties, municipalities, agricultural interests, water utilities, and environmental groups within designated districts, with oversight by the Board and public hearings required for plan approval.

SB 338 limits recreational hunters in Oklahoma to harvesting no more than one antlered whitetail deer per year. It directly affects licensed recreational hunters by restricting their annual harvest, while exempting those hunting in commercial hunting areas. The bill requires the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to enforce this one-deer annual limit and takes effect on November 1, 2025. This policy change modifies existing hunting regulations to manage deer populations.

SB 330 authorizes the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority to conduct a scientific study of elk populations in Woodward, Dewey, Ellis, and parts of Roger Mills counties (the "Special Northwest Zone"). The bill requires the Authority to assess elk population size, health, genetic diversity, and current management strategies by November 1, 2025, and develop a management plan for elk conservation based on the findings. It appropriates $2 million from the General Revenue Fund to fund the study, including coordination with other agencies and temporary hunting restrictions during the study period. The resulting management plan must be posted online and guide long-term elk population sustainability and ecosystem health.