Interesting News That Needs Reading Today

Oklahoma Voice gets the prize for having the most interesting reads in one place this week.

When I opened the email today I was pretty surprised at the topics they’d covered.

Panasonic to delay production at Kansas battery plant as electric car sales decline, policies shift – Oklahoma had tried to land this plant, offering nearly $700M in incentives.

Why is this important? Because of the tag line – Oklahoma was going to offer SEVEN HUNDRED MILLION of YOUR tax dollars to get the plant here. Fortunately, everyone and their dog in Topeka, Kansas, offered more taxpayer dollars than Oklahoma and the plant went to Topeka.

As so many of us fighting the ‘green agenda’ have said – most of these deals are done via non-disclosure-agreements (NDA’s) that leave neighbors of the plant/project/etc. almost completely in the dark as to what has been promised to the plant/project/etc., though the neighbors (i.e. tax payers) are paying for it and will have to live with it as part of the “people in their neighborhood“.

Here we have a plant that was ready to go, but then had to scale back because people are deciding to scale back on EV purchases and because President Trump has put the kibosh on EV subsidies through the Big Beautiful Bill. The plant has already spent taxpayer dollars to get up and running. What’s going to happen to the rest of Panasonic’s community promises of jobs, etc. with the scaleback?

This is just one of the many reasons why OKLAHOMA should NOT be pumping taxpayer dollars into private businesses – in so many cases, taxpayers aren’t getting what they paid for. But who cares, right? It’s not the Governor’s money, or the Commerce Department’s money…

Oklahoma parents, faith leaders drop lawsuit over Catholic charter school

There’s no reason to sue when the Supreme Court has said that taxpayer funds can’t fund religious education.

“The plaintiffs and their legal counsel — who include attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation — declared victory while dropping their case”. The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Advocacy Coalition was also involved.

Sadly, these are all left-of-center organizations that hate Christians and religion. I’m a conservative Christian, so they don’t represent me – other than my viewpoint that the state should not fund religious schools. Here’s why:

My God is a jealous God and if I had autonomy over my purse I would not ever financially support another religion. It’s America. You do your own religion. But don’t do it on my dime. When the government takes my money by force and gives it to a church outside the sphere of my religious belief, I’ve funded a religion whether I meant to or not. I vote. The government is of the people, by the people, for the people. How I can say I have absolutely no say against that is mind-blowing.
The government controls what it funds. During COVID, lots of churches closed down because their state told them to. People quit going to church because they were simply told, “you can’t” and lots of people listened. I do not want my government controlling religious institutions of any kind. Churches are to be the pillar of the state. They can’t be that when the government tells them “you can’t”. Churches should make the state accountable to the people and to God. They can’t if the government tells them, “you can’t”.
It is against the Oklahoma State Constitution to use tax dollars to subsidize religious schools. How did a bunch of attorneys decide that the highest land in the nation can just change Oklahoma’s Constitution and not its people. Who knows? Maybe Oklahomans would decide to change the state Constitution to allow that, but we wouldn’t have known because Oklahoma school choice pushers – Governor Stitt, etc. – wanted to remove The People from the government by making an end-around to the Supreme Court. Nope.

So, obviously, I’m thankful the Supreme Court deadlocked and the School Choice pushers were thwarted.

Former Oklahoma agency head prohibited from working for state, under settlement agreement

Well, the Ethics Commission actually did their job and slapped Shelley Zumwalt on the wrist.

In a story that personifies – for me – the absolute horror show that is the Oklahoma government revolving door of agency heads making the round of government agencies (Stitt appointed Zumwalt to three positions: the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation, Secretary of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage – a Cabinet secretary position), Zumwalt was fined $20,000 by the State Ethics Commission and told she can’t work for the state FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. Just enough time for Governor Stitt to be removed from office by term limits (thankfully) so that he can’t appoint her to anything else.

As the head of the OESC, Zumwalt created contracts with a business run – in part – by her husband. But don’t worry, neither she nor her husband benefitted, according to Zumwald and the Ethics Commission.

