TULSA, Okla. — Since the wildfires erupted in March, Governor Kevin Stitt has assigned counties all responsibility for implementing the burn ban.
“Every county commissioner can look at that and they can do that county by county,” he told reporters on March 18.
“It makes me feel like the governor doesn’t know what the state statutes are,” said Okmulgee County Emergency Manager, Jeff Moore. He said he has fielded calls from dozens of residents wanting to know why there is no burn ban.
Without meeting a three-part criteria which includes extreme drought conditions, state statutes indicateonly a governor has the authority to issue a ban.
Tulsa, Latimer, and other counties have expressed the same concern about legalities.
2 News reached out to the governor’s office on this issue. We were directed to contact the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The ODAFF directed us to the spokesperson of Oklahoma Forestry Services, Keith Merckz.
Merckz indicated we reached the wrong entity again.
“We don’t dictate any of those terms, we just respond when we are called in to help a fire,” he said.
He suggested we contact the Secretary of Agriculture or try Governor Stitt’s office again.
In the meantime, Moore believes if the counties are expected to have more control over burn bans, the statutes need to be more clear.
“If that means calling people out at the capitol, If I have to I will,” he said. “I will fight for my citizens, but I will not violate the law.”
2 News has now asked the Secretary of Agriculture for any clarification and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
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