Confusion In Oklahoma Chain Of Command Leads To State Of Emergency Delays

A state of emergency for Northeastern Oklahoma was declared on Tuesday after storms badly damaged parts of the state and left hundreds of thousands without power on Friday night. 

But the declaration was made by Senate Pro Tempore, Greg Treat.  

Treat, who is currently acting governor, learned of his authority at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. 

“I called my chief of staff, I said, ‘Hey, I know the governor is in Paris, is the lieutenant governor in town? Do I need to be doing anything? Do I need to declare a state of emergency?’” Treat said. 

Treat also said his office previously received notice when the governor planned to leave the state, and when there was a possibility, he might be vested acting authority. But now, he said he learns of his status as acting governor sometimes after the governor has already returned.  

“It’s not the best practice, I hope they change it to where they tell us before again,” Treat said. 

The communication process has been targeted by Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who said he plans to work with legislative partners to establish a formal process for communicating when the authority of the governor needs to be temporarily transferred along the line of succession. 

“We determined both the governor and lieutenant governor were out of state, therefore ineligible to declare an emergency and we reached out to the President Pro Tem of the Senate,” Drummond said. “I think the flaw in our constitutional framework is that it took 72 hours for my office to kick into place the efforts that were necessary for this declaration to be declared. And at high cost to the citizens in the counties that were affected.” 

Treat, who is from Catoosa, visited the Tulsa metro over the weekend and saw the damage firsthand; before he learned he would be the one to declare a state of emergency. 

In a press conference on Tuesday, Tulsa’s mayor thanked Treat for his quick attention. 

“As he told me, as soon as he found out he had the opportunity to act, he jumped right in his car, drove to the capitol and signed the declaration,” said Mayor G.T. Bynum. 

The formal declaration empowers the state to pursue federal reimbursements and programs. It also allows the state to waive permitting or licensing for out-of-town linemen or electrical workers and enforce price-gouging consumer protections.