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Governor Signs Bill Allowing Nitrogen Gas Executions

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A bill giving Oklahoma another option for executions is signed into law.

Gov. Mary Fallin signed House Bill 1879 today. It allows the state to execute prisoners through nitrogen hypoxia if lethal injection is ruled unconstitutional or becomes unavailable.

The execution would be performed by placing a mask over the prisoner's face or a bag over the prisoner's head and administering nitrogen gas until he or she loses consciousness and dies from a lack of oxygen.

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing Oklahoma’s protocol, which involves the controversial sedative midazolam. The state began using it after pentobarbital, a federally approved sedative, became nearly impossible to obtain.

The new law also says the electric chair and firing squad are the state’s third and fourth alternatives.

HB1879 had overwhelming support in the legislature. It had 10 votes against it in the House and passed unanimously in the Senate.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.