Coody Bill Ends State Subsidy To Windmills

  Rep. Jeff Coody was finally allowed to present a bill to end the $74 million dollars, paid for by our sales tax, to out-of-state corporations who have erected windmills for the generation of electricity, which they sell in other states. The final bill now goes to the Senate.
  Several efforts were made by Democrats and Republican crony capitalists. Among the Republicans fighting against Coody & Breecheen's SB888, were Mike Sanders & Leslie Osborn. Osborn's predecessor at the Budget chair, Earl Sears fully supported the Breecheen/Coody bill on the House floor. the measure passed with 51 votes of support.
  Osborn floated the claim that a legally binding contract was written by the state and there will be a lawsuit filed if this bill becomes law.
  Mark McBride, a longtime opponent of the 'cash for windmills' corporate welfare program, said he consulted former Gov. Frank Keating. McBride reported back; "We keep hearing about signed contracts and former Gov. Keating. I called him. There are no contracts, and wind companies are not doing what they said they would for our economy. They're just taking our money.".
 An attempt to table the bill before it could receive a full floor vote was supported by 3 Republicans (Moore, Newton, Sanders, & Park).

Rep. Jeff Coody's district has the largest wind farm in the nation, but he believes they should not be getting $74 million per year in corporate welfare.

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 It is abundantly clear that the Democrats who decried the low taxes to petroleum, are not at all in favor of ending the corporate welfare. Rep Forrest Bennett said that If we want to stabilize our tax base instead of ride a rollercoaster of the oil economy, we need to keep giving millions to wind corporations.   The Democrats simply want the tax credits to go to their benefactors and most reliable voter base.
 Democrats whose districts get absolutely no benefit from wind property tax, are debating passionately, and their next quarterly campaign reports will list the donations that explain the posturing.

​  But Rep Terry O'Donnell said that every windmill now gets a bigger annual govt. check than a first year Oklahoma teacher does.
  Jeff Coody deserves particular praise for his principled support of fiscal conservatism, in that his district has the nation's largest wind farm.  The Districts of Oklahoma which have the most wind operations are;

• 38: John Pfeiffer (R)
• 48: Pat Ownbey (R)
• 51: Brad Boles (R)
• 55: Todd Russ (R)
• 56: David Perryman (D)
• 57: Harold Wright (R)
• 58: Carl Newton (R)
• 59: Mike Sanders (R)
• 61: [vacant]
• ​63: Jeff Coody (R)
• 65: Scooter Park (R)

​  In addition to the Democrats who fought to keep corporate welfare to wind, some Republicans with no wind facilities also argued for the giveaway. Baker, Bush, Cockroft, Hardin, McEachin, Montgomery, Vaughn, & Worthen voted to keep the corporate wind subsidies. Fetgatter, Leslie Osborn were two prominent debaters for corporate welfare.

Wind operations exploded once the Legislature started offering cash to these corporations. When Fallin took office there were 21 farms. Now there are 54.

Rep. John Bennett said; "Follow the money". Pointing out that Democrat candidates are getting huge campaign cash from wind interests.

See Map of Wind Farms