{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-3-2-106","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 27A, § 27A-3-2-106","heading":"Powers and duties of Commission","body":"A. In addition to other powers and duties specified by law and\n\nexcept as otherwise provided by law, the Oklahoma Conservation\n\nCommission shall have the power and duty to:\n\n1. Offer the assistance as may be appropriate to the directors\n\nof conservation districts in the carrying out of any of their powers\n\nand programs and to:\n\na. assist and guide districts in the preparation and\n\ncarrying out of programs for resource conservation\n\nauthorized under the Conservation District Act,\n\nb. review district programs,\n\nc. coordinate the programs of the several districts and\n\nresolve any conflicts in such programs, and\n\nd. facilitate, promote, assist, harmonize, coordinate,\n\nand guide the resource conservation programs and\n\nactivities of districts as they relate to other\n\nspecial purpose districts, counties, and other public\n\nagencies;\n\n2. Keep the directors of each of the several districts informed\n\nof the activities and experience of all other districts, and\n\nfacilitate an interchange of advice and experience between the\n\ndistricts and cooperation between them;\n\n3. Enter into contracts and agreements and execute such\n\ninstruments in the judgment of the Commission as are necessary,\n\nbeneficial, or convenient toward the exercise of any of the\n\nCommission's powers conferred upon it by law. This includes, but is\n\nnot limited to, creating shared positions, administering statewide\n\nprograms with districts, and exploring funding sources for\n\nconservation programs, practices, and pilot projects;\n\n4. Review agreements, or forms of agreements, proposed to be\n\nentered into by districts with other districts or with any state,\n\nfederal, tribal, interstate, or other public or private agency,\n\norganization, or individual, and advise the districts concerning the\n\nagreements or forms of agreements;\n\n5. Secure the cooperation and assistance of the United States\n\nand any of its agencies, any tribe, agencies of this state, other\n\nentities, or individuals in the work of the Commission or districts;\n\n6. Accept donations, grants, gifts and contributions in money,\n\nservices, or otherwise from the United States or any of its\n\nagencies, tribes, the state or any of its agencies, other entities,\n\nor individuals in order to carry out the purposes of the\n\nConservation District Act;\n\n7. Disseminate information throughout the state concerning the\n\nactivities and programs of the conservation districts and make\n\navailable information concerning the needs and the work of the\n\nconservation districts and Commission to the Governor, the\n\nLegislature, executive agencies of the government of this state,\n\npolitical subdivisions of this state, cooperating federal agencies,\n\nand the general public;\n\n8. Serve along with conservation districts as the official\n\nstate agencies for cooperating with the Natural Resources\n\nConservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture\n\nand carrying on conservation operations within the boundaries of\n\nconservation districts;\n\n9. Cooperate with and give such assistance as it deems\n\nnecessary and proper to conservancy districts, watershed\n\nassociations, and other special purpose districts in the State of\n\nOklahoma for the purpose of cooperating with the United States\n\nthrough the Secretary of Agriculture in the furtherance of\n\nconservation pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Watershed\n\nProtection and Flood Prevention Act, as amended;\n\n10. Recommend the inclusion in annual and longer-term budgets\n\nand appropriation legislation of the State of Oklahoma of funds\n\nnecessary for appropriation by the Legislature to finance the\n\nactivities of the Commission and the conservation districts and to:\n\na. administer the provisions of the Conservation District\n\nAct hereafter enacted by the Legislature appropriating\n\nfunds for expenditure in connection with the\n\nactivities of conservation districts,\n\nb. distribute to conservation districts funds, equipment,\nof funds\n\nnecessary for appropriation by the Legislature to finance the\n\nactivities of the Commission and the conservation districts and to:\n\na. administer the provisions of the Conservation District\n\nAct hereafter enacted by the Legislature appropriating\n\nfunds for expenditure in connection with the\n\nactivities of conservation districts,\n\nb. distribute to conservation districts funds, equipment,\n\nsupplies, and services received by the Commission for\n\nthat purpose from any