Rep. Mark Tedford, R-Tulsa, recently held an interim study to explore the exposure of hazardous materials at the MidAmerica Industrial Park and the current HAZMAT response capabilities in the eastern part of the state.

IS24-105 was held before the House Business and Commerce Committee.

The MidAmerica Industrial Park is located on 9,000 acres in northeast Oklahoma. It is the largest industrial park in the state and the fifth largest in the United States, providing services to over 80 companies and about 4,000 employees.

During the study, Jason Stutzman, the executive director of MidAmerica Industrial Park, said that the park stores about 1.76 billion pounds of extremely hazardous materials as well as tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel.

Over half of the employers in the park utilize and store hazardous materials for their daily manufacturing processes. Tedford said industries within the park use dangerous chemicals such as ammonia nitrate and anhydrous ammonia, as well as materials related to the assembly of battery modules. 

"Quick response in containing hazardous materials is crucial to save lives within the park and prevent the spread of chemicals to surrounding communities, home to over 11,000 businesses and 27,000 residents," Tedford said. "A HAZMAT incident not only threatens lives but can also lead to property damage, business disruptions, costly evacuations, and damage the park's reputation as a safe workplace."

Currently, the Pryor Fire Department does not have HAZMAT capabilities, and the closest HAZMAT units are in Claremore and Tahlequah. The response time to the MidAmerica Industrial Park is around 90 minutes.

Adding a HAZMAT unit in Pryor would cost about $5.4 million upfront, plus $1.5 million annually for the next nine years, covering equipment, staffing, and training. MidAmerica can provide land and facilities, and both MidAmerica and the city of Pryor can help with some operational costs. The total 10-year funding request from the state is $18 million.

Tedford said this unit would benefit not just the park but also the 27,000 residents in the area by enhancing the fire department's capabilities, which could improve their ISO fire ratings, potentially lowering insurance rates.

"I intend to file legislation next session to request funding for a HAZMAT unit in Pryor," Tedford said. "MidAmerica contains the state's critical infrastructure and has significant vulnerabilities that must be addressed. Municipal fire departments are funded by sales tax; however, MidAmerica does not generate sales tax, creating a reasonable funding gap for the state to fill."