Ponca City Rep. Ken Luttrell called it “probably the most important economic development plan for the future of Oklahoma that we’ll see this year.”
He referred to SB269 during a recent hearing of the House Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Committee in which he encouraged approval. It came on a 13-1 vote.
The bill focuses on carbon sequestration efforts in the state which has been opposed in some circles. But not by Rep. Luttrell.
“These companies, they want to come to Oklahoma, do business with Oklahoma and they want it to be regulated in Oklahoma, not by the federal government,” explained the Republican legislator.
He said the bill provides protection for landowners and a cleanup fund as well. Luttrell repeated that the companies want to be regulated by the state and not by the federal government.
“These companies are willing to come here and invest millions and millions of dollars, put that money into our economy without asking for one dime of tax rebate, credits or incentives to comete here to the state of Oklahoma and do this,” he stated in trying to persuade committee members to support his legislation.
Following the overwhelming approval, Luttrell said it would probably be 3 years before some of the first carbon sequestration operators ome to the state.
“Be proud of what you’ve done for the state of Oklahoma. Thank you for your foresight,” he added.
Luttrell’s energy-producing House district, which includes parts of Kay and Osage counties, has oil and natural gas exploration and development, wind and coal power generation and Oklahoma’s largest refinery, the Phillips 66 refinery in Ponca City.
Two years ago, Rep. Luttrell was chosen to be vice chairman of CLEER, the Center for Legislative Energy and Environmental Research.
The bill is co-authored in the Senate by Tulsa Sen. Dave Rader. It already was approved by the Senate despite some opponents who argued it was “selling out for money.”
One opponent was Sen. Randy Grellener who expressed fears that the underground storage of CO2 would harm the state’s water supplies.
“I’m upset we don’t know the long-term consequeences of putting this into the ground,” adding he fears there might be contamination of the state’s acquifers.
Some landowners have raised their objections to carbon capture or sequestration efforts. One group identified as the No Federal Transmission Corridors Creek County warned on a social media posting, “Get ready for CO2 death pipelines and sequestration in Oklahoma—unless we can get the House to stop this insanity.”
Another group, Save Oklahoma Farms and Ranches declared on its social media posting that the action by the Senate was the “selling out of Oklahomans for CO2 pipelines and sequestration.”
It called it “money for a few over the people, health or safety of Oklahomans.”
Vote in House Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Committee:
YEAS: 13
Archer Boles Caldwell (T) Chapman
Cornwell Deck Dollens George
Grego Luttrell Patzkowsky Pfeiffer
Pittman
NAYS: 1
West (R)
