(Oklahoma City, OK) Oklahoma’s governor has asked the Trump administration to declare the COVID-19 pandemic an “Act of God” in an attempt to protect the state’s oil producers. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Gov. Kevin Stitt said he’s seeking the designation in an effort to protect the state’s oil producers who want to temporarily reduce or cease production “without fear of parties taking advantage of an opportunity to cancel leases as a result of the curtailment of production.”
The Republican said he wants Trump to declare the pandemic a “Force Majeure” for the narrow purpose of protecting producers. Stitt said over-production of oil continues to threaten the economy, and could lead to difficult decisions for producers with no place to store their product and no one to buy it.
It wasn’t clear Monday if the Trump administration planned to adopt Stitt’s recommendation.
