{"id":27502,"date":"2016-10-20T10:47:08","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T15:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=27502"},"modified":"2016-10-21T11:55:22","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T16:55:22","slug":"the-legal-complications-of-oklahomas-state-question-to-constutionally-protect-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2016\/10\/20\/the-legal-complications-of-oklahomas-state-question-to-constutionally-protect-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"The Legal Complications of Oklahoma\u2019s State Question to Constitutionally Protect Farming"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_27509\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 619px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"Goats on a farm near Covington, Okla.\" href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20161007-patricia-rink-pics105_WEB.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27509\" alt=\"Goats on a farm near Covington, Okla.\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20161007-patricia-rink-pics105_WEB.jpg\" width=\"619\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20161007-patricia-rink-pics105_WEB.jpg 619w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20161007-patricia-rink-pics105_WEB-500x334.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20161007-patricia-rink-pics105_WEB-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20161007-patricia-rink-pics105_WEB-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 619px) 100vw, 619px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Joe Wertz \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Goats on a farm near Covington, Okla.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>State Question 777 would create a constitutional right to farm and ranch in Oklahoma, giving the agriculture industry unique protection from the state legislature. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.ok.gov\/gov\/questions.aspx\">ballot question<\/a> concerns livestock and crops, but legal experts say the statewide measure will likely come down to lawsuits and courts.<\/p><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/289160742&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=false\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><!--more-->In the weeks leading up to the November election, officials in cities and towns <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oml.org\/right-to-farm\">across the state<\/a> have urged Oklahomans to vote no on SQ 777.<\/p><p>The Oklahoma City Council in September voted 6 to 2 to <a href=\"http:\/\/kgou.org\/post\/oklahoma-city-council-issues-resolution-formally-opposing-state-question-777-right-farm\">approve a resolution<\/a> formally opposing the state question. A few weeks later, it was Tulsa\u2019s turn to weigh in on the state question.<\/p><p>The Tulsa city council resolution didn\u2019t explicitly urge Oklahomans to vote \u2018no\u2019 on SQ 777, but leaders <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tulsaworld.com\/news\/elections\/council-urges-voters-to-be-discerning-of-right-to-farm\/article_4c4e63aa-17d1-593a-baa2-43d2c2d19177.html\">voted 7 to 1 <\/a>urge residents to \u201ccarefully consider the potential adverse effects\u201d a \u2018yes\u2019 vote might have on the city.<\/p><p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen there are some unintended consequences that are particularly concerning for a municipality,\u201d Tulsa City Councilor Anna America said during the Oct. 12 vote. \u201cWe\u2019ve got agricultural-zoned land all across the city, spotted through neighborhoods, through retail areas. That might make us vulnerable to that being used in ways that we as city leaders and citizens didn\u2019t intend.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Uncommon amendment<\/h3><p>Oklahoma State University agricultural law professor Shannon Ferrell says local government leaders worry if SQ 777 passes it will challenge a system that grants cities the authority to regulate local land use and enact ordinances to oversee things like water, noise and dust.<\/p><p>SQ 777 would amend Oklahoma\u2019s constitution to prevent the state Legislature from enacting laws that limit agricultural technology, livestock production or ranching practices, unless there\u2019s a compelling state interest.<\/p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s kind of uncommon that you have a right like this defined in a constitution,\u201d Ferrell says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_27508\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"University of Oklahoma law professor Melissa Mortazavi.\" href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20160929-melissa-mortazavi-pics026_WEB.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27508\" alt=\"University of Oklahoma law professor Melissa Mortazavi.\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20160929-melissa-mortazavi-pics026_WEB.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20160929-melissa-mortazavi-pics026_WEB.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20160929-melissa-mortazavi-pics026_WEB-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20160929-melissa-mortazavi-pics026_WEB-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2016\/10\/20160929-melissa-mortazavi-pics026_WEB-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Joe Wertz \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">University of Oklahoma law professor Melissa Mortazavi.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>Concerns about local zoning ordinances aren\u2019t the only legal questions that could be raised if voters approve SQ 777. Ferrell and other legal experts say the amendment might one day lead to gaps between state and federal rules, jeopardizing programs the federal government grants Oklahoma authority to oversee. Legal experts also say the state question\u2019s broad language will likely lead to lawsuits and clarification from the courts.<\/p><p>\u201cWe really don\u2019t have enough case law from other states to see how this sort of constitutional amendment\u2019s been interpreted by other states,\u201d Ferrell says.<\/p><p>That\u2019s because right-to-farm is so new. Only two other states \u2014 Missouri and North Dakota \u2014 have adopted similar pro-agriculture constitutional amendments, and both states passed the measure in the last few years.<\/p><p>Opponents urging a \u2018no\u2019 vote say the amendment will pave the way for environmental problems like water pollution, but Ferrell says water and public health and safety are a compelling state interest. Even if voters approve SQ 777, Ferrell thinks courts will likely preserve the state\u2019s ability to pass laws protecting broad environmental concerns.<\/p><p>\u201cThe Legislature can still enact regulations and statutory restrictions, but it now has an additional burden of proof,\u201d Ferrell says.<\/p>\n<h3>Unequal incentives?<\/h3><p>University of Oklahoma law professor Melissa Mortazavi sees bigger problems lurking in the specific language of SQ 777.<\/p><p>\u201cThis is about incentivizing and protecting a certain type of farming,\u201d she says.<\/p><p>Mortazavi says large farm operations and corporate food-production companies stand to gain the most from an amendment that guards agriculture technology.<\/p><p>\u201cThat\u2019s not going to be garden-variety farmers,\u201d Mortazavi says. \u201cThey don\u2019t own genetic rights to the seed that they plant.\u201d<\/p><p>If Mortazavi is right about SQ 777, it could take a while before the effects are felt in Oklahoma. In the two states that already have a right-to-farm amendment, there haven\u2019t been any major problems or court battles \u2014 yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>State Question 777 would create a constitutional right to farm and ranch in Oklahoma, giving the agriculture industry unique protection from the state legislature. The ballot question concerns livestock and crops, but legal experts say the statewide measure will likely come down to lawsuits and courts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":27509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[491],"tags":[678,637,677],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27502"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27502"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27515,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27502\/revisions\/27515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}