A bill that would help Oklahoma become a leader in energy efficiency by training Oklahomans for jobs in the industry, recently passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives and is on its way to the Oklahoma Senate.

The Green Jobs Pilot Program Bill, HB 1682, was written by Rep. Seneca Scott, D-Tulsa, to expand Oklahoma’s workforce and improve the state’s viability as an energy leader, he said.

If passed, the State Board of Career and Technology Education would establish the training program and the plan would be implemented at one or more state technology centers, according to the bill, which passed the House by an 87-10 vote.

The bill still has to be voted on by the senate, but some education centers are already looking to take part in the program.

Scott said a technology center in Tulsa has already expressed interest in being a potential site for the program, which would train people for jobs in the wind, solar and biofuels industries, and jobs that work with alternative fuel, alternative fuel vehicles and other energy-related jobs.

There is a possible problem with the bill, though. The bill doesn’t state where funding from the program would come from, but Scott said he thinks there might be money available from the federal stimulus program to fund the bill. The bill states the implementation of the program is contingent on available funding.

The fact that there was no funding written into the bill is one of the reasons Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, said he voted against it.

“That program will never exist, unless it’s funded,” Duncan said.

Sen. Dan Newberry, R-Tulsa, is the senate author of the bill, and said he thinks the bill has a good chance of passing the senate, but said the possibility of funding is a little uncertain.

He said he thinks there could be stimulus money available for the program, but said Oklahoma lawmakers are looking at the stimulus carefully because the money from it is only good for two years.

If the state used stimulus money to start this program, after two years, the cost of the program would be on the state. Newberry said the program could be implemented as a one-time project to avoid that problem.

Even if the bill isn’t passed or the state can’t find funding for the program, Newberry said discussing making Oklahoma more energy-efficient is a good thing.

He said bills like this could help make Oklahoma a leader in energy efficiency, which would help the state’s economy by creating jobs and helping to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Oklahoma hasn’t seen the brunt of the economic downturn yet, but it’s coming, Newberry said.

“Primarily, Oklahoma has been somewhat insulated in this economic downturn that the country is experiencing, but we’re certainly not immune,” he said.

He also said using foreign energy resources can put the state and country in uncomfortable situations.

“When you’re importing a tremendous amount of your energy, you put yourself in a position you may not want to be in,” Newberry said.

Mike Bergey, president of Bergey Windpower, a Norman company that manufactures small wind turbines, said his company might not directly benefit from the bill. He supports the idea of exploring ways to improve the alternative energy industry because alternative energy is an important new area of the state’s economy.

But Duncan said funding isn’t the bill’s only possible problem.

He said he didn’t vote against the bill because he is against the issue of energy efficiency, but because it’s a “log rolling” bill, which means it covers multiple subjects instead of just one.

The proposed bill calls for the training program to be aimed at Oklahomans who need updated training for energy-efficiency and renewable-energy industry jobs, but Duncan said he has a program that the bill also targets people who are socially disadvantaged, including those with low incomes or those who were formerly incarcerated.

“You’re going to take this group of people and shoehorn them into this field,” he said.

But Scott said Oklahoma would greatly benefit from becoming an energy-efficient state.

“There’s a real need for us to invest, because this is an industry we’re going to get a return on,” he said.