Okla State Agency	Corporation Commission, Oklahoma
Okla Agency Code	'185'
Agency Website	www.occeweb.com
Web Archive (Archive-it)	https://www.archive-it.org/collections/2097
Title	Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Historical Notes on State Agency	The Corporation Commission was established at statehood. The First Legislature empowered and directed the commission to regulate and supervise the activities of “all public businesses,” whose services were considered by the legislature to be essential to the public welfare. The legal principle for state regulation of rates and services of public businesses had been established after the Civil War, and that principle was sustained by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1877. Regulation to assure fair rates and prevent discrimination in rates and services began as a legislative matter, but as the nation grew and the need for regulation increased, legislative bodies began establishing specific agencies to administer regulation. The Corporation Commission serves as both a tribunal and agency of investigation, accomplishing regulation through a combination of legislative, executive, administrative, and judicial powers. Commission orders carry the same weight of authority as laws enacted by the legislature. The Oklahoma Constitution authorized the Corporation Commission to regulate transportation and transmission companies, mainly railroads and telephone and telegraph companies. The First Legislature (1908) added authority for “all public businesses.” The Second Legislature (1909) put regulation of oil pipeline companies under commission jurisdiction. The commission began regulating the prices of telephone calls in November 1908 and telegrams in April 1912. Regulation of water, heat, light, and power rates began in December 1913. The commission began regulating oil and gas in 1914 when it restricted drilling and production of oil from the Cushing and Healdton fields to prevent waste when production exceeded pipeline transport capacity. The commission acted under its authority to regulate pipelines as common carriers. In 1915 the legislature passed the Oil and Gas Conservation Act and directed the commission to enforce it; declared cotton gins to be public utilities under commission regulation; and extended commission authority over utility companies to include practices and rates. The businesses regulated by the commission and types of regulation administered have changed through the years as technology has advanced and services considered essential to the public welfare have changed. The commission presently regulates public utilities, except those under municipal or federal jurisdiction; oil and gas drilling, production, and environmental protection; motor fuel quality and containment; gas and hazardous liquid pipeline safety procedures; and some aspects of motor carrier transport and railroad operations. The commission also administers and enforces federal programs for underground injection control (in connection with oil and gas enhanced recovery programs and disposal of certain oil and gas drilling waste fluids) and remediation of soil and ground water pollution caused by leaking underground storage tanks. The commission also manages the state Petroleum Storage Tank Release Indemnity Fund, which reimburses a portion of the cost of remediating environmental pollution caused by leaking storage tanks.
Rights and Permissions	This Oklahoma state government publication is provided for educational purposes under U.S. copyright law. Other usage requires permission of copyright holders.
Month/year uploaded	January 2015
Date created	2015-04-03
Date modified	2016-07-12

Oklahoma Corporation Commission

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