House Media

Rep. Derrick Hildebrant, R-Catoosa, chair of the Oklahoma Veterans and Public Safety Caucus, and Rep. John George, R-Newalla, vice chair, released statements today marking 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Hildebrant, a retired Air Force veteran who served 25 years in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, watched the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks unfold while deployed near Iraq. "On September 11, 2001, I was deployed to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey in support of Operation Northern Watch. Like all Americans, we watched in shock as the terrorist attacks unfolded, uncertain of what would come next. I was only three years into my military service, but 9/11 became a defining moment in my career. Every operation I supported or deployed to during the next 23 years stemmed, directly or indirectly, from the events of that day. "25 years later, America is still living with the consequences of that day. We lost 2,977 innocent lives on 9/11, and in the wars that followed, more than 7,000 American service members were killed in action. I’m not bitter. I’m grateful to have served in this era and mindful of those who never came home. "My heart is with the families of the 2,977 victims, including the seven Oklahomans, the countless first responders and the thousands of American service members who gave their lives in the years that followed. I encourage everyone to take a moment today to remember them and pray for their families. Their sacrifice should never be forgotten." George, who served in the Oklahoma National Guard for five years and the Oklahoma City Police Department for over 30 years, recalled sitting in his OKCPD office watching the events unfold. "The events of September 11th, 2001, have always stuck in my memory, as I know they do for every other American. I will always remember the civilian lives lost that day, as well as my First Responder colleagues who ran into danger and paid the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man. "Every year, this day serves as a reminder that the terroristic desire to destroy our great country still exists today. But our commitment to the freedoms of America and our willingness to aid our neighbors is even stronger than any threat. May we continue to remember the unity that bound our nation together in the days following this attack, and may we continue to pray for peace upon all affected by this tragedy." Seven Oklahomans were killed in the Sep. 11 terrorist attacks. The Oklahoma Veterans and Public Safety Caucus represents veterans, active-duty service members, first responders and public safety professionals while advocating for those who serve and protect Oklahoma communities.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Robert Manger, R-Oklahoma City, released the following statement after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt denied parole for Verna Stafford: "We do not take crimes of this magnitude lightly in Oklahoma. I trusted Governor Stitt to make the right decision in this case, and he did. Several relatives of the victims reached out to me with serious concerns about this possibility for Stafford, and I listened to them. Let this be a reminder that those responsible for a massacre should not expect leniency from the state. Any forgiveness Stafford seeks must come from the victims of the family and God." The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board could reconsider parole for Verna Stafford's first life sentence in three years. Had Stitt approved parole, Stafford would have completed her first life sentence and begun serving her second consecutive life sentence. Manger chairs the House Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee. He began his 33-year law enforcement career the same year the Sirloin Stockade murders occurred and was present when those responsible were booked into jail. He later served with the U.S. Marshals Service, where he helped bring numerous fugitives to justice.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee, on Tuesday held an interim study before the House Agriculture Committee examining Oklahoma’s existing water resources, current management practices and long-term sustainability efforts. "There's probably not anything else that's more crucial to our everyday life than water," Newton said . "You can live without food longer than you can live without water. And so, in Northwest Oklahoma or a lot of Western Oklahoma, we depend on underground waters. We don't have these nice, huge lakes that some of them have in Eastern Oklahoma. And so, without that underground water, we would cease to exist out there. And so with that, this is just to get an idea of where we're at on our underground water. Are there any solutions to this? Or is there anything we can do to help prevent further loss of that water?" Newton said water conservation and use has been on his heart for years, but the current drought is bringing additional urgency to the issue. "I know some of the other representatives in my area are getting hit up by people that their aquifers have dropped and their wells are dry," he said . "And so, with that a factor, people are very concerned about that." Newton invited Christoper R. Neel, Chief of the Water Rights Administration Division at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, to discuss groundwater and well-permitting law. Neel displayed the severity of drought in Western Oklahoma and the Panhandle, which experience the worst drought classifications up to 30% of the time. The overlap of groundwater permits in the state shows the heaviest concentration in the same area. One issue is that groundwater wells were not required to be reported to the Water Resources Board until 1982, and the board has only about 50% compliance. In addition, most permit holders just estimate how much water they use each year. And the board is not an enforcement agency, so landowners are basically on the honor system, even though each is supposed to get an equal proportionate share of available water. "So, you combine the number of wells that are being drilled in Oklahoma with drought with the amount of permits that we have. You can kind of understand why we're sitting here and talking about groundwater just to give an update of what the state of Oklahoma is up to," he said . Duane Smith, executive director, and Josh McClintock, water policy specialist, with the Oka' Water Institute at East Central University, explained watershed sustainability. Smith explained that reduced water supply associated with drought and a warmer drier climate endangers public health, threatens habitat and jeopardizes local and state economies. He said funding statewide drinking water infrastructure needs by 2045 will total $117.6 billion. It's imperative that regions throughout the state begin planning to fund and meet these needs, he said, to mitigate depletion and to conserve this resource. Tom Kimball, a Board of Directors member with the Grand River Dam Authority, examined alternative help for declining aquifers, including the possibility of water transfer. "Water transfer is a big project," Kimball said . "If you come from western Oklahoma and say we're going to put a pipe in Grand Lake and start pumping water west, well, you're going to hear a lot of people probably start hollering. So, it's very difficult to go in and say we're going to take water from here and take it to there, even if you don't need it where it's at. But it's not difficult to take the water away from the people in New Orleans, Louisiana." Kimball explained that when the GRDA generates electricity at the Pensacola Dam at Grand Lake, the water goes into Lake Hudson, Lake Fort Gibson and then the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers, ending in the Gulf of Mexico. "It's not used for navigation. It's not used for irrigation," Kimball said . "It's not used as potable water. Once it goes through generation, it's going to New Orleans and used for absolutely nothing." The water could instead be captured and moved west, a difficult but not impossible task, he said. This could happen from other areas of the state as well, he said. He begged study participants to make sure water is not secured by private industry but instead remains available for future generations of Oklahomans. "With our water moving around the state where it's needed, we can produce jobs for our children and grandchildren that are just not even really thought of today," Kimball said . It's something to dream about, Newton said. The study can be watched on the House website under News & Media, live proceedings, then search by date for Sept. 8, IS26-006 Oklahoma Water Resources .