About this situation, AG Drummond said, in April of 2024: “This level of self-dealing represents an unforgivable breach of trust that disqualifies Ms. Zumwalt from overseeing the expenditure of our tax dollars,” Drummond said. “She should resign immediately and cooperate fully with my office as I seek to determine whether any Oklahoma statutes were violated.”

But, never fear, our intrepid AG will not now investigate Ms. Zumwalt because he’s satisfied – after the Ethics Commission ruling – that no crimes were committed here. Come on. Seriously? State Auditor Cindy Byrd’s office found that she violated the rules on conflict of interest by issuing contracts to a company of which her husband was vice-president.

So, breaking the rules isn’t committing a crime? Rules put in place to protect taxpayers from contract-fixing? Why have rules then? What are those supposed to do exactly? Provide a typist somewhere something to do entering it into a database? Again. Slap on the wrist. Yawn. Sigh. Who cares? It’s just taxpayer money…

State board calls for investigative audit of Epic Charter School – Mismanaged budget resulted in mass layoffs at Epic, state officials say

Why has somebody at the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board not created an agenda item for closing Epic Charter Schools? My word. This school has been mismanaged from the word “go” and cost taxpayers MILLIIONS and MILLIONS of dollars. Why does this keep happening? Why is the OSCSB LETTING it happen?

First there was State Auditor Cindy Byrd’s scathing audit of Epic which showed that, “since 2015, Epic was allocated $458 million in tax dollars, with $125.2 million funneled to a private company owned by Ben Harris and David Chaney, according to the audit“, though AG Drummond has declined to prosecute the men since taking the case over in 2023. Now, there are massive layoffs and a $30 million shortfall.

Cindy Byrd’s office performed the original audit. Now, Chair Bryan Shellem and the OSCSB have decided to hire an outside auditor to examine the school’s books. This is concerning. The ‘right’ auditor has to be found. So many state agencies and governments use auditors to obtain generalized information that doesn’t provide meaningful results to taxpayers. It will be interesting to follow this story to find out how EPIC will be audited now – and by whom.

FAMILY ORIENTED INFORMATION –

Porn and marijuana are hurting our boys. Parents and schools need to speak up.

“They smoke to relax. They watch to escape. They become lethargic, less motivated, more isolated. Not because they don’t care; but because they’re chemically rewarded for not caring.”

This is a HUGE and IMPORTANT statement. In point of fact, every dad (and mom) needs to read this OpEd in the Daily Oklahoman today and ACT ON IT. Young men in our society are being turned into zombies and we’re effectively letting this happen. Unfortunately, too many parents don’t care as much as this letter-writer. Please read this short editorial and take it to heart.

2025 Homeschool Curriculum Picks and Practical Planning Tips – Aby Rinella and Yvette Hampton

We’ve had Yvette on the show before. She and her husband produced the movie, “Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution“, a documentary about the rise and possibilities of homeschooling.

Yvette – and Aby Rinella – just released this list of homeschool curriculum picks and planning tips! JUST IN TIME FOR YOU TO DECIDE TO HOMESCHOOL INSTEAD OF GOING BACK TO YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOL!

Check these out and opt for staying home with your kids. It was the best thing I EVER did and I wouldn’t take it back for all the money in the world. In fact, the only downside I EVER found to having my kids with me 24/7 was that when they finally grew up and flew out of the nest, it was just SO LONELY. Having them around was just the best! I recommend it HIGHLY.

July 15, 2025 0

Oklahomans Denied Substantive Tax Relief While Providing “New” Private Defense Contractor Kratos $1,728,394.00 In Subsidies From 2019

Today, a press release from Senators Kristin Thompson and Todd Golihare, “Thompson, Gollihare Applaud New Kratos Facility in Bristow; Senators Highlight Major Aerospace Investment and Job Creation in Rural Oklahoma” was sent to Oklahomans. Since it was not posted to the Senate media page, I’ve copied and pasted the message from my inbox below.

