Solar Panel Factory Coming To Tulsa Area
A solar panel manufacturer is planning a $1 billion dollar factory in Inola.
Enel North America will build the two million sq. ft. facility at the Port of Inola, 25 miles east of Tulsa. The Italian manufacturer constructs solar panels.
Gov. Kevin Stitt is praising the deal as a major economic development win.
“It is over $1,000,000,000 worth of investments, over 1500 jobs. When you put both of those together, that's the largest in state history,” Stitt said.
The announcement comes in the wake of a more than $200 million package of incentives approved by the legislature and governor last week for the company.
Oklahoma Legislature Appropriates Remaining ARPA Funds
Two years and nearly $2 billion later, the Oklahoma Legislature is set to assign the last of its money from the American Rescue Plan Act.
President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law in early 2021, earmarking money for state, tribal and local governments to help their communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oklahoma’s state government received nearly $2 billion.
To divvy it up, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding had to select from project applications totaling $18 billion in requested funds.
The committee just recommended projects to receive the last of the funding on Friday. But Rep. Kyle Hilbert, who sits on the committee, says its job isn’t quite done yet.
“Of course, getting the money out the door was the first piece, but the second and probably even more important piece is oversight, making sure that these dollars are going where they're supposed to be going,” Hilbert said.
The full legislature still needs to approve these most recent funding recommendations, and recipient projects will need to spend the money by the end of 2026.
Mexican Consulate Opens In Oklahoma City
State and national officials celebrated the grand opening of the Mexican consulate in Oklahoma City with an inauguration ceremony Saturday.
The consulate is in Film Row in downtown OKC and has been a work in progress with the Mexican government.
The ceremony featured music, food and local vendors. Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma was in attendance.
"Today is a party day here in Oklahoma because we're opening the consulate of Mexico, which will serve a community of almost half a million people," said Moctezuma.
Previously, citizens of Mexico living in Oklahoma had to travel out of state to receive consular services.
Gov. Kevin Stitt praised the efforts of Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt in bringing the consulate to OKC.
Driver's Permit For Farm Kids
Farm kids in Oklahoma as young as 14 can apply for a special driver’s license later this year. Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed the farm permit into law.
House Bill 1962 allows 14 year-olds who live or work on a farm to apply for a Class D driver's license – but only drive under certain conditions.
The permit allows the teens to drive a car to and from farm related work. It also allows teens that live on a farm to drive to and from school on the most direct route from their home.
Teens under 16 will also be able to drive cars anywhere – except on an interstate or turnpike – as long as a licensed driver is sitting in the passenger seat, similar to an Oklahoma learner’s permit.
Other states like Kansas have similar restricted licenses like the one Gov. Stitt signed off on. The new law goes into effect Nov. 1.
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