{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-52","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 17, § 17-52","heading":"Corporation Commission - Jurisdiction, power and authority","body":"- Environmental jurisdiction of Department of Environmental Quality.\n\nA. 1. Except as otherwise provided by this section, the\n\nCorporation Commission is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction,\n\npower and authority with reference to:\n\na. the conservation of oil and gas,\n\nb. field operations for geologic and geophysical\n\nexploration for oil, gas and brine, including seismic\n\nsurvey wells, stratigraphic test wells and core test\n\nwells,\n\nc. the exploration, drilling, development, producing or\n\nprocessing for oil and gas on the lease site,\n\nd. the exploration, drilling, development, production and\n\noperation of wells used in connection with the\n\nrecovery, injection or disposal of mineral brines,\n\ne. reclaiming facilities only for the processing of salt\n\nwater, crude oil, natural gas condensate and tank\n\nbottoms or basic sediment from crude oil tanks,\n\npipelines, pits and equipment associated with the\n\nexploration, drilling, development, producing or\n\ntransportation of oil or gas,\n\nf. injection wells known as Class II wells under the\n\nfederal Underground Injection Control program, any\n\naspect of any CO2 sequestration facility, including\n\nany associated Class VI CO2 injection well, and any\n\nCO2 storage unit associated with a CO2 sequestration\n\nfacility, over which the Commission is given\n\njurisdiction pursuant to the Oklahoma Carbon Capture\n\nand Geologic Sequestration Act. Any substance that\n\nthe United States Environmental Protection Agency\n\nallows to be injected into a Class II well may\n\ncontinue to be so injected,\n\ng. tank farms for storage of crude oil and petroleum\n\nproducts which are located outside the boundaries of\n\nrefineries, petrochemical manufacturing plants,\n\nnatural gas liquid extraction plants, or other\n\nfacilities which are subject to the jurisdiction of\n\nthe Department of Environmental Quality with regard to\n\npoint source discharges,\n\nh. the construction and operation of pipelines and\n\nassociated rights-of-way, equipment, facilities or\n\nbuildings used in the transportation of oil, gas,\n\npetroleum, petroleum products, anhydrous ammonia or\n\nmineral brine, or in the treatment of oil, gas or\n\nmineral brine during the course of transportation but\n\nnot including line pipes in any:\n\n(1) natural gas liquids extraction plant,\n\n(2) refinery,\n\n(3) reclaiming facility other than for those\n\nspecified within subparagraph e of this\n\nparagraph,\n\n(4) mineral brine processing plant, and\n\n(5) petrochemical manufacturing plant,\n\ni. the handling, transportation, storage and disposition\n\nof saltwater, mineral brines, waste oil and other\n\ndeleterious substances produced from or obtained or\n\nused in connection with the drilling, development,\n\nproducing and operating of oil and gas wells, at:\n\n(1) any facility or activity specifically listed in\n\nthis paragraph and paragraph 2 of this subsection\n\nas being subject to the jurisdiction of the\n\nCommission, and\non, storage and disposition\n\nof saltwater, mineral brines, waste oil and other\n\ndeleterious substances produced from or obtained or\n\nused in connection with the drilling, development,\n\nproducing and operating of oil and gas wells, at:\n\n(1) any facility or activity specifically listed in\n\nthis paragraph and paragraph 2 of this subsection\n\nas being subject to the jurisdiction of the\n\nCommission, and\n\n(2) other oil and gas extraction facilities and\n\nactivities,\n\nj. spills of deleterious substances associated with\n\nfacilities and activities specified in this paragraph\n\nor associated with other oil and gas extraction\n\nfacilities and activities, and\n\nk. subsurface storage of oil, natural gas and liquefied\n\npetroleum gas in geologic strata.\n\n2. The exclusive jurisdiction, power and authority of the\n\nCorporation Commission shall also extend to the construction,\n\noperation, maintenance, site remediation, closure and abandonment of\n\nthe facilities and activities described in paragraph 1 of this\n\nsubsection.\n\n3. When a deleterious substance from a Commission-regulated\n\nfacility or activity enters a point source discharge of pollutants\n\nor storm water from a facility or activity regulated by the\n\nDepartment of Environmental Quality, the Department shall have sole\n\njurisdiction over the point source discharge of the commingled\n\npollutants and storm water from the two facilities or activities\n\ninsofar as Department-regulated facilities and activities are\n\nconcerned.\n\n4. For purposes of the federal Clean Water Act, any facility or\n\nactivity which is subject to the jurisdiction of the Corporation\n\nCommission pursuant to this subsection and any other oil and gas\n\nextraction facility or activity which requires a permit for the\n\ndischarge of a pollutant or storm water to waters of the United\n\nStates shall be subject to the direct jurisdiction of the United\n\nStates Environmental Protection Agency and shall not be required to\n\nbe permitted by the Department of Environmental Quality or the\n\nCorporation Commission for such discharge.