“Windmill weary” is the newest catch phrase I have coined, describing a condition where one sits through many presentations about future plans for windmill farms in Southeast Oklahoma. This was the thought going through my mind as I sat through yet another presentation about a proposed farm. Bear in mind that even industry experts might agree that each proposed windmill farm has about a 20% chance of becoming a producing farm.
An interesting note I read was from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack who was quoted in a Farm Journal magazine confirming that these projects are being funded in part through the federal government’s “Inflation Reduction Act.” The federal government is paying 50% of the cost of instillation plus a 40% tax credit, which basically pays for 90% of these projects. This explains why there is one cropping up on every corner.
I made a trip to Shidler, Oklahoma, recently for the grand opening of Project Bantam, which is the largest “direct air capture” of carbon dioxide gases in the United States. Bantam is injecting CO2 into the ground in voids left by oil and natural gas removal. This sounds locally familiar as a couple of years ago a Tulsa company made its way to Latimer County with the intent of leasing “void space” in the Arbuckle formation. Hopefully, this project can move forward as this is a brand new industry.
Hoping everyone has a happy and safe “Labor Day” weekend as it tends to signal the end of summer. I also hope you waited until Aug. 29 to buy your Labor Day weekend groceries, and you noticed the price of most consumables dropped by 4.5% as our elimination of the state grocery tax took effect. I am proud to have played a small role in this historic largest tax cut in Oklahoma’s history.
As always, thank You for allowing me to serve you. I can be reached at (405) 557-7381 or by email at jim.grego@okhouse.gov.
Jim Grego serves District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Latimer County and part and Pittsburg County.