At the heart of a fight against Oklahoma’s two year old law enacted to protect the oil and gas industry from discrimination by financial firms, is a recently-released study which contends the law is harming rural Oklahoma.
It was used in the lawsuit that led last week to an Oklahoma County Judge’s ruling that suspended the State Treasurer’s enforcement of the Oklahoma Energy Discrimination Elimination Act. The study, “Unintended Consequences of the Energy
Discrimination Elimination Act in Oklahoma” was researched by Dr. Travis Roach of the Department of Economics at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Dr. Roach concluded the enforcement of the Act has led to additional costs for municipalities because borrowing costs are higher and the cost statewide is estimated at $185 million. He further charged that because of the higher costs, it has led to delays or abandonment of projects.
Roach recently was featured on “The Hot Seat” with Scott Mitchell.
