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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 91 By: Woods
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to the Oklahoma Conservation
7 Commission; creating the Spring Creek Watershed Study
8 Act; providing short title; directing certain water
8 quality study; stating purpose; creating certain
9 advisory groups; establishing group memberships and
9 purposes; establishing reporting requirement;
10 creating the Spring Creek Watershed Study Revolving
10 Fund; establishing fund purpose; providing source of
11 funds; providing for codification; and providing an
11 effective date.
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14 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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15 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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16 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3-7-111 of Title 27A, unless
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17 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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18 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Spring
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19 Creek Watershed Study Act".
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20 B. The Oklahoma Conservation Commission, in partnership with
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21 other local, state, and federal agencies and non-governmental
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22 organizations shall undertake a comprehensive water quality study of
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23 the Spring Creek Watershed located in Cherokee, Delaware, and Mayes
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24 counties near Kansas, Oklahoma. The study shall examine methods to
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Req. No. 353 Page 1
1 protect and improve the health of the aquatic habitat in the
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2 watershed. The findings of the study shall be used to implement
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3 voluntary, incentive-based conservation practices by the Commission
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4 in partnership with other local, state, and federal agencies.
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5 Implementation of study findings shall be subject to availability of
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6 resources.
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7 C. There is hereby created the Spring Creek Watershed Water
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8 Quality Advisory Group, organized by the Commission and the local
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9 conservation districts in the watershed. The advisory group shall
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10 consist of the following members:
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11 1. Three members representing the local conservation districts
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12 in the watershed, appointed by the Commission;
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13 2. Three local landowners, appointed by the local conservation
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14 districts in the watershed, who predominantly reside in the
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15 watershed full time and who represent major types of land management
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16 in the watershed including, but not limited to, poultry production,
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17 livestock grazing, and forestry land management;
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18 3. One landowner, appointed by the local conservation districts
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19 in the watershed, who predominantly resides outside the watershed;
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20 4. One member representing the municipal government of Kansas,
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21 Oklahoma, appointed by the Commission;
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22 5. One member representing the municipal government of Oaks,
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23 Oklahoma, appointed by the Commission; and
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1 6. Any other members deemed necessary for inclusion by the
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2 Advisory Group, to be appointed by the Commission.
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3 D. In addition to the advisory group described in subsection C
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4 of this section, a technical advisory group shall be established to
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5 support the efforts of the study. Membership of the technical
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6 advisory group shall consist of:
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7 1. The Secretary of Agriculture or his or her designee;
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8 2. The Executive Director of the Department of Environmental
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9 Quality or his or her designee;
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10 3. One member representing the Natural Resources Conservation
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11 Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA NRCS);
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12 4. One member representing the Farm Service Agency of the
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13 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA FSA);
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14 5. One member representing the Grand River Dam Authority;
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15 6. One member representing the Department of Wildlife
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16 Conservation;
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17 7. One member representing the National Watershed Coalition;
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18 and
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19 8. One member representing the Cherokee Nation.
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20 E. Members of the advisory groups described in subsections C
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21 and D of this section shall serve without compensation. The
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22 Commission shall provide the physical space for meetings of the
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23 advisory groups and administrative support as needed. Upon
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24 appointment of all members to the advisory groups, the Commission
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1 shall schedule their first meetings. At the first meeting, the
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2 advisory groups shall elect a chair and a vice chair. Any vacancies
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3 on the advisory groups shall be filled in the same manner as
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4 provided for in this section.
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5 F. The advisory group, with support from the technical advisory
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6 group, shall:
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7 1. Assist the Commission in developing the report required by
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8 subsection G of this section;
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9 2. Recommend policies or programs to incentivize participation
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10 in voluntary efforts to protect the water quality and aquatic
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11 habitat of the region. Such recommendations shall take into account
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12 optimization of existing state and federal resources and
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13 initiatives, including the state water quality program, the USDA FSA
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14 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), the USDA NRCS
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15 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the USDA Small
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16 Watershed Program, the USDA NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program
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17 (CSP), the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, the USDA NRCS
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18 Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and any other
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19 appropriate state or federal voluntary program identified by the
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20 advisory group; and
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21 3. Identify and recommend strategies for implementation of the
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22 reported recommendations and findings.
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23 G. On or before June 1, 2026, the Commission shall publish an
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24 electronic report of the Spring Creek Watershed Study findings on a
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1 publicly available website. The Commission may, from time to time,
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2 update such findings as conditions change and pertinent information
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3 becomes available.
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4 H. The Commission may contract and cooperate with the Natural
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5 Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of
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6 Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct
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7 activities provided for in this section.
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8 I. The Commission may apply for and accept grants, gifts, or
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9 other sources of public and private funds to carry out the purposes
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10 of the Spring Creek Watershed Study Act.
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11 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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12 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3-7-112 of Title 27A, unless
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13 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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14 There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
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15 for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to be designated the
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16 "Spring Creek Watershed Study Revolving Fund". The fund shall be a
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17 continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall
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18 consist of all monies received by the Commission from appropriations
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19 by the Legislature to the fund, and any money received as gifts,
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20 grants, or other contributions from public or private sources
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21 provided for the purpose of implementing the Spring Creek Watershed
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22 Study Act. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are hereby
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23 appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the Commission for
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24 the purpose provided for in the Spring Creek Watershed Study Act.
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1 Expenditures from the fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the
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2 State Treasurer against claims filed as prescribed by law with the
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3 Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services for
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4 approval and payment.
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5 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
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7 60-1-353 RD 1/19/2025 5:45:46 AM
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Req. No. 353 Page 6Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.