Dana Murphy says oil and conservation are both important for Oklahoma’s future

Rick Hoover - NewsPress
Dana Murphy talks about petroleum-based energy like a truck-driving conservative. She also talks conservation like a bike-riding liberal.

It’s not necessarily a contradiction; Murphy sees both as vital to Oklahoma’s future.

Murphy, a Republican who has worked for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, now wants to be a corporation commissioner. She is opposed by Rob Johnson in the July 29 primary. The winner will face Democrat Jim Roth in the Nov. 4 general election.

“It’s not enough to have the cheapest power,” Murphy said. “It has to be on, too. Reliability is a significant factor in addition to it being affordable. We’re going to have to look at new ways to generate power.”

While the commission cannot dictate what fuel utilities use to generate electricity, it can encourage them to explore all sources, Murphy said, adding it will likely take all sources to meet Oklahoma’s — and the nation’s — growing demand.

“What’s going to be best for the ratepayers of Oklahoma?” she said. “If we’re really looking ahead, we’re going to have to have all fuel sources.”

That would include, Murphy said, traditional, petroleum-based sources, along with alternative fuels — wind, solar, biofuels — and nuclear. But she adds that consumers have a role in helping the state’s energy capacity.

“Conservation is a way to help make better use of what we have,” Murphy said. “It’s something we really need to be doing in addition to looking at alternative fuels.”

Murphy, born in Woodward, attended Oklahoma State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geology. According to her campaign materials, after practicing as a geologist for 10 years, she obtained her law degree from Oklahoma City University.

She served six years as an administrative law judge at the corporation commission and was named co-employee of the year for 1997 and received the Commissioners’ Public Servant Award in 2001. Later that year, she left the commission and began working as a consulting geologist in order to run for corporation commissioner. After winning the primary, she lost in the general election to current commission Chairman Jeff Cloud.

Since 2003, she has had a private law practice with an emphasis in title, regulatory practice and oil and gas litigation.

Murphy said she wants to help conservation efforts by expanding the commission’s outreach and education programs, something she experienced as an administrative law judge. But she also said she does not favor carbon caps or a carbon tax.

“I think that will really hurt our economy,” she said. “I think it will make the situation more complicated than it needs to be.”

Murphy said Oklahoma is in its current predicament because it has not planned. Demand for energy is increasing but the state is not adding capacity. With new plants requiring between six and 10 years to come online, depending on the fuel source, it’s something the state needs to address now, she said.

“The steps you take today will determine where you go tomorrow,” she said.

With wind, natural gas and coal-fired generation already in the state and biofuel plants due to come online, Murphy believes Oklahoma can become an international center, helping other states and countries with their energy woes. That also would benefit the state though education and additional jobs.

“We have a lot of great things in Oklahoma,” she said. “It just seems like we ought to be able to work together and come up with some solutions and a better way to approach things. Oklahoma deserves excellence. Not because it should be done, but because it can be done.”

The issues are complicated and some hard decisions will need to be made, Murphy said. The role of a corporation commissioner is to ensure Oklahoma uses its resources wisely.

“We didn’t get into the place we are overnight,” she said. “We’re going to have to be making plans for 10 years from now. It’s really going to be challenging in the next five to 10 years to be a corporation commissioner.”

The original article can be found here.