Thompson, Gollihare Applaud New Kratos Facility in Bristow
Senators Highlight Major Aerospace Investment and Job Creation in Rural Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Economic Development, Workforce, and Tourism Chair Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, and Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, today celebrated the announcement of a new Kratos Defense & Security Solutions facility coming to Bristow. The advanced manufacturing site will produce tactical jet engines for U.S. defense systems and is expected to bring dozens of high-quality jobs to Creek County and surrounding areas.

“This is a major win for Oklahoma,” said Thompson. “We’ve made targeted investments in research, development, and workforce to attract exactly this kind of advanced industry. The Bristow facility strengthens our national security footprint while delivering real economic opportunity to our communities.”

As Co-Chair of the Senate’s LEAD Committee (Legislative Evaluation and Development), Thompson has championed policies that support high-tech growth sectors like aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing — aligning long-term economic planning with real-world job creation.The 50,000 square-foot facility — expandable to 100,000 square feet — will house up to five production lines for Kratos’ GEK-series engines and include on-site test cells funded in part through state incentive programs. Kratos plans to begin hiring in late 2025 with full operations expected by the end of 2026.

Senator Gollihare, whose district includes the Bristow area, emphasized the regional impact:

“This is a big win — not just for Bristow, but for our region, for the state, and for the country,” Gollihare said. “We’re talking about high-quality jobs and cutting-edge manufacturing right here in rural Oklahoma, supporting our local economy and strengthening America’s defense capabilities. I’m proud to support projects that deliver for our communities and for the nation.”

The announcement was made at the Paris Air Show, where Oklahoma aerospace officials joined Kratos executives to highlight the state’s growing role in defense manufacturing. For more information, contact: Senator Kristen Thompson (405) 521-5592 or kristen.thompson@oksenate.gov

Since my reporting on Canoo and it’s detrimental effects on Oklahoma, I’ve been concerned about the use of Oklahoman’s tax dollars as business ‘incentives’. Consequently, I did some basic research on Kratos.

Kratos is an enormous, publicly-traded, investor-owned, company headquartered in San Diego, California, devoted to six areas of defense contracting; C51SR Systems, Defense and Rocket Support Systems, Microwave Electronics, Space, Training and Cybersecurity, Turbine Technologies and Unmanned Systems. It has international offices in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the UK and trades in the $40/share range. It also has offices in the US in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, Virginia – and now (?) Oklahoma.

Just this year (January), the Pentagon award[ed] Kratos a megadeal worth nearly $1.5B for a new hypersonic testbed. Kratos’ press release announcing the ‘award’ said, “Kratos is honored to receive the largest contract award in our company’s history, a testament of the value Kratos’ employees and team bring both to our Company and United States National Security,” Eric DeMarco, president and CEO of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, said in a statement. “This programmatic milestone underscores our unwavering commitment to making upfront investments for rapidly developing, and being first to market with affordable, mission-critical solutions that meet the evolving needs of the warfighter.”

Unfortunately, a few things cropped up in my research. Let’s start with this: though the good Senators use the wording, “celebrated the announcement of a new Kratos Defense & Security Solutions facility coming to Bristow“, Oklahoma has been doling out tax dollars to Kratos since 2019 to the tune of $1,728,394. Here are the credits in chronological order:

If Kratos is a NEW business in Oklahoma, why are there tax credits go back to 2019? Why was there no mention of them previously having had an office/manufacturing plant in Oklahoma before – either in the Senators’ press release or on Kratos’ website?

Here’s another issue. Kratos works out of locations in 10 other states. Not one single state – excepting Maryland ($126,414) – has given Kratos any kind of tax break at all according to the Subsidy Tracker website.

Kratos was the recipient of a $689,876 federal grant in 2019 tagged to their facility in Colorado, however, for, “SOUTHERN RESEARCH INSTITUTE LIFE MODELLING OF CRITICAL STEAM CYCLE COMPONENTS IN COAL-FUELED POWER PLANTS”.

According to Google Maps, this is the building currently housing Kratos in Bristow:

Exterior view of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions facility located in Bristow, Oklahoma.

This building is also the site of Consolidated Turbine Specialists LLC.

