9-13-2012 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha

The Sept. 13, 2012 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha opened with a prayer, pledge and song.

Guests included Carroll Brewster and Karen Brady.

President Cody White back in action, making the following announcements:

• Rotarians were asked to remember the club's website and mobile app for smart phones that are valuable tools to keep up with club business and upcoming speakers, etc.

• Remember the freshman project, 7:30 a.m. on Friday during the school year Rotarians greet freshmen students as they arrive for class at CHS.

• Paul Harris points are being matched through September.

Lynn Bailey's name was proposed as a new member by Charlie Burruss, in the Financial Adviser category.

President Cody inducted Evan Blasingame as the newest member of the club. Perry Ramsey sponsored Evan. 

Steve LaForge, wearing long pants for the first time in several months, was Rotarian of the day. He introduced Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Patrice Douglas as our guest speaker. Thanks to Karen Brady of the Chickasha Leader here is a report of her remarks:

Gov. Mary Fallin appointed Douglas to the commission last September and she took office Oct. 10, 2011 to serve out the remainder of Jeff Cloud's term after his resignation.

Douglas has previously served as executive vice president of First Fidelity Bank and also as Mayor of Edmond. She has also served on the Oklahoma Municipal League Board of Directors and was instrumental in creating the Mayor's Council on Economic Development where she served as chair.

Douglas said,  although many people don't know what the Corporation Commission does, two-thirds of Oklahoma's economy goes through the commission.

Douglas said the commission regulates the oil and gas industry, trucking, public utilities, telecommunication, pipeline safety, canals and cotton gins.

"More than half the economy comes to us in one way or another," she said. "We vote daily on how regulation is going to be imposed; we vote every day to keep Oklahoma moving."

Douglas said that since she took office last October, she has dealt with 6,500 oil and gas hearings.Douglas also addressed the process known as fracking of wells in Oklahoma, which is defined as a means of increasing well production by creating fractures in underground rock formations by injecting fluid into the cracks to force them open. The larger the fissure, the more oil and gas may be extracted from the well.

"We've been fracking wells since 1948," she said. "A lot of this has been blown out of proportion; we've been doing this for a long time. We need to let other states know Oklahoma is the leader in this and we do it safely and appropriately. We don't need the EPA coming in and trying to stop it."

Opponents of fracking cite water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution and public health risks from the hundreds of chemicals used in the process as reasons to discontinue the practice.

"Oklahoma is fortunate to have the geographical formations to produce oil and gas," she said. "Oklahoma can be at the leadership of the nation."

Douglas also voiced her support of utilizing compressed natural gas for vehicles.

She said when proponents of CNG try to move forward, federal regulations stop them and that the federal government will not approve the kits to convert gasoline engines to CNG.

"We've got to get the people in Washington to recognize the crisis we're in now," Douglas said.

The meeting adjourned after recitation of the Rotary 4-Way Test.