Barclays Bank Blacklisted
The state that calls itself business-friendly is quickly running out of banks.
State Treasurer Todd Russ added another bank, Barclays, to the list of institutions state agencies can’t use. Just weeks before, Barclays sold $230 million of bonds for the University of Oklahoma.
That’s not why it made the blacklist. Russ determined Barclays violated the 2022 Oklahoma Energy Discrimination Elimination Act, although he did not send a survey to the company regarding its Environmental, Social and Governance policy.
As Paul Monies reported, Oklahoma has followed Texas’ lead on anti-ESG issues. Oklahoma’s law is modeled after one passed in Texas in 2021.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in January forbade Barclays from participating in bond sales after he said it failed to respond to questions about its net zero carbon emissions goals.
Ironically, Barclays has been under pressure from environmental groups for its European investments in the oil and gas industry.
Barclays is the seventh bank to be blacklisted, but enforcement of the law is on hold since an Oklahoma County judge issued an injunction last week as part of a lawsuit brought by a former state employee claiming the law was damaging his pension.
More worth reading:
House Committee Advances Education Rules
A series of party-line votes advanced new rules from the Oklahoma State Department of Education that would tie a school district’s accreditation status to test results, create so-called foundational values for the agency and allow teachers to be fired for engaging in acts that purportedly promote sexuality, among several other proposals. [Oklahoma Voice]
AG Sues Insulin Manufacturers
Insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers have worked together for the last 15 years to artificially inflate the cost of insulin paid by the public in Oklahoma, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond alleges in a lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Cleveland County District Court, alleges that the two groups’ actions regarding insulin pricing violate the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act. [Tulsa World]
AP Investigates Deadly Force
In a rare occurrence, two police officers in Wilson, Oklahoma, were convicted of murder after shocking a man 53 times in 2019 — just under four minutes total of firing the Tasers — even though he never tried to attack either officer. A state investigator said the man was naked in a ditch and shocked numerous times because he apparently didn’t follow orders to roll onto his stomach and put his hands behind his back.” [AP]
Little Sahara State Park in Woods County is more than twice the size of New York City’s Central Park.
Ciao for now,
Ted Streuli
Executive Director, Oklahoma Watch
tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org