source, subject to such\n\nconditions as shall be made applicable thereto in any\n\nstate or federal statute or local ordinance making\n\navailable such funds, property, or services,\n\nc. issue guidelines and suitable controls to govern the\n\nuse by conservation districts of funds, property, and\n\nservices, and\n\nd. review all budgets, administrative procedures, and\n\noperations of such districts and advise the districts\n\nconcerning their conformance with applicable laws and\n\nregulations;\n\n11. Enlist the cooperation and collaboration of state, federal,\n\ntribal, regional, interstate, local, public, and private agencies\n\nwith the conservation districts and facilitate arrangements under\n\nwhich the conservation districts may serve county governing bodies\n\nand other agencies as their local operating agencies in the\n\nadministration of any activity concerned with the conservation of\n\nrenewable natural resources;\n\n12. Pursuant to procedures developed mutually by the Commission\n\nand federal, tribal, state, and local agencies that are authorized\n\nto plan or administer activities significantly affecting the\n\nconservation of renewable natural resources, receive from these\n\nagencies for review and comment suitable descriptions of their\n\nplans, programs, and activities for purposes of coordination with\n\ndistrict conservation programs and to arrange for and participate in\n\nconferences necessary to avoid conflict among plans and programs, to\n\ncall attention to omissions, and to avoid duplication of effort;\n\n13. Compile information and make studies, summaries, and\n\nanalyses of district programs in relation to each other and to other\n\nresource conservation programs on a statewide basis;\n\n14. Except as otherwise assigned by law, carry out the policies\n\nof this state in programs at the state level for the conservation of\n\nthe renewable natural resources of this state and represent the\n\nstate in matters affecting such resources;\n\n15. Assist conservation districts in obtaining legal services\n\nfrom state and local legal officers;\n\n16. Require annual reports from conservation districts, the\n\nform and content of which shall be developed by the Commission in\n\nconsultation with the district directors;\n\n17. Establish by rules, with the assistance and advice of the\n\nState Auditor and Inspector, adequate and reasonably uniform\n\naccounting and auditing procedures that shall be used by\n\nconservation districts;\n\n18. Conduct workshops for district directors to instruct them\n\non the subjects of district finances, the Conservation District Law\n\nand related laws, and their duties and responsibilities as\n\ndirectors;\n\n19. Assist and supervise districts in carrying out their\n\nresponsibilities in accordance with Oklahoma laws;\n\n20. Have power, by administrative order, upon the written\n\nrequest of the board of directors of the conservation district or\n\ndistricts involved, with a showing that such request has been\n\napproved by a majority vote of the members of each of the boards\n\ninvolved, to:\n\na. transfer lands and assign easements from one district\n\nestablished under the provisions of the Conservation\n\nDistrict Act to another,\n\nb. divide a single district into two or more districts,\n\neach of which shall thereafter operate as a separate\n\ndistrict under the provisions of the Conservation\n\nDistrict Act, and\n\nc. consolidate two or more districts established under\ndistrict\n\nestablished under the provisions of the Conservation\n\nDistrict Act to another,\n\nb. divide a single district into two or more districts,\n\neach of which shall thereafter operate as a separate\n\ndistrict under the provisions of the Conservation\n\nDistrict Act, and\n\nc. consolidate two or more districts established under\n\nthe provisions of the Conservation District Act, which\n\nconsolidated area shall operate thereafter as a single\n\ndistrict under the provisions of the Conservation\n\nDistrict Act;\n\n21. Except as otherwise provided by law, act as the management\n\nagency having jurisdiction over and responsibility for directing\n\nnonpoint source pollution prevention programs outside the\n\njurisdiction or control of cities or towns in Oklahoma. The\n\nCommission, otherwise, shall be responsible for all identified\n\nnonpoint source categories except silviculture, urban stormwater\n\nrunoff and industrial runoff;\n\n22. Establish and maintain an Equipment Revolving Fund for the\n\npurpose of loaning conservation districts funds to purchase\n\nequipment to be used for the installation of conservation practices.