News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Matt Skinner, Public Information Officer

February 16, 2001

Sociologist Dr. Robert Lee Maril will appear before the Corporation Commissioners in a public meeting for a discussion and presentation on "Poverty in Oklahoma: Facts, Myths, and Public Policy," on Tuesday, February 20.

Corporation Commission Chair Bob Anthony asked Maril to appear, citing the critical importance of such information.

"As utility bills skyrocket, there are on-going public and private efforts to help poverty-stricken Oklahomans cope with the crisis," said Anthony. "In order to ensure help is being offered in the most effective manner possible, it is necessary to understand the scope and exact nature of the problem. Such an understanding requires as its basis accurate and complete information regarding those most impacted by the present crisis."

Dr. Maril is the author of Waltzing With the Ghost of Tom Joad –Poverty, Myth, and Low-Wage Labor in Oklahoma. The book is the result of a sweeping four-year study of poverty in Oklahoma that included fieldwork and in-depth interviews of low income Oklahomans. The research was the first comprehensive examination of urban and rural poverty in Oklahoma. The end result is a study that effectively dispels many myths about the poor in Oklahoma, and shows the true extent of the problem.

An Oklahoma native, Dr. Maril was raised in Oklahoma City and taught for ten years at Oklahoma State University before becoming Chair and Professor of the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas Pan American.

The Commission meeting will also include discussion and possible adoption of a policy statement on railroad crossings and safety.

The Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 20^th at 9:30 a.m. in the Commission Courtroom, Room 301 of the Jim Thorpe Building.