Senate Bill Seeks to End Wind Farm Subsidies

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Sen. Jonathan Wingard filed Senate Bill 239. The bill aims to stop state tax subsidies for wind farms.

The proposed legislation seeks to eliminate the zero-emission subsidy for wind production after the 2025 tax year, potentially saving taxpayers up to $16 million annually.

Oklahoma spends several hundred million taxpayer dollars each year subsidizing fossil-fuel based energies, totaling billions over the same period of time that wind tax credits have existed.

“Oklahoma taxpayers have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies for wind farms across the state, and it’s beyond time to end this costly practice,” Wingard said. “While new wind projects no longer qualify for these credits, existing operations continue to receive significant tax breaks even though Oklahoma families don’t benefit from these green-energy initiatives,” he claimed. “It’s become abundantly clear that this money could be put to better use elsewhere.”

The state had previously reduced the zero-emission tax credit when former Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation that eliminated tax breaks for wind facilities operational after July 1, 2017. However, some wind farms were grandfathered in and continue to receive a 10-year tax credit based on the amount of wind energy they generate.