🏡 DEMAND TRANSPARENCY FOR PSO/AEP’S “SPECIAL EXCEPTION” IN OOLOGAH (CASE #588)

Who Should Sign This Petition

Residents of Oologah and Rogers County are strongly encouraged to sign, as this issue directly affects our community, our land, our safety, and local zoning decisions.

However, this petition is also open to all Oklahoma residents, especially PSO/AEP customers statewide, as well as individuals from other areas who believe in transparent public processes, responsible utility development, and proper community notification.

While local signatures carry the greatest weight for county consideration, broader public support demonstrates that people across the region and nation are increasingly concerned about the rapid expansion of industrial-scale utility infrastructure being approved with limited transparency and minimal public input.

Your signature, local or not, helps send a message that communities deserve honesty, clarity, and a fair opportunity to understand what is being proposed in their own backyards.

~~~~~~~~~~~

📣 We, the residents of Oologah and Rogers County, demand transparency and a fair process before any approval of PSO/AEP's Case #588.
Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), a subsidiary of AEP, has filed for a "Special Exception for Public Utilities Structures" in an agricultural zoning district near Oologah.

Yet the official notice fails to explain what these structures are, how large they are, or what impact they could have on nearby homes, land, and the community as a whole.

📅 Hearing Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025

🏛️ Location: Rogers County Courthouse, Commissioners Meeting Room – 5:30 PM
_____________________________________

Here's what we know

• The mailed notice is dated October 30, 2025, yet no one in the community appeared aware of the project until Thursday, November 6, 2025, around 3 PM, when the issue was first posted publicly online by a concerned resident

• That post received only six reactions, two of which were dismissive, suggesting that just a small handful of residents saw it initially, and virtually no one shared or amplified it. This indicates that public awareness was still extremely limited even after the first mention appeared online.

• Only a few property owners within 300 feet of the site likely were mailed notices, leaving the rest of the Oologah community uninformed.

• Public notice signs were placed too far back from the roadway or angled away from on-coming traffic, with one sign located on the old, little-traveled Highway 169 instead of the newer, heavily used route. Their placement made them effectively unreadable to passing drivers and undetectable to most residents.

• The County has confirmed it could take one to two weeks for the whole process, and requires approval from the District Attorney, to release any or all of the application materials, meaning residents might not have access to the documents until after the November 18 hearing.

(NOTE: These records should be immediately available to the public for viewing upon request under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. However, Rogers County's Planning Commission and County Clerk offices have stated that the release of these records must first be reviewed and approved by the District Attorney to determine whether they are public. The law allows only a reasonable amount of time for such requests, yet this delay has effectively prevented the public from reviewing materials prior to the scheduled hearing.) In January 2025, a prior proposal to rezone nearby land for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) was withdrawn after public opposition. The Oologah mayor later confirmed that the company continued searching the local area for another potential BESS site.

• Oklahoma's new law, SB 998 (May 2025), which widely acknowledged was unsigned by the Governor, allows utilities to recover construction costs from ratepayers before projects are completed, meaning that they can begin recovering costs by the time they break ground.

o OCC (Oklahoma Corporation Commission) leaders have publicly warned that the law may be illegal or unconstitutional, stating it "usurps the Commission's constitutional duty.", which means this new law (SB 998) takes away or interferes with powers that the Oklahoma Constitution gives to the OCC, and instead hands them to the legislature or utilities.

o PSO has filed an OCC case (PUD 2025-000064) seeking pre-approval and cost recovery under SB 998.

o SB 998's provisions are now under constitutional challenge and may face court review. If ultimately struck down, future projects could lose these benefits, but existing approvals would likely remain protected and allowing active and continued recovery of costs, creating pressure for rapid approvals before any ruling.
_____________________________________

Why this matters

Residents have had fewer than two weeks to learn about, verify (and we still don't have accurate and factual information as of the date of this petition), and respond to a major land-use request that could have lasting environmental and financial implications.

With limited notice, inaccessible records, and an accelerating corporate timeline, our community has been effectively shut out of the process meant to protect public interests.
_____________________________________

We ask the Rogers County Board of Adjustment to:

1️⃣ Postpone Case #588 until all application materials, site plans, and staff reports are made public.

2️⃣ Require that public notice signs be adjusted to be clearly visible and legible from major roadways.

3️⃣ Provide a community information meeting before rescheduling the hearing.

4️⃣ Ensure that no approvals proceed until residents have been given adequate time and access to understand the proposal.
_____________________________________

Broader context

SB 998's early cost-recovery framework has already been called unconstitutional by OCC commissioners. If the law is overturned, future projects could lose its benefits, but projects approved now would likely remain grandfathered in.

This creates a strong incentive for utilities to push projects forward quickly while the law still stands, underscoring why "Oologah's citizens must insist on full transparency before any decision is made".
_____________________________________

Our community's stand

Transparency is not optional, it's a citizen's right.

Oologah's residents value responsible progress and innovation, but we believe those decisions must be made openly and transparently. We simply ask that decision-makers uphold the same fairness and honesty expected of every citizen.
________________________________

How you can help

• Sign this petition to support postponement and full disclosure. (Note: Anonymous may not count as a signature)

• Share any official documents or correspondence (not speculation), including your personal letters, as soon as possible, and by email to StopIndustrialStorage@gmail.com.

• Attend the hearing: November 18 at 5:30 PM, Rogers County Courthouse.

• Encourage your neighbors who did not receive notice to add their names and comments.
_____________________________________

🕊️ "We're not against progress — we're for transparency."

📧 Contact: StopIndustrialStorage@gmail.com