News

Governor signs Senate Bill 1388 … OSRC, GRDA merger to be finalized

May 13, 2016

Vinita – The Grand River Dam Authority is viewing its merger with the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission (OSRC) as an opportunity to expand on the important work OSRC has advanced, while also continuing its own stewardship responsibilities in Oklahoma.

On Wednesday, May 11, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed Senate Bill 1388 into law. That bill calls for GRDA to assume the duties and responsibilities of OSRC on July 1, 2016. It also gives GRDA the power to set a new fee structure for recreational use, both along the Illinois River and in the spillway area below Pensacola Dam.

The OSRC was established by the legislature in 1977 to protect, enhance and preserve the Illinois River and its tributaries, Barren Fork Creek and Flint Creek. However, the agency — which receives roughly half of its funding from state appropriations — has faced many budget cuts in recent years, making it difficult for it to complete its mission. GRDA, a non-appropriated state agency — primarily funded by revenues from the sale of electricity — will absorb OSRC’s operations, employees and assets, as well as the stewardship mission.

“The Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission has been dying a slow death of a thousand cuts,” said OSRC Administrator Ed Fite. “The OSRC was once afloat, renowned as the most-efficient environmental agency of state government, but in recent years has barely been treading water.”

While the legislation ends appropriations for the OSRC and shifts those costs to GRDA, the mission of the OSRC will continue, said GRDA Chief Executive Officer Dan Sullivan.

“This merger allows the important work of caring for the scenic rivers to go on,” said Sullivan. “GRDA’s stewardship responsibilities for the Grand River system have always been similar and we feel like combining the experience and expertise of both OSRC and GRDA can only benefit all of these waters.”

Sullivan also noted that Fite’s 30-plus years of experience in Oklahoma water quality issues will be a great benefit to the GRDA Ecosystems Management Department.

“This merger will give him the opportunity and support to focus on water quality issues, instead of other budgetary or administrative issues,” said Sullivan. “We’re pleased he will continue as a member of the GRDA team.”

For Fite, that means continuing on with the cause that first launched the OSRC nearly four decades ago.

“Preservation and protection of scenic rivers is a cause that has no end point,” he said. “There is no point at which Oklahomans may say our work is finished.”

While some aspects of the merger may move slowly, including any new fee structures, Sullivan said by the July 1 effective date, GRDA will be ready to fully assume its new responsibilities along the Illinois River.

“We look forward to welcoming our new team members and continuing our efforts to care for these important Oklahoma natural resources,” said Sullivan.

Headquartered in Vinita, GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, employees and efficiency.

 Since 2010, it has operated a state-of-the-art water quality research laboratory, inside its Ecosystems and Education Center in Langley. Today, the GRDA Ecosystems Management Department continues to work with the public, other state and federal resource agencies, as well as agencies across a four-state area, to preserve and protect the waters of the Grand River watershed.