Fourth Furlough Closure Of Oklahoma Corporation Commission Offices Friday

NewsOn6.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- All offices of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) will be closed statewide Friday, April 30. Employees will be placed on unpaid furlough on that day because of a budget shortfall.

"Every day people from across the state travel to an OCC office to conduct business, so we are doing all we can to get the word out about our closures," said OCC Director of Administration Brooks Mitchell. "Unfortunately, our budget situation has forced us to take this action. The decision to furlough employees and close the agency was taken only after the OCC eliminated 8 percent of its work force and implemented $400,000 in other spending cuts."

So far this year, OCC employees have taken unpaid furlough days February 12, March 19 and April 9. The remaining scheduled furlough days are April 30, May 14, May 28, June 1 and June 25. The estimate savings from the closures is $100,000 a day. The plan is subject to change depending on changes in the agency's funding. 

The OCC has offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as well as Oil and Gas Division offices in Bristow, Kingfisher, Duncan and Ada. The agency's responsibilities include regulation of oil and natural gas production, remediation of polluted oil and natural gas production sites, trucking, electric and natural gas utilities, telecommunications, gas stations and fuel storage tanks, remediation of sites polluted by leaking fuel tanks, railroads, pipelines, private water companies, and cotton gins.

2/2/2010  Related Story: Furloughs Announced For Corporation Commission Employees