Sprouts

The 50-year Oklahoma Water Planning Process is one of the most ambitious and democratic activities ever undertaken by our State Government. Thousands of people from across Oklahoma were invited to share their opinions and work together to craft long-term solutions to challenging water issues. I was very proud to be apart of the process but it's not over yet. The resulting report has been submitted to the Legislature for action this year. The public has again been invited to "tell" the 16 members of the House of Representatives and Senate serving on Joint Legislative Water Study Committee what's important about water to you. The public input report includes topics like water conservation, water quality, recreational uses, water sales, water transfers and more. The chair of the committee writes,"We can assure you that as a result of these meetings and public hearings that we are familiar with the tremendous amount of public input that went into the drafting of the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan and most importantly we can tell you that each of us knows and understands the importance of secure, safe and reliable water resources to every Oklahoman." While this may very well be true, it's up to the people of Oklahoma to ensure our input isn't forgotten or minimized in favor of corporate interests.

Here's what you can do. Visit OKwaterplan.info and click on "Make a Comment" in the top left hand corner. Comments can be left anonymously. The important thing is to emphasize what matters to you because rest assured, corporate lobbyists will waste no time in expressing their opinions. Rep. Kris Steele, Speaker of the House, declared 2012, "The Year for Water in Oklahoma." Let's see that it is.