Oklahomans gain powerful committee seats

Sunday, December 1st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ For the first time since 1936, Oklahoma's two U.S. senators will chair committees, which could put the state in a position to receive more federal dollars and assistance.

Republicans senators Don Nickles and Jim Inhofe will have seats in two key committees when Congress resumes.

Nickels will lead the Budget Committee and Inhofe will chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

As the chair of the budget committee, Nickels will oversee the writing of the congressional budget, monitor the impact of revenue and discuss spending decisions on the federal budget.

Nickels said he plans to help produce a budget that ``will promote economic growth, homeland security and national security.''

As chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Inhofe said he would like to see more money for Oklahoma roads and a revived interest in cleaning up the Tar Creek Superfund site in northeastern Oklahoma.

Inhofe said he would Oklahoma and other states to receive more federal road dollars.

States donate revenue collected from fuel taxes and in return receive federal money for infrastructure.

Oklahoma and a few other states give more money than they receive. Inhofe said he wants to change that.

The senator says he believes the state could come out with a bigger slice of the pie this time.

``I am personally going to try and target 95 percent instead of 90.5 percent,'' he said.

If the move is successful, Oklahoma would receive 95 cents in road funds for every $1 it sends into the highway trust fund.

In 2000 the state generated about $500 million for the highway trust fund but received only $452 million back for projects.

At the Tar Creek site, residents and Oklahoma officials are still waiting for the completion of a report from the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

``Since I am the chairman of the committee that directly deals with it, and that's the No. 1 contamination in America, it is going to get the No. 1 emphasis,'' Inhofe said. ``We have to get the right solution.''

Inhofe's plan for Tar Creek does not include a proposal for making the area a federal wetland as Gov. Frank Keating had earlier proposed.

``We need to get beyond the point where we have the governor of Oklahoma saying, well, that is a federal problem, money is going to resolve it all, declare it all wetlands and the problem solved,'' he said. ``That doesn't solve the problem.''

Keating's plan carries a $250 million price tag and would require relocation of residents in the Ottawa County towns on Picher and Cardin.