Agricultural News
Oklahoma Rep. Steve Kouplen Urges Governor to Ease Regulations to Aid Farmers
Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:45:09 CDT
State Rep. Steve Kouplen today urged Gov. Mary Fallin to temporarily lift regulations that significantly impact Oklahoma farmers and ranchers during a time of severe drought.
"Due to the drought, many farmers have been forced to have ponds dredged and obtain other basic conservation services, but the associated permitting processes are increasing the cost by close to 35 percent," said Kouplen, a Beggs Democrat who is past president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. "I hope Governor Fallin will issue an executive order temporarily lifting that permit process to aid our state's agriculture producers."
The contractors who dredge ponds must currently obtain a permit costing about $350 for each job. Due to drought, the need for those services has increased dramatically with many property owners having multiple ponds dredged. Each project requires a separate permit.
"These are simple seven-to-eight hour jobs that typically cost about $90 per hour," Kouplen said. "You add another 350 bucks to that for a permit, and it increases the cost of the job about 35 percent. When so many farmers are already struggling to make ends meet because of the drought, that added cost is just adding insult to injury."
Fallin has previously issued a similar executive order temporarily lifting regulations on hay haulers during the drought, Kouplen noted.
According to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, the state's climatological summer this year (June 1 through August 31) ended with a statewide average of 86.8 degrees, obliterating the previous record, and the statewide average high temperature through the summer was 100.5 degrees. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Grandfield recorded a high temperature at or above 100 degrees 97 times from April 18 to September 1.
Even with recent rain, the state's drought condition remains severe.
"This has been an extraordinary drought that justifies easing the regulations impacting our farmers and ranchers," Kouplen said. "I hope Governor Fallin will come to the aid of the agriculture producers in our state once again."
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