A Google Maps screenshot featuring the location of Consolidated Turbine Specialists, LLC in Bristow, Oklahoma, showing the building and surrounding area.

According to a Bristow News article published Wednesday, March 17, 2021, “In 2019, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a California based company, purchased the parent company of Consolidated Turbine Specialists, aka CTS, which was originally founded in 2012.”

Interestingly, Consolidated Turbine Specialists LLC was given ‘grants‘ – Quality Job Incentive Payments – from 2019-2022 in the amount of $345,432, during the same time period Kratos was ALSO receiving Quality Job Incentive Payments from Oklahoma. While the Kratos ‘grants’ during that time period were given for “unmanned arial systems”, no specific category is listed for the Consolidated Turbine Specialists’ ‘grants’.

A table displaying subsidy records for Consolidated Turbine Specialists LLC, detailing locations, subsidy sources, years, values, and types of subsidies received in Oklahoma from 2019 to 2022.

These businesses have been sharing the same space from 2019 and until – according to Kratos’ press release – the new building can be built in Bristow. Whether or not the ‘grants’ were for different reasons, this looks a whole lot like double-dipping. If Consolidated was merged with Kratos in 2019 – then, according to the idea of a merger – these two entities became one entity. Why would Oklahomans give double Quality Jobs ‘grants’ to one company?

But that’s not the only issue. Why are we – under a REPUBLICAN governor and a REPUBLICAN legislature – superseding the FREE MARKET by giving out so much money in SUBSIDIES?

Many of Oklahoma’s elected officials commented on Kratos’ announcement, but Governor Stitt was in Paris for the Paris Air Show when the announcement was made. He said, “This is a big win for American workers, for our military, and for every Oklahoman who believes in freedom, innovation, and strength. Kratos could’ve gone anywhere in the world, but they choose to continue investing in Oklahoma because it is the best place to build, grow, and do business. Oklahoma is proud to be a hub for national defense that is leading the way in rebuilding America’s industrial base and powering the technologies that keep our country safe.”

I wonder if Kratos didn’t go anywhere else in the world because Oklahomans have given a publicly-traded company with a billion and a half dollar contract with the federal government (also our tax dollars) over a million dollars ALREADY to do business in our state?

The President and CEO of Kratos said, “Kratos is truly honored to expand our presence in Oklahoma with this new, state-of-the-art propulsion production facility in Bristow. This new Kratos investment reflects our continued commitment to delivering high-performance, affordable jet engine technology to support the Department of Defense and our allies and answers the rising demand for propulsion systems for cruise missiles and CCA-type aircraft, while being targeted and optimized for cost reduction. The Bristow facility will play a critical role in accelerating production of the GEK family of engines, including the GEK800, and strengthening America’s industrial base in this decisive era. We thank Governor Stitt and the State of Oklahoma for their partnership in helping us build the future of high-performance propulsion right here in the heartland.”

So, if that’s the case, and they are CONTINUING to produce jet engines and nothing was said about unmanned arial systems having been a course of manufacture in Oklahoma, that the double-dipping theory might hold some water? Yes, it could also be that the CEO of a HUGE investor-held corporation with multi-billion dollars in contracts is very untethered to the day-to-day business of all their companies, but then, why is he CEO?

At the bottom of the Kratos press release is a required statement from the SEC about the fact that, since this is a publicly traded corporation which is telegraphing doing business in a way they can’t be certain of, investors must consider the statement “forward looking”. In other words, don’t make a stock purchase solely based on this announcement because Kratos might not be able to undertake the actions they’ve described. Seriously. Think on this.

Yes, Bristow may get a brand new Kratos building and yes, they may get new jobs from this business proposal – but then, they might not.

Kratos has to use the term “expected” in terms of their plans, but then they also indicate that Oklahoma will CONTINUE to give them further Oklahoma tax dollars to meet their expectations.

So why wouldn’t investors (like Markwayne Mullin?) want to invest in Kratos? What’s the downside? Oklahoma’s government will rob Oklahomans to make sure Kratos makes its projections for its investors.

