It is responsible for protecting human health and for safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land.

Under Governor Kevin Stitt, Kenneth Wagner is serving as the Secretary of Energy and Environment.

The governing body of the Department is the State Environmental Quality Board, which is composed of thirteen members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate.

The membership of the Board must be composed of the following: All members serve renewable five year terms.

The Department of Environmental Quality, with an annual budget of over $70 million, is one of the larger employers of the State.