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Idea to send: |
| Topic | Consolidate Agency Water Functions |
| Content | Currently, 7 agencies/commissions have jurisdiction over water permitting and use. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board, created in 1957, is responsible for implementing water use law in Oklahoma, including issuing permits for wells and irrigation.
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s vision is "to eliminate the effects of unintended consequences of historic development, to prevent new adverse environmental impacts and to provide significant input into national decision-making, all the while enhancing both the environment and the economy of Oklahoma," according to the agency’s Web site.
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board received $6.8 million in funding this year while the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality received $9.7 million.
Combining the two agencies could actually free up federal dollars. It is not uncommon for one agency to receive federal money that the other agency does not. However, federal guidelines would allow the money to be used for projects now handled at both agencies if those projects were under the umbrella of a single department in the future.
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