OKLAHOMA CITY – With over three decades of experience working in public office and 40 years in the oil and gas industry, Brian Bingman said he is very qualified to serve as Oklahoma’s next corporation commissioner.

A graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s of business administration in petroleum land management, Bingman worked in the private sector managing properties for oil and gas companies in Tulsa and has served in the Oklahoma House and Senate.

Bingman, a former secretary of state, ran unsuccessfully for the office against incumbent Bob Anthony in 2018. With Anthony terming out after 36 years, Bingman said there’s a need for someone with experience to step in.

“I’ve got the experience and qualifications to step in on day one and be able to contribute,” Bingman said. “I’ve served in the Legislature and in my home community as mayor and on city council. This felt like a kind of culmination of my own background.”

Bingman, of Supulpa, will face Russell Ray and Justin Hornback in the June 18 primary to secure the Republican nomination for corporation commissioner. The winner will face the Democratic and independent candidates in the general election on Nov. 5.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission has faced scrutiny over handling of 2021 winter storm

Oklahoma’s Corporation Commission elections have traditionally attracted little scrutiny despite the fact that the three-person commission regulates various industries from the state’s public utilities to its towing industry.

But the commission has faced scrutiny over its handling of debt securitization following Winter Storm Uri when a nearly 40,000% spike in natural gas prices created more than $4.5 billion in additional energy costs. The Corporation Commission permitted three of the state’s largest public utilities to securitize the debt by adding a monthly surcharge to consumers’ bills that will last for decades.

Subsequent rate hike requests from two of the state’s public utilities — OG&E and PSO — have also generated public scrutiny and frustration.

If elected, Bingman said his priority is “good government.”

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“There’s a lot of efficiencies that I can help to implement to make sure that the agency is functioning to the most efficient level. There’s a lot to learn, too,” Bingman said.

Clark Jolley, former Oklahoma state senator, worked closely with Bingman for eight years while Bingman served pro tem of the Senate and Jolley as the chair of the Appropriations Committee.

“I think if more people were like Brian Bingman we’d have a lot less acrimony and a lot more productivity coming from the government,” Jolley said.

He said Bingman will work hard for Oklahomans.

“They can have faith that he will do what he thinks is right. And what he thinks is just,” Jolley said. “And for the Corporation Commission, that’s exactly what you need, someone who does what’s right and doesn’t succumb to external interests.”

Bingman said he wants to examine if the public utilities are better equipped today than they were in 2021 and what changes have been made since the 2021 winter weather event to protect consumers. He said the situation was “catastrophic,” but argues securitizing the debt saved ratepayers a “bunch of money.”

When it comes to handling requests for utility rate increases, Bingman said his job would be to act as a judge.

“There’s a balancing act between what’s good for them (utilities), what’s good for the consumer, and you just gather whatever evidence is presented in these cases,” he said. “I’m only as good as the information that’s provided to me.”

Bingman has raised over $336,000 from donors that include individuals with close ties to the entities that he’d be tasked with regulating, according to filings on the Oklahoma Ethics Commission website. He said he does not expect this to pose a conflict of interest.

“It’s more a matter of deciding on issues within the industry,” Bingman said. “And so the consumers are not involved in that as much as on the everyday cases.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Brian Bingman running for Oklahoma Corporation Commission