Lawmakers Approve Drought Relief for Farmers, Ranchers

Sep 30, 2022

The Oklahoma Legislature has appropriated $20 million to aid the agriculture industry across the state during the ongoing drought.

House Bill 1006XX designates $20 million to the Emergency Drought Relief Fund from any monies not otherwise appropriated from the General Revenue Fund of the State Treasury. During the regular session in the spring, lawmakers also approved House Bill 2959 to designate $3 million for the fund.

The fund was created in 2013 to provide funding for emergency drought relief activities once a drought emergency has been declared. Funds must be expended solely on efforts to relieve drought conditions.

Earlier this month, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an emergency drought declaration to reactivate the emergency drought commission, which will determine how legislative appropriations are used. The commission is comprised of members from the state’s agriculture, water resources and conservation agencies.

HB1006XX was presented on the House floor Thursday morning by Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee.

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Video: Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard

On Friday, April 24, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:

“Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard”

The Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or advanced biofuels. Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS is implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This webinar provides an overview of the legal authority and structure for the RFS program and explain how it works, including the program’s system of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and categories of renewable fuels. Additionally, this webinar addresses EPA annual volume requirement rulemaking and associated recent legal issues.