\n\n5. The Corporation Commission shall have jurisdiction over:\n\na. underground storage tanks that contain antifreeze,\n\nmotor oil, motor fuel, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, or\n\naviation fuel and that are not located at refineries\n\nor at upstream or intermediate shipment points of\n\npipeline operations, including, but not limited to,\n\ntanks from which these materials are dispensed into\n\nvehicles, or tanks used in wholesale or bulk\n\ndistribution activities, as well as leaks from pumps,\n\nhoses, dispensers, and other ancillary equipment\n\nassociated with the tanks, whether above the ground or\n\nbelow; provided, that any point source discharge of a\n\npollutant to waters of the United States during site\n\nremediation or the off-site disposal of contaminated\n\nsoil, media, or debris shall be regulated by the\n\nDepartment of Environmental Quality,\n\nb. aboveground storage tanks that contain antifreeze,\n\nmotor oil, motor fuel, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, or\n\naviation fuel and that are not located at refineries\n\nor at upstream or intermediate shipment points of\n\npipeline operations, including, but not limited to,\n\ntanks from which these materials are dispensed into\n\nvehicles, or tanks used in wholesale or bulk\n\ndistribution activities, as well as leaks from pumps,\n\nhoses, dispensers, and other ancillary equipment\n\nassociated with the tanks, whether above the ground or\n\nbelow; provided, that any point source discharge of a\n\npollutant to waters of the United States during site\n\nremediation or the off-site disposal of contaminated\n\nsoil, media, or debris shall be regulated by the\n\nDepartment of Environmental Quality, and\n\nc. the Petroleum Storage Tank Release Environmental\n\nCleanup Indemnity Fund and Program and the Oklahoma\n\nLeaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.\n\n6. The Department of Environmental Quality shall have sole\nto waters of the United States during site\n\nremediation or the off-site disposal of contaminated\n\nsoil, media, or debris shall be regulated by the\n\nDepartment of Environmental Quality, and\n\nc. the Petroleum Storage Tank Release Environmental\n\nCleanup Indemnity Fund and Program and the Oklahoma\n\nLeaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.\n\n6. The Department of Environmental Quality shall have sole\n\njurisdiction to regulate the transportation, discharge or release of\n\ndeleterious substances or hazardous or solid waste or other\n\npollutants from rolling stock and rail facilities. The Department\n\nof Environmental Quality shall not have any jurisdiction with\n\nrespect to pipeline transportation of carbon dioxide.\n\n7. The Department of Environmental Quality shall have sole\n\nenvironmental jurisdiction for point and nonpoint source discharges\n\nof pollutants and storm water to waters of the state from:\n\na. refineries, petrochemical manufacturing plants and\n\nnatural gas liquid extraction plants,\n\nb. manufacturing of oil and gas related equipment and\n\nproducts,\n\nc. bulk terminals, aboveground and underground storage\n\ntanks not subject to the jurisdiction of the\n\nCommission pursuant to this subsection, and\n\nd. other facilities, activities and sources not subject\n\nto the jurisdiction of the Corporation Commission or\n\nOklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry\n\nas specified by this section.\n\n8. The Department of Environmental Quality shall have sole\n\nenvironmental jurisdiction to regulate air emissions from all\n\nfacilities and sources subject to operating permit requirements\n\nunder Title V of the federal Clean Air Act as amended.\n\nB. The Corporation Commission and incorporated cities and towns\n\nshall have exclusive jurisdiction over permit fees for the drilling\n\nand operation of oil and gas wells.\n\nC. The Corporation Commission shall comply with and enforce the\n\nOklahoma Water Quality Standards.\n\nD. For purposes of immediately responding to emergency\n\nsituations having potentially critical environmental or public\n\nsafety impact and resulting from activities within its jurisdiction,\n\nthe Corporation Commission may take whatever action is necessary,\n\nwithout notice and hearing, including without limitation the\n\nissuance or execution of administrative agreements by the Oil and\n\nGas Conservation Division of the Corporation Commission, to promptly\n\nrespond to the emergency.","path":["OK Code","Title 17"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os17.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"02814240bbf0212f2b38c31f9a89634e3a058f9cf6df34dfe78517b18f3631d8","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-519","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-520"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}