Oklahoma Awards $10 million Incentive for Ammunition Plant in Pryor
One of the largest ammunitions manufacturers in the world plans to open a new facility in Pryor.
The governor’s office announced a contract for a $300 million project this week.
Brazilian arms manufacturer CBC Global Ammunition plans to build a new factory in the MidAmerica Industrial Park.
A contract between Oklahoma and the company said it will create 350 new jobs with a $55,000 average salary.
The contract includes a $10 million award from the state’s Quick Action Closing Fund. This fund was created over a decade ago to help attract businesses to the state. In exchange, the company is obligated to spend $200 million and hire 100 full-time employees.
CBC is just the latest in a string of companies that have received tens of millions of dollars from the fund. Electric vehicle manufacturer Canoo got $1 million in closing fund awards before shuttering its locations in Oklahoma last year.
OG&E Alerting Customers To Online Phone Number Scam
OG&E is warning customers about an online scam involving a fake company phone number.
OG&E said customers have reported that a fraudulent phone number comes up in Internet searches for information about paying an OG&E bill.
Those who called the number say a person answered and claimed to be taking payments for OG&E customers, but the person is not affiliated with the company.
OG&E said customers should always use the company's website to pay a bill online or to find verified contact information.
New State Law Requires Transparency In Meat Labels
A new state law requires manufactured-protein food products to be labeled differently from meat.
House Bill 1126 requires manufacturers, distributors and retailers to label cell-cultivated, plant or insect protein products as not meat.
People could face a misdemeanor if they violate the act.
Republican Rep. Jim Grego of Wilburton is co-author of the bill.
“We want the people to know when they go buy a product in the store, where that product originated and be labeled as such,” Grego said.
He said the measure puts the burden of proof on the manufacturer and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is responsible for investigating complaints.
Earlier in the year, lawmakers were considering a complete ban of cell-cultivated meat, but that bill has stalled.
The act goes into effect on Nov. 1
Federal Funding For Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain Withheld
A longtime Oklahoma arts education institution is facing federal budget cuts.
The National Endowment for the Arts is withholding funds from the Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain.
Caleb Michum is the Arts Institute’s Development Director. He said the NEA has supported the organization annually since 2017.
“This is a really shocking turn of events,” Michum said.
About a month away from the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute program at Quartz Mountain in Southwest Oklahoma, he said the organization received news that an NEA grant of $30,000 was being withheld. That funding was earmarked for faculty honorariums.
“These are people who are experts in their area. …Grammy winners. Academy Award winners...artists that students in Oklahoma would never have access to without this kind of opportunity,” Michum said.
The lost funding makes up only two percent of the summer arts institute’s budget, but Michum said it is still difficult to replace.
Despite the funding loss, the summer program will continue this year.
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