Oil-field service units at Capitol a ‘visual reminder’
Two oil-field service trucks parked outside the Oklahoma Capitol are a “visual reminder” of how oil and gas production taxes affect the workforce, an industry spokeswoman said Monday.
While box trucks and trailers are known to park overnight in the Capitol lot, which is large and usually empty on the weekends, it seemed unusual for Halliburton and Rockwater Energy Solutions to leave their units there. Donelle Harder with the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association told The Oklahoman that the trucks are there to remind lawmakers about the thousands of oil-field service company workers who have lost their jobs in the energy economy downturn.
“Now, just when companies are recovering and rehiring in Oklahoma, the Legislature could be making policy decisions that impact the industry’s ability to achieve a full recovery in Oklahoma,” Harder said Monday. “It’s difficult for the oil and gas industry to show a force in human numbers day after day for extended periods of time because these individuals are working and many are out in the field, outside of Oklahoma City. The trucks are part of communicating this week that this is not a faceless industry.”
Lawmakers are haggling over how much to raise the tax rate on oil and gas production, and energy companies have definitely made their feelings known. Democrats are holding steadfast at a 5 percent tax rate, while Republicans don’t want to go higher than 4 percent.
The association also planned an afternoon rally.
Capitol-watchers immediately noted the significance of the oil-field equipment parked outside the building, even if an explanation wasn’t immediately clear. Leaders of the most prominent groups arguing for a higher gross production tax rate were in the Capitol parking lot when the Rockwater Energy Solutions trailer was dropped off. Let’s Fix This tweeted a photo of the trailer with a
tongue-in-cheek caption: “Seems like a weird place to park your oil field fluid tank ... or is it?”
In a statement emailed from the Rockwater Energy Solutions corporate office, Midcontinent Region Vice President of Water Management Clif Price responded to the trailers at the Oklahoma Capitol.
“We strongly support any legislation that directly affects our ability to conduct business, create jobs, and responsibly serve our customers,” he said.
Michael Baker, spokesman for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services that oversees the Capitol grounds, said there is no formal process for reserving parking lot space.
“On Monday morning, OMES began working with the Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association on the display to ensure that it wouldn’t be a business disruption or a safety hazard,” Baker wrote in an email to The Oklahoman. “At this point, OMES has approved the display.”
Baker said the association agreed to remove the trucks by 5 p.m.