Or, maybe not. Maybe, like Canoo, Governor Stitt will dig into the pockets of Oklahomans and the jobs WON’T materialize, nor the building in which to house them. But by then, our Governor will have left his position, and possibly the state – along with big holes in the pockets of Oklahoma tax payers and an uneven playing field for Oklahoma businesses.

*An email to Senator Kristin Thompson was sent regarding information in this blog. She did not return the email before this article was published. If she does respond at any point, I will add her response below.

June 18, 2025 1

Oklahoma Taxpayers Get Soaked By Canoo – And Other Taxpayer-Financed Violations Of The Free Market

In case you missed it, The Federalist ran an article I authored last week, “Oklahoma Republicans Are Helping Green Energy Cronies Scam Taxpayers Out Of Billions“. Check it out. I know both the Federalist and I would love that – but so will you. You may not know exactly how much of your hard-earned dollars are being GIVEN to PRIVATE companies in Oklahoma – but then, maybe you do and you’re just glad that Governor Stitt and his hand-picked Commerce Department staff is making sure that your kids have somewhere to work in Oklahoma so they can stay here after graduating college.

But wait. Is that really a reason for Republicans who love to use the expression ‘free market’ in their campaign literature, to GIFT private companies tax dollars.

Last Friday (2.7.25), in a special ROPE Report podcast at 1pm, Oklahoma Representative Jay Steagall was with me to talk about the ‘free market’ and Oklahoma tax incentives. Below is a clip in which Rep. Steagall and I make sure that everyone watching understands the concept of FREE MARKET ECONOMICS. What is that exactly? Watch below and find out.

So, is it appropriate for the legislature to appropriate your tax dollars, give it to another business which has the ability to make dollars on their own in the free market and then tell you that they’re doing it to create jobs? NO NO NO NO NO. I think you might get the idea.

In fact, last week, I wrote another article – this time for just the website – titled, “Gov. Stitt’s Commerce Department Gives Multiple MILLIONS Of Taxpayer Dollars To Paycom And Love’s Through Quality Jobs Incentives“. I think this should be required reading for EVERY TAXPAYER IN OKLAHOMA – and not just because I wrote it – because every taxpayer should know that their taxdollars are going to prop up private companies that can pay for their own cost of doing business.

We get our property taken from us and sold at auction if we don’t pay our property taxes. If we don’t pay our income taxes, the government seizes our bank accounts, fines us, or throws us in jail until we do.

And yet, MULTI-BILLION dollar privately held companies can use our hard-earned dollars to make more money whether we like it or not.

And here’s more about the Canoo debacle that you might not know.

Wow! How do you like THEM apples? Not only did Canoo soak Oklahoma tax payers for tax dollars as incentives to help them start a business that WAS NEVER GOING TO GET OFF THE GROUND, employees that more than likely didn’t even live in Oklahoma and were hired just in time to get state and local (Oklahoma City) incentives, got paid Oklahoma unemployment. I’m imagining that Canoo never funded their portion of their employees unemployment, but I don’t know for a fact.

Rep. Steagall has a bill to reduce Income Tax this year on a trajectory to complete removal. Governor Stitt has also said that he wants to remove Income Tax. Yet here’s the headline screaming from an article in the Oklahoma Voice last week, “Oklahoma legislative leaders hesitant to cut income tax“. WHAT? WHAT? Our ‘legislative leaders’ are Republican. Whatever happened to the Republican concept of smaller government and minimal taxation as tenets of the Republican platform? What about the other tenet of the platform – FREE ENTERPRISE!??

Please, contact your Representative AND Senator. Tell them you expect them to lower the state Income Tax with a plan in place to phase it out – THIS SESSION. And you might mention that one of the things they could do to afford it, was to QUIT GIVING BILLIONAIRES AND PRIVATE GREEN ENERGY COMPANIES our tax dollars – FOR A START!

