Former President of the Oklahoma County Commissioners and Chair of the Johnston County Commissioners, Mike Thompson, made an emotional appeal to Oklahoma Oil and Gas companies for help in leveling the playing field with the GROSS PRODUCTION TAX. He stated,

“Oklahoma energy companies are paying a significant gross production tax to support Oklahoma yet aggregate companies are paying nothing. The aggregate companies are mining millions of tons of gravel, sand, and rock and shipping it by the train loads out of state. It is time the free ride stop.” He continued by making a request for the energy companies to join in the effort to pass House Bill 1404. He stated, “Oklahoma county commissioners have worked hand in hand for decades to provide quality roads and bridges for companies to produce oil and gas, especially in rural areas. Today we are asking the energy companies to contact Oklahoma Senators and ask them to join us in supporting HB 1404. This bill provides aggregate gross production taxes which can be used for roads and bridges.

Commissioner Thompson expressed concern about rural vs urban funding. He stated, “The Oklahoma legislature approved an aggregate tax for Oklahoma and Tulsa counties, two of the richest counties in the state. Johnston County is one of the poorest of the counties which are producing the most aggregates in the state and there is no tax. This is blatant economic discrimination, and it is time for fairness in funding and taxing. “ Johnston County produces about 100 million tons of aggregates and most is shipped to Texas, tax free. Johnston County has almost one third of its citizens on food stamps and the county struggles daily with funding county government and certainly needs more funds for county equipment and road repair.

On a final note, Commissioner Thompson said that he invites Senator Stephanie Brice to travel to Johnston County and see first-hand the mining operations. Senator Brice, chair of the Appropriations Committee, killed SB 440 which proposed a severance fee. Thompson stated, “To my knowledge Senator Brice has never been to Johnston County. We have national mining corporations digging holes in the ground 400 feet deep, possibly adversely impacting our water supply, the Arbuckle Simpson aquifer and piling mountains of debris two hundred feet high. We are beginning to look like polluted Pitcher, Oklahoma.” Thompson concluded by commenting that all legislators and the state chamber need to have an in-depth knowledge base on issues and make on site visits before they make decisions and recommendations that impact thousands of people, especially when the people are economically disadvantaged.