\n\nThe fund shall consist of all monies appropriated to, deposited in\n\nor credited to the fund;\n\n23. Administer cost-share programs to carry out conservation or\n\nbest management practices on the land to benefit the public through\n\nthe prevention or reduction of soil erosion and nonpoint source\n\npollution and general resource management. The Commission is not\n\nauthorized to implement mandatory compliance with management\n\npractices, except as otherwise provided by law, to abate\n\nagricultural nonpoint source pollution;\n\n24. Plan watershed-based nonpoint source pollution control\n\nactivities, including the development and implementation of\n\nconservation plans for the improvement and protection of the\n\nresources of the state;\n\n25. Assist the Oklahoma Water Resources Board on lake projects\n\nthrough stream and river monitoring, assessing watershed activities\n\nimpacting lake water quality, and assisting in the development of a\n\nwatershed management plan;\n\n26. Maintain the activities of the state's nonpoint source\n\nworking group;\n\n27. Prepare, revise, and review Oklahoma's nonpoint source\n\nmanagement program and nonpoint source assessment report in\n\ncoordination with other state environmental agencies and compile a\n\ncomprehensive assessment for the state every five (5) years. The\n\nmanagement program and assessment report shall be distributed to the\n\nGovernor, Secretary of Energy and Environment, the President Pro\n\nTempore of the Oklahoma State Senate, and the Speaker of the\n\nOklahoma House of Representatives;\n\n28. Under the direction of the Office of the Secretary of\n\nEnergy and Environment, develop and implement the state's nonpoint\n\nsource water quality monitoring strategy in coordination with other\n\nenvironmental agencies;\n\n29. Monitor, evaluate, and assess the waters of the state to\n\ndetermine the condition of streams and rivers impacted by nonpoint\n\nsource pollution. In carrying out this area of responsibility, the\n\nConservation Commission shall serve as the technical lead agency for\n\nnonpoint source pollution categories as defined in Section 319 of\n\nthe Federal Clean Water Act or other subsequent federal or state\n\nnonpoint source programs;\n\n30. Administer the Blue Thumb Program;\n\n31. Enter into agreements or contracts for services with any of\n\nthe substate planning districts recognized by the Oklahoma\n\nDepartment of Commerce;\n\n32. Cooperate with the federal government, or any agency\n\nthereof, to participate in and coordinate with federal programs that\n\nwill yield additional federal funds to the state for programs within\n\nthe jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission. This participation\n\nshall be subject to the availability of state funds;\nsubstate planning districts recognized by the Oklahoma\n\nDepartment of Commerce;\n\n32. Cooperate with the federal government, or any agency\n\nthereof, to participate in and coordinate with federal programs that\n\nwill yield additional federal funds to the state for programs within\n\nthe jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission. This participation\n\nshall be subject to the availability of state funds;\n\n33. Implement pilot projects and programs, subject to the\n\navailability of funds, that will demonstrate the latest technologies\n\nand applications in conservation programs that may provide direct or\n\nresidual benefits to conservation practices in the state; and\n\n34. Promulgate rules necessary, expedient, or appropriate to\n\ncarry out the purposes, objectives, or provisions or appropriate to\n\nthe performance of the Conservation District Act and the Oklahoma\n\nCarbon Sequestration Enhancement Act and:\n\na. may establish and collect fees for services provided\n\npursuant to the Conservation District Act and the\n\nOklahoma Carbon Sequestration Enhancement Act,\n\nincluding any services for the certification or\n\nverification of sustainable agricultural production\n\npractices, including but not limited to, the Natural\n\nResources Conservation Service Soil Condition Index,\n\nand\n\nb. shall promulgate all rules establishing fees in\n\naccordance with the Administrative Procedures Act,\n\nwhich fees shall be fair and equitable to all parties\n\nconcerned.\n\nB. Nothing in this act shall take away any of the present\n\nduties or responsibilities delegated by law or constitution to other\n\nenvironmental agencies.","path":["OK Code","Title 27A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os27A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"4cf85302148ee4d01c6e0497d38af0d96025721b7d7aef501a649cf54a783c14","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-3-2-105","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-3-2-106a"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}