A. In addition to other powers and duties specified by law and except as otherwise provided by law, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission shall have the power and duty to:
1. Offer the assistance as may be appropriate to the directors of conservation districts in the carrying out of any of their powers and programs and to:
2. Keep the directors of each of the several districts informed of the activities and experience of all other districts, and to facilitate an interchange of advice and experience between the districts and cooperation between them;
3. Review agreements, or forms of agreements, proposed to be entered into by districts with other districts or with any state, federal, or interstate, or other public or private agency, organization or individual, and advise the districts concerning the agreements or forms of agreements;
4. Secure the cooperation and assistance of the United States and any of its agencies, and of agencies of this state, in the work of the districts and to accept donations, grants, gifts and contributions in money, services or otherwise from the United States or any of its agencies or from the state or any of its agencies in order to carry out the purposes of the Conservation District Act;
5. Disseminate information throughout the state concerning the activities and programs of the conservation districts and to make available information concerning the needs and the work of the conservation districts and Commission to the Governor, the Legislature, executive agencies of the government of this state, political subdivisions of this state, cooperating federal agencies and the general public;
6. Serve along with conservation districts as the official state agencies for cooperating with the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture and carrying on conservation operations within the boundaries of conservation districts;
7. Cooperate with and give such assistance as it deems necessary and proper to conservancy districts, watershed associations and other special purpose districts in the State of Oklahoma for the purpose of cooperating with the United States through the Secretary of Agriculture in the furtherance of conservation pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, as amended;
8. Recommend the inclusion in annual and longer term budgets and appropriation legislation of the State of Oklahoma of funds necessary for appropriation by the Legislature to finance the activities of the Commission and the conservation districts and to:
9. Enlist the cooperation and collaboration of state, federal, regional, interstate, local, public and private agencies with the conservation districts and to facilitate arrangements under which the conservation districts may serve county governing bodies and other agencies as their local operating agencies in the administration of any activity concerned with the conservation of renewable natural resources;
10. Pursuant to procedures developed mutually by the Commission and federal, state and local agencies that are authorized to plan or administer activities significantly affecting the conservation of renewable natural resources, receive from these agencies for review and comment suitable descriptions of their plans, programs and activities for purposes of coordination with district conservation programs and to arrange for and participate in conferences necessary to avoid conflict among plans and programs, to call attention to omissions and to avoid duplication of effort;
11. Compile information and make studies, summaries, and analyses of district programs in relation to each other and to other resource conservation programs on a statewide basis;
12. Except as otherwise assigned by law, carry out the policies of this state in programs at the state level for the conservation of the renewable natural resources of this state and represent the state in matters affecting such resources;
13. Assist conservation districts in obtaining legal services from state and local legal officers;
14. Require annual reports from conservation districts, the form and content of which shall be developed by the Commission in consultation with the district directors;
15. Establish by rules, with the assistance and advice of the State Auditor and Inspector, adequate and reasonably uniform accounting and auditing procedures which shall be used by conservation districts;
16. Conduct workshops for district directors to instruct them on the subjects of district finances, the Conservation District Law and related laws, and their duties and responsibilities as directors;
17. Assist and supervise districts in carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the Oklahoma laws;
18. Have power, by administrative order, upon the written request of the board of directors of the conservation district or districts involved, with a showing that such request has been approved by a majority vote of the members of each of the boards involved, to:
19. Except as otherwise provided by law, act as the management agency having jurisdiction over and responsibility for directing nonpoint source pollution prevention programs outside the jurisdiction or control of cities or towns in Oklahoma. The Commission, otherwise, shall be responsible for all identified nonpoint source categories except silviculture, urban storm water runoff and industrial runoff;
20. Establish and maintain an Equipment Revolving Fund for the purpose of loaning conservation districts funds to purchase equipment to be used for the installation of conservation practices. The fund shall consist of all monies appropriated to, deposited in or credited to the fund;
21. Establish and maintain a Conservation District Consolidation Fund for the purpose of providing financial assistance to conservation districts who choose to consolidate as outlined in subparagraph c of paragraph 18 of this subsection. The fund shall consist of all monies appropriated to, deposited in or credited to the fund;
22. Administer cost-share programs for the purpose of carrying out conservation or best management practices on the land to benefit the public through the prevention or reduction of soil erosion and nonpoint source pollution and through general resource management. The Commission is not authorized to implement mandatory compliance with management practices, except as otherwise provided by law, to abate agricultural nonpoint source pollution;
23. Plan watershed-based nonpoint source pollution control activities, including the development and implementation of conservation plans for the improvement and protection of the resources of the state;
24. Provide assistance to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board on lake projects through stream and river monitoring, assessing watershed activities impacting lake water quality and assisting in the development of a watershed management plan;
25. Maintain the activities of the state's nonpoint source working group;
26. Prepare, revise and review Oklahoma's nonpoint source management program and nonpoint source assessment report in coordination with other state environmental agencies and compile a comprehensive assessment for the state every five (5) years. The management program and assessment report shall be distributed to the Governor, Secretary of Environment, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
27. Under the direction of the Office of the Secretary of the Environment, develop and implement the state's nonpoint source water quality monitoring strategy in coordination with other environmental agencies;
28. Monitor, evaluate and assess waters of the state to determine the condition of streams and rivers impacted by nonpoint source pollution. In carrying out this area of responsibility, the Conservation Commission shall serve as the technical lead agency for nonpoint source pollution categories as defined in Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act or other subsequent federal or state nonpoint source programs;
29. Administer the Blue Thumb Program;
30. Enter into agreements or contracts for services with any of the substate planning districts recognized by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce;
31. Cooperate with the federal government, or any agency thereof, to participate in and coordinate with federal programs that will yield additional federal funds to the state for programs within the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission. This participation shall be subject to the availability of state funds;
32. Implement pilot projects and programs, subject to the availability of funds, that will demonstrate the latest technologies and applications in conservation programs that may provide direct or residual benefits to conservation practices in the state; and
33. Promulgate rules necessary, expedient, or appropriate to carry out the purposes, objectives, or provisions or appropriate to the performance of the Conservation District Act and the Oklahoma Carbon Sequestration Enhancement Act and:
B. Nothing in this act shall take away any of the present duties or responsibilities delegated by law or constitution to other environmental agencies.
Added by Laws 1971, c. 346, § 15-205, operative July 1, 1971. Amended by Laws 1979, c. 30, § 159, emerg. eff. April 6, 1979; Laws 1981, c. 170, § 2, emerg. eff. May 13, 1981; Laws 1993, c. 145, § 212, eff. July 1, 1993. Renumbered from § 1501-205 of Title 82 by Laws 1993, c. 145, § 359, eff. July 1, 1993. Amended by Laws 1997, c. 217, § 5, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 1998, c. 271, § 2, eff. July 1, 1998; Laws 2008, c. 110, § 1, emerg. eff. May 2, 2008.