Governor Mary Fallin signed legislation on Monday which will sunset the wind industry tax credits effective July 1, 2017. House Bill 2298, authored by Speaker Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz passed on the Senate floor by a vote of 40-3 last Monday. The controversial bill rose to debate as Democrats argued …
Category: Wind Energy
Speaker Awaits Governor’s Action on Early-End to Wind Tax Credits
Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall has good reason to be slightly anxious about the bill passed by the Senate in recent days and sent to Gov. Mary Fallin. He is the author of House Bill 2298, the one that ends income tax credits for wind production more than three years ago. At an end-of-the week …
Wind Farm Bills Passed in Oklahoma Senate and House
Two bills related to the wind industry won approval this week in the Oklahoma Senate and House. House Bill 2298, the one targeting the zero-emission tax credit for wind farms was passed on a 40-3 vote in the Senate and sent to the governor. It moves up the qualification date to July 1, 2017, something …
Work Resumes on New Mexico’s Largest Wind Farm
The wind turbines are going up in New Mexico’s largest wind farm. The final phase of construction at the $500 million El Cabo Wind Farm in Torrance County is getting underway and more construction workers are arriving this week. State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn says a jobs report indicated 300 temporary construction jobs were already …
Firm Unloads $400 million in Wind Farms in Oklahoma and other States
Trying to cut its debt, Exelon Corporation, the nation’s largest utility owner is selling nearly half of its interest in a 1,300-megawatt renewable generation portfolio that includes its operations in Oklahoma. John Hancock Life Insurance company is the buyer in the $400 million deal, according to documents on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. …
North Dakota Legislators Back Away from Wind vs. Coal Study
While the Oklahoma legislature’s moving ahead with reducing tax credits for the wind industry, North Dakota state legislators have decided to kill a long-term energy study that pitted the wind-energy industry against the coal industry. The North Dakota State House voted this week against such a study as proposed in the State Senate. Those behind …
Opponents of Wind Tax Credit Rollback Likely to Challenge it in the State Senate
The House Bill calling for a rollback of tax credits for the wind industry is on is way to the State Senate. But it won’t receive unanimous support there, judging by opposition mounted this week in a Senate Committee. Senator Kay Floyd, a Democrat from Oklahoma City argued the roll back will send a bad …
Wind Energy Tax Credit Modification Gets Approval from OK Senate Committee
The Oklahoma State Senate Appropriations Committee voted 34-6 in favor of House Bill 2298 on Wednesday. The House bill modifies the time-period for zero-emission facilities by requiring operation by July 1, 2017 to qualify for tax credits. The current deadline is January 1, 2021. Governor Fallin proposed eliminating the credit to increase revenue during a …
US Senator Opposes Oklahoma Wind Power Sold to Tennessee
The project by Clean Line Energy Partners to carry Oklahoma wind power 700 miles across the state and through Arkansas to Tennessee has run into a big opponent. Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander took to the Senate floor on Wednesday argue against the project, calling wind power “unreliable” and stating it would only raise electric bills …
Moving SW Kansas Wind Power to Indiana—-It’s up to Missouri Regulators
An electrical transmission developer already with a project moving western Oklahoma wind-generated electricity to Tennessee is asking Missouri regulators to approve a similar kind of transmission line stretching from southwest Kansas to Indiana. Clean Line Energy Partners LP wants to build a $2.8 billion line delivering Kansas wind energy to the East. The request comes …
