Okla. Stat. tit. 52, § 52-602: Legislative intent

The Legislature recognizes that hydrocarbons are a limited

natural resource and that their exploration, production and

development contribute significantly to the general welfare of the

people of the State of Oklahoma through the creation of jobs, the

development of economic growth and stability, and the collection of

gross production taxes, petroleum excise taxes, and other sources of

revenue.

Therefore, the Legislature finds it is in the public interest to

protect its energy resource assets from transfers that may retard

the timely and efficient development of such assets, or transfers

that may interfere with the production, sale, purchase, refining or

processing, delivery, transportation or transmission of hydrocarbons

or hydrocarbon products gathered or produced for sale, purchase,

refining or processing, delivery, transport, transmission or use

pursuant to existing contracts within this state. The Legislature

further finds it is in the public interest to encourage orderly

future exploration, development, production, refining, processing,

transportation, or transmission of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon

products gathered or produced within the state, to conserve and

prevent waste of energy resource assets, to protect correlative

rights in underground mineral resources, and to protect and preserve

sources of tax revenue derived from the orderly and efficient

development, management and production of the state's energy

resource assets.