[OKC] FW: House Passes Legislation Setting Alternative Energy Goals for Oklahoma

[Shauna Lawyer Struby]

fyi

 

From: Speaker Media [mailto:Speaker.Media at okhouse.gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 3:07 PM
To: Speaker Media
Subject: House Passes Legislation Setting Alternative Energy Goals for
Oklahoma 

 



 

CONTACT:

Jennifer Monies, Press Secretary

Oklahoma House of Representatives

Office of House Speaker Chris Benge

405-962-7679

 <mailto:jenniferm at okhouse.gov> jenniferm at okhouse.gov

 

House Passes Legislation Setting Alternative Energy Goals for Oklahoma 

 

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 2, 2010) - Legislation seeking to boost Oklahoma's
alternative energy usage, especially locally-produced natural gas and wind,
overwhelmingly passed the House today. 

House Bill 3028, by House Speaker Chris Benge, creates the Oklahoma Energy
Security Act.

The legislation creates a renewable energy standard for Oklahoma, which will
set a goal for the state that aims to best utilize the state's abundant
natural resources. The renewable energy standard will be that 15 percent of
all electricity generated within the state by the year 2015 be generated
from renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, geothermal and energy
conservation efforts. 

"Oklahoma has led the way nationally in alternative energy development, and
this legislation will help ensure we continue to do so as we seek to reduce
our country's dependence on dangerous foreign oil," said Benge, R-Tulsa.
"This goal will help expand alternative energy development and usage in
Oklahoma, all while also serving as an economic development tool for our
state."

About 35 states have some form of renewable portfolio standard. Arkansas is
the only neighboring state without one. 

The legislation would not serve as a mandate, but instead will set a goal
for Oklahoma energy companies to meet. 

The bill also creates a natural gas energy standard that will help promote
natural gas energy development in Oklahoma to complement renewable energy
sources like wind. 

Additionally, the bill also seeks to promote wind-energy development in
Oklahoma by increasing the capability of transmitting the electricity
generated by wind across the state through improved transmission capability.


The bill calls for the state to work with the Corporation Commission and the
Southwest Power Pool to develop plans to expand transmission capacity in
Oklahoma. 

Finally, the bill works to increase the number of compressed natural gas
fueling stations in the state by setting a goal of having one public CNG
fueling station located approximately every 100 miles along the entire
interstate highway system in the state by the year 2015. That goal will
increase to at least one CNG station approximately every 50 miles by the
year 2025. 

"We will continue to push officials in Washington to take note of our
progressive reforms with the hope of influencing federal energy policy,"
said Benge. "Our country's energy security is intricately tied to our
economic and national security. It is vital we continue to push this issue
both at the local and federal level to further reduce our dependence on OPEC
oil."

The bill passed the House with a vote of 91-3 and now moves to the Senate
for consideration. 

 

-30-

 

NOTICE: The information in this email is confidential, legally 
privileged, and exempt from disclosure under law. It is intended 
solely for the addressee. Access to this email by anyone else is 
unauthorized. If you are not the intended recipient, any 
disclosure, 
copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken 
in 
reliance on it, is prohibited and unlawful. 
 
The Oklahoma House of Reps does not warrant any e-mail 
transmission received as being virus free, and disclaims any 
liability 
for losses or damages arising from the use of this e-mail or its 
attachments. Recipients of e-mail assume the risk of possible 
computer 
virus exposure by opening or utilizing the e-mail and its 
attachments, 
and waive any right or recourse against the House by doing so. 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sustainableokc.org/pipermail/okc-sustainableokc.org/attachments/20100302/c00af48d/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/gif
Size: 4163 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.sustainableokc.org/pipermail/okc-sustainableokc.org/attachments/20100302/c00af48d/attachment.gif>