Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin didn’t score any points with the wind industry after delivering her State of the State address on Monday in which she proposed new taxes on wind farms and wind-generated electricity.
Jeff Clark, the President of the Wind Coalition responded by saying the governor’s proposal misses the mark.
“It is a misguided idea that should be forcefully rejected,” said Clark in a statement after the governor’s speech to the joint session of the House and Senate.
He said governor Fallin has long advocated an ‘all of the above energy plan.’ But Clark said her FY-218 budget would close the door on that plan and “send a message to the nation’s investment community that Oklahoma may no longer be open for diverse energy investment.”
“This budget proposal would take money from rural school districts and hand it over to the state legislature for appropriation,” added Clark who said the industry’s $9 billion investment in Oklahoma in the past ten years has resulted in $1 billion in new funding for public education.
“This proposal would raise electricity bills for working people who can least afford to pay higher energy bills and would give a free pass to the electricity produced using imported energy from other states,” charged Clark. “Why would budget writers raise taxes on Oklahoma’s cleaner electricity generators to make them less competitive against electricity generated from imported dirtier fuel sources from other states? That makes no sense.”
He said creating a less competitive energy environment via taxation only hurts consumers while reducing the competitiveness of one of Oklahoma’s viable industries.
“Creating a less competitive energy environment via taxation only hurts consumers while reducing the competitiveness of one of Oklahoma’s most viable industries,” said Clark.
