2011 Proposed Legislative Changes to the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Program

In 2011 the Oklahoma state legislature is considering two bills of particular impact. One bill would reduce the OSRC’s state budget by 52 percent. The other bill would abrogate the Commission’s rulemaking authority and transfer administration about 190 miles away to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission of the Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture in Oklahoma City.

Proponents of the changes say that cost savings and streamlining bureaucracy would result. Critics charge that it would only cost 11 cents per capita to keep the OSRC with its wealth of specialized expertise, which is needed to safely managing the 400,000 river visitors, and without local rulemaking and safety services the tourism economy would collapse.