February 10, 2025 1

Did You Know? The Largest Carbon Capture Plant In The US Opened In Oklahoma, August 13th – Part 1

Shane Smith and Jenni White

August 13th, the largest DAC (direct air capture) plant in the United States opened in Shidler, Oklahoma. Not merely the largest in the nation, but the second largest in the world.

Dubbed Bantam, this facility is a project of Colorado-based Heimdal, Inc., and is located at the CapturePoint Carbon Hub in Osage county in northwest Oklahoma. The facility itself will allegedly remove 5,000 tons of CO2 every year which will be permanently stored in underground facilities being developed by CapturePoint.

This project is just one of many that have emerged since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which increased the 45Q carbon sequestration tax credit (initially added to the tax code as a part of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008) for every ton of CO2 stored from $50 to $85.

A chorus of Oklahoma Republicans praised the new project, with governor Kevin Stitt stating, in a post to Heimdal’s LinkdIn page:

Other Republicans who spoke highly of the new facility include Senator Markwayne Mullin, Congressman Frank Lucas, lieutenant governor Matt Pinnell, and House Speaker Charles McCall.

According to CapturePoint’s website, the company owns and operates on 6,900 acres, but has contracted rights to 10,000 acres in Oklahoma for use as carbon storage space. CO2 is transported from CVR’s facility in Coffeyville, Kansas, via a 68-mile pipeline to CapturePoint’s Oklahoma facility for storage.

Below is a Google map of the area showing the CapturePoint facilities in relation to Kaw Lake and the city of Shidler. (C02 + H2O yields H2CO3, carbonic acid)

Despite the fact that no local news sources covered the opening of the nation’s largest carbon capture plant and that subsequent information can only be gleaned from industry magazines, Oklahoma’s leaders have been deeply involved in making this state a home for the carbon capture and sequestration industry for some years now.

Our oil industry has been using CO2 for enhanced oil recovery since 1982.

In 2009, our state passed the Oklahoma Carbon Capture and Geologic Sequestration Enhancement Act, which set the stage for permanent storage of CO2 in Class VI wells deep under our state.

In June of 2018, then-governor Mary Fallin signed onto The Governors’ Partnership on Carbon Capture.

In October of 2020, current governor Kevin Stitt signed the “Regional Carbon Dioxide Transport Infrastructure Action Plan”, along with Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. The signatories to this plan entered into a “Memoranda of Understanding”, committing to jointly develop “the buildout of regional CO2 transport infrastructure”. According to document, “the vision of this memorandum is to accelerate, through state leadership and coordination, the deployment of regional CO2 transport infrastructure networks and the development of carbon hubs…”

On March 19th, 2021, Stitt was among several other signatories to a letter addressed to Congress in support of the SCALE (storing CO2 and lowering emissions) Act, which set the stage for a massive expansion of CO2 pipeline throughout the country.

Last year, the Oklahoma legislature released SB200, Oklahoma Carbon Capture and Geological Sequestration Report. This report attempted to inform legislation eventually created via SB200 (Boles, Rader) regarding jurisdiction of dangerous class VI injection wells, yet according to a statement submitted by the Petroleum Alliance, “It is unclear if projects for direct air capture and sequestration are allowed under the Oklahoma Carbon Capture and Geologic Sequestration Act.”

With the opening of the Bantam facility, it appears that Oklahoma is set to see an explosion of investment and build-out of CO2 pipeline throughout our state. At the Great Plains Institute website, in a document entitled, “Implementing Carbon Capture and Storage Technology”, the Institute provides a map of Oklahoma with potential CO2 pipeline corridors that crisscross our state like a spiderweb, transporting the liquified carbon dioxide.

But is this what Oklahomans want? How many residents know what carbon capture is, let alone that the world’s second largest carbon capture facility is located in their state? How would they feel if they found out? Capture point is seeking permits for an additional two class VI (CO2 sequestration) wells in the area – one would think that eventually nearby residents would want to know that something so dangerous is near to them and Kaw Lake now, with the possibility of more to come.

