State Senator Wants To Sue US Government Over Proposed FEMA Changes

Governor Mary Fallin requested a major disaster declaration for tornado ravaged areas of Oklahoma. The declaration opens the door for storm victims to get federal assistance, but down the road, getting FEMA money could be a lot harder.

FEMA will soon require states to acknowledge climate change or as some say global warming before receiving disaster preparedness funds.

The guidance the state says its received so far will force lawmakers to address risks posed by global warming.

It caught the eye of one Oklahoma senator and prompted him to write a letter to the state attorney general requesting to sue the federal government.

Sen. Rob Standridge thinks the new FEMA requirement is ridiculous and should make no difference in the matter.

"It's politics wedged in the middle of policy,” Standridge said. "The last thing we really need is for our governor to be caught in a political mess, because we need funds for Oklahoma to be prepared for this."

News 9 contacted the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. Department spokesperson Keli Cain said every five years FEMA approves state's plans, and Oklahoma's plan is good until 2019.

Department officials said FEMA provided very little information as to what the new plan needs to include and said it only affects funding at the state level and not local or individual assistance. That's another "pot of money" they said.

The only way it will have a local impact is if the state is not in compliance with new requirements - requirements some believe are unnecessary.

"Whether you want to argue the point or not what causes those disasters, we have to be prepared for those and global warming does not play a part in our preparedness,” Standridge said.