Benge says he believes Oklahoma has a golden opportunity 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.
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 help pave 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.
Fleischaker also said Oklahoma should continue 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 he's also interested in encouraging more company fleets to convert to compressed natural gas and ramping up a program in the CareerTech system to train technicians to work on these cars.
"Oklahoma has a real chance to be on the cutting edge of alternative fuel energy policy in our country," Benge said. "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."
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."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