These pipelines are far different from the more familiar oil or natural gas pipelines, in that the CO2 being transported must maintain immense pressure. To transport carbon dioxide via pipeline, it must first be compressed into a liquid state, known as “supercritical CO2”. This requires up to 3000 psi of compression, which, as you can imagine, is extremely dangerous. The CO2 must maintain this compression as it travels through the pipeline.

Because of this immense transmission pressure, CO2 pipelines run the risk of “running ductile fractures”, where an initial rupture creates a chain reaction as escaping CO2 converts to a gas, rapidly opening a tear along the pipe at 100 meters per second. CO2 is heavier than air. Should the pipeline rupture, any released CO2 will settle on the ground, sucking the oxygen from every living thing in the vicinity, just like it did to the people of Satartia Mississippi last year.

Could these pipelines withstand an earthquake or other unpredictable accident? What is the protocol for cleaning up a massive CO2 leak? How will first responders get close enough with their equipment to seal the leak and clear the area of the dangerous gas?

The Biden administration seems to think that a simple increase of the 45Q tax credit will magically jumpstart a green revolution, with the oil and gas industry leading the way. But, perversely, this subsidy has drafted Big Oil into the Green Agenda, with Oklahoma actively seeking to place itself at the forefront.

An analysis by Taxpayers for Common Sense found that, from 2010 to 2019, 90% of 45Q tax credits were based on fraud. Do we have any reason to believe that this level of fraud won’t continue in expanded form as greater numbers of these facilities are built across our state?

A 2021 article from FORBES denotes no less than 6 taxpayer green boondoggles funded by American taxpayers. But then Oklahoma need look no further than Canoo – a troubled electric vehicle company to which Governor Stitt gifted 15 million Oklahoma taxpayer funds to locate to Oklahoma, only to have them struggle against bankruptcy, unable to fund themselves, let alone return an investment to the state.

Several questions need to be asked: Should Oklahoma really become a dumping ground for out-of-state CO2? How much land would be enough to even make a small dent in the amount of CO2 produced yearly? Even if a DAC facility functioned as intended, it would remove only an insignificant fraction of CO2 from the environment. The CO2 itself, once moved to a permanent underground storage, would need to be monitored for centuries to ensure that it doesn’t leak back to the surface. Who will bear liability, should the carbon dioxide leak to the surface?

A 2022 report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that these facilities fail far more often than succeed. Of the 13 carbon capture facilities examined, seven underperformed, two failed, and one was abandoned entirely.

In a later report, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that the premier Norwegian CCS facilities, the ones used to justify much of the push for expanded carbon capture, experienced significant anomalous CO2 storage behavior that could have led to a disastrous gas leak. This directly contradicts the rosy predictions of Bantam and CapturePoint’s press releases and statements from their supporters.

Another point of concern is whether these carbon capture facilities are generating more CO2 than they capture, completely undercutting the stated reason for their existence. Has this been a concern at all among the supporters of this subsidy-created gold rush? Several analyses have found that the process of capturing carbon, liquifying it, and either transporting, storing, or using it in enhanced oil recovery actually produces more CO2 emissions than it captures.

Another question is: how much land is enough? As money continues to flow into the carbon capture industry, more land will continue to be permanently taken out of use in order to build more facilities. But it will never be enough. The International Energy Agency found that 32 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide would need to be removed from the atmosphere yearly in order to prevent global temperatures from rising a mere 1.5 celsius. It’s an impossible goal that our leaders are apparently ready to sacrifice much in a vain attempt to reach.

Tens of thousands of acres have already been scooped up by the carbon capture industry. When our leaders finally admit that atmospheric CO2 removal has been a massive, enormously expensive boondoggle, how will these carbon hubs and wells be disposed of? Is it even possible to do so safely?

Our children and grandchildren will be forced to clean up the mess created by the futile attempt to “capture” carbon and store it. Why is our state intent on placing this burden on its future generations? Why not a nuclear reactor facility instead of carbon capture? Why not something that directly benefits the people of our state? There’s nothing more “green” than nuclear power, so why the push to instead make our state a reservoir for CO2?

Carbon capture is a costly dead end. We need to force our leaders to realize it before its too late.

More to come…

October 23, 2024 9