Benge Wants Energy Push

By MICK HINTON

OKLAHOMA CITY — House Speaker Chris Benge wants Oklahoma lawmakers to get to work quickly on major energy legislation so it can be considered next spring.

Given the dynamics at play in the U.S. and the world with extraordinary oil prices, Benge believes this could be a golden opportunity for Oklahoma to shine with alternatives, due to the state’s high potential for wind energy along with an abundant reserve of natural gas.

Rep. Weldon Watson, R-Tulsa, said that wind, a renewable energy, could provide from 10 to 20 percent of the state’s electrical power needs. This could be accomplished in combination with natural gas.

“When the wind isn’t blowing, we could turn on the spigot and use natural gas,” he said.

Rep. Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell, said if Oklahoma is smart with its wind energy development, the excess could be exported to other states, helping Oklahoma’s economy even more.

Benge, R-Tulsa, said that he and state Secretary of Energy David Fleischaker have been alarmed for years by the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, which now comprises about 70 percent of U.S. consumption.

Fleischaker said the state needs to move on several fronts, which include:

Paving the way for transmission lines that will allow Oklahoma to harvest the enormous amount of wind in western Oklahoma and the Panhandle. Last session, the Legislature approved a bill to allow utilities to recover costs from users the expense of building wind energy transmission lines.

Continuing to financially support the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, which has received $14 million of the $40 million it needs from the Legislature to explore alternative sources.

Benge said, “Oklahoma has a real chance to be on the cutting edge of alternative fuel energy policy in our country. We want an all-of-the-above solution when it comes to energy sources, which could include compressed liquefied natural gas, coal, nuclear, geothermal, wind and solar energies.”

Benge said he’s contemplating energy legislation to present to the House early next year, such as:

Providing incentives for getting more compressed natural gas cars on the road, especially by encouraging more fleets of vehicles to be converted, such as Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. has done with the majority of its fleet.

Ramping up a program in the CareerTech system to train technicians so they can work on these cars.

Extending tax credits to help existing filling stations to include a compressed natural gas option.

Sen. Richard Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, a member of the Senate Energy Committee, warned that the Legislature must be careful about granting more tax credits.

Lerblance, an attorney and cattleman who has been active in the natural gas business for years, noted that the Legislature was strapped for money when it drew up the fiscal year 2009 budget, despite what he calls an “energy boom” that has once again come to the state.

“Nobody wants to raise taxes,” he said. “But maybe we will have to tax wind power, or ethanol, switch grass, these other sources of energy.”

“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said.

Mick Hinton (405) 528-2465

mick.hinton@tulsaworld.com

Originally published by MICK HINTON World Capitol Bureau.

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