News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Matt Skinner, Public Information Officer

August 4, 2000

(Oklahoma City) – Saying nobody does it better, members of the National Association of State Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Funds have chosen the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s Petroleum Storage Tank Division clean-up program as the best in the United States.

Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona recently, Association members decided unanimously that when it comes to getting the most bang for the buck, creating and implementing ideas that work, working with the public, and getting the overall job done in protecting the environment, the division’s program is the example for the rest of the country to follow.

"We are the only program in the nation that offers a kind of ‘one stop shopping’ for those covered by the program," said Division Deputy Director Dave Kelley. "Oklahoma is also one of the states that have succeeded when it comes to keeping our clean-up fund solvent. In many other states, the so-called ‘indemnity fund’ is broke."

Kelley explained there are a variety of reasons behind the successful administration of the fund. "For example, we have the only ‘pay for performance’ plan for contractors in the nation," he said. "Under the plan, contractors agree to clean up a site for a set amount, and they don’t get the cash until established goals are reached."

Oklahoma’s indemnity fund receives money from a one cent per gallon assessment on gasoline and diesel fuel.

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