Representative Rick West

R

District 3

Hi, I'm Rick West and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 3rd District.


representative

News & Announcements

Feb 14, 2025
Recent Posts

‘Undeterred,’ Reps. seeking Hiett's disqualification appeal PSO rate increase; challenge storm bond audits before OK Supreme Court

OKLAHOMA CITY – Although on Monday, Feb. 10, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed their appeal of an Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) order approving a $127 million rate increase for OG&E customers, saying it had been filed too early, Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola, Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rick West, R-Heavener, quickly proved they were undeterred. On Thursday, Gann, who is also a PSO customer, filed an appeal of the OCC’s recent order approving a historic $120 million rate increase for PSO’s ratepayers. Once again, the petition argues Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett violated state ethics rules by participating in the case involving an attorney with direct knowledge of alleged criminal conduct by Hiett.  On Aug. 7, 2024, The Oklahoman reported that two female OCC employees alleged they witnessed or experienced alleged criminal conduct by Hiett – including drunk driving and sexual harassment – during and after a law firm reception at an Oklahoma City bar in June 2023. A November filing by then-Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony further revealed the women also told The Oklahoman Hiett had allegedly exposed himself. The filing also alleged one of the women may have received a "hush money" pay raise just weeks after the incident.  "Hiett has not denied any of the allegations against him, including drunk driving and indecent exposure," Gann told the Court in his petition.  Gann’s petition also argues that the OCC failed to provide a required audit of PSO’s $1.1 billion of ratepayer-backed bonds issued after the February 2021 Winter Storm. Extra charges to pay off those bonds are expected to appear on customers’ monthly bills for 20 years. “We are not deterred by the court’s dismissal of our initial OG&E appeal,” Rick West said. “We appealed early to try to keep OG&E’s new rate increase refundable, which would have been worth hundreds of millions of dollars to customers. Waiting to appeal the commission’s final order can only impact OG&E’s rates going forward, but otherwise, the court was clear that waiting will not hurt our case.”  “It seems our appeal already has had an impact,” Kevin West said. On Tuesday, the OCC posted an amended agenda for its Feb. 18 meeting, including discussion about the OG&E rate case and possible votes to reopen the record “to determine whether discovery, further hearing, and/or additional testimony is necessary to address the issues raised.” “Are they going to put one of their famous one-page ‘audits’ in the record before voting on the final order?" Kevin West asked. " Will Brian Bingman get involved in this disaster, or will Hiett violate state ethics rules and cast the deciding vote again? We’ll just have to see. At least they know people are paying attention.” Bingman took over longtime Commissioner Bob Anthony’s seat at the OCC in January. Anthony voted against the OG&E rate increase in November, and Bingman abstained from voting on the PSO rate increase at his first OCC meeting in January. The OCC and PSO have 20 days to respond to Gann’s new appeal petition at the Supreme Court. Read the pleadings in the new PSO rate case appeal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court here: https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122861 Read the pleadings and orders in the original OG&E rate case appeal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court here: https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122735

Dec 20, 2024
Recent Posts

Lawmakers Appeal OG&E rate increase; Ask OK Supreme Court to Rule on Hiett’s Failure to Disqualify and OCC’s One-Page Audits

OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola; Kevin West, R-Moore; and Rick West, R-Heavener, issued the following statement today: "Less than two weeks ago, on December 9, the Oklahoma Supreme Court denied our petition seeking to prohibit Todd Hiett from hearing Oklahoma Corporation Commission cases involving the victims/witnesses of his alleged crimes. But we were encouraged by comments in the justices’ written opinions." Two days later, in response to comments from Justice Dana Kuehn, Gann sent the Oklahoma Ethics Commission a six-page supplement to his original Sept. 10 complaint filed against Commissioner Hiett. It documents with 250 pages of exhibits more than 15 additional occasions of Hiett allegedly violating State Ethics Rule 4.7 since the original complaint was filed. Ethics Rule 4.7 prohibits state officers from participating in matters in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. "Today, in response to comments from Justice Douglas L. Combs made on December 9, we have filed an appeal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking to overturn the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s recent order granting Oklahoma Gas and Electric a $127 million rate increase. Hiett cast the deciding vote in that case, even though we believe state ethics rules say he should not have participated. OG&E employs attorneys who hosted a party on June 21, 2023, where Hiett is alleged to have committed multiple criminal acts, including drunk driving, sexual harassment and indecent exposure. "In this appeal, we also are challenging the OCC’s one-page audits of the utilities' 2021 Winter Storm bonds. Although all three of us voted against the securitization legislation in April 2021, we do not believe the law allows the Corporation Commission to invent its own definition of the word 'audit,' or meant for the utilities to audit themselves. The Oklahoma Accountancy Act provides auditing standards for a reason. "Our pursuit of justice and transparency and respect for the law and the Constitution on behalf of Oklahoma utility ratepayers continues." Follow the OG&E rate case appeal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court and read the pleadings here: https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122735

Oct 28, 2024
Recent Posts

Attorney Stephen Jones Joins Supreme Court Effort Against OCC’s Todd Hiett

OKLAHOMA CITY – Three Oklahoma lawmakers say that legal legend Stephen Jones will argue on behalf of their petition against Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett, according to a notice filed at the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Friday.  Jones is a nationally recognized attorney who led the defense team for Oklahoma City Murrah Building bomber Timothy McVeigh in the late 1990s. The petition was filed Sept. 13 by Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola, Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rick West, R-Heavener, who between them are all customers of the state’s three largest public utility companies – Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG), Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) and Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO). The petition seeks to prohibit Hiett’s continuing participation in utility cases at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) involving victims and/or witnesses of criminal conduct allegedly committed by Hiett, according to witness statements given to The Oklahoman in July and August. Hiett has refused to disqualify himself from the cases.  The Supreme Court has called for oral arguments in the matter on Nov. 12. Until this point, the three state representatives had made their case to the court pro se , acting as their own attorney. “Throughout his long history representing high-profile defendants, Stephen Jones has been a champion of civil rights and constitutional due process rights. We are very happy to have his help in this matter,” the three state representatives said in a joint statement. “Our petition argues that the due process rights of millions of Oklahoma ratepayers are being violated by Commissioner Hiett in utility cases worth billions of dollars. His alleged drunken and sexual misconduct toward and in front of utility company representatives has tainted these cases, and ratepayers already are suffering from it.  “We believe the rate payers in Oklahoma deserve fair and impartial representation from the Corporation Commission, and we are pleased Stephen Jones agrees with us. With his help and the court’s, we are confident judicial integrity and ratepayers’ constitutional rights can be restored at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.”