Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

Looks like Oklahoma lawmakers looked at giant solar companies getting tax exemptions and collectively said, “Yeah, about that.” Senate Bill 237, authored by Chuck Hall and Mike Dobrinski, is now headed to Governor Kevin Stitt’s desk after passing the Oklahoma Senate Thursday. The measure would eliminate the state’s five-year manufacturer ad valorem tax exemption for solar generation and battery storage facilities beginning Jan. 5, 2028. Lawmakers argued the move simply brings solar projects in line with previous decisions that removed similar exemptions for wind farms and data centers. Sounds like the Legislature’s new favorite renewable resource is taxable revenue.

Hall said many Oklahoma homeowners are tired of footing the bill while large out-of-state corporations enjoy special tax breaks. He argued solar companies should come to Oklahoma because of the state’s natural resources and business-friendly climate, not because taxpayers are helping finance somebody else’s “green energy empire.” Dobrinski echoed the sentiment, saying energy projects should succeed based on market demand and return on investment, not government incentives. If signed into law, the bill would take effect Nov. 1, meaning solar developers may soon discover the Oklahoma sun is still free, but the tax exemptions are not.