The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is Probably Unethical, but Somehow Legal

Had a fitful night’s sleep last night.  Kept dreaming about hordes of savage, giant jackrabbits creeping stealthily from the cover of the sage brush to devour my lush, beautiful lawn.  Finally, I decided to just get up and head into Woodward to make my breakfast tour.

Breakfast tour, you ask?  I’m glad you asked.  Here’s the thing.  McDonald’s out on the west edge of town has great coffee.  The best coffee I’ve probably ever had.  What they lack is a decent breakfast offering since they did away with the McSkillet Burrito.  Oh sure, the McSkillet Burrito with steak was probably 1200 calories with a wheat truck load of fat, but it was danged good!

So…I buy a couple of medium black coffees at McDonalds and then head to Sonic where the coffee sucks (my goodness that’s awful coffee).  Sonic however makes those grande breakfast burritos with jalapenos and tater tots inside.  Good lawd, that’s good eating first thing in the morning.

Once I have decent coffee and a scrumptious repast I generally head to Crystal Beach to sit on the west side of the lake.  There I have my burrito and coffee, watch the ducks, and generally wonder how I screwed up my life so badly. 

But I digress…

After finishing off the burrito and one of the coffees, my blood sugar was on the rise and I was feeling better about myself.  I started reading the Woodward News (whose motto translated from the Polish means, “why do you do this to yourself?”)…and there, on page 1, continuing on page 2 was an article about the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.  Well, actually the article was about a new law working diligently to find it’s way to Her Royal Highness Mary of Fallin’s desk that will essentially pit local governments across the state against the almighty Oklahoma Corporation Commission.  The law designates OCC as the sole authority in the state for regulating rules governing drilling of oil and gas wells, thereby trumping any regulation by locals. 

That’s when I recalled seeing something yesterday on The Lost Ogle site about a newly elected Corporation Commission Commissioner who was struggling to pay back a family loan of $200,000 that he used to fund his campaign.  It seems that Commissioner McMoney just made it under time limit in accepting “donations” from his pals in the oil/gas industry.  He was able to pay back the family and had spending money left over. 

So, let’s review…an Oklahoma Corporation Commission Commissioner who will have a hand in the regulation of the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma received many sacks of cash from the people he is supposed to be regulating?  AND, it’s all perfectly legal in this state?  Really?

I spent a lot of years in corporate America and saw some really shady stuff going on, but this takes the cake.  How in the sam hill can this be legal?  It certainly IS NOT ethical. 

So, when your Fourth of July celebration at Crystal Beach is marred this year because OCC approved an off-shore rig in the middle of the lake, you can rest assured there is an OCC Commissioner somewhere in Oklahoma driving around in a new Mercedes CL-65 AMG with the plates “IGOTMINE”.