Oklahoma Speaker of the House Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, testified in front of the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus Wednesday in Washington, D.C., according to a press release.

Benge spoke about the pieces of legislation promoting alternative energy, specifically natural gas, that he introduced in the state House during the 2009 legislative session, the release stated. These bills include the implementation of tax credits to incentivize the use of natural gas vehicles in the state.

While we don’t always agree with everything Benge or any other politician says or does, we do want to commend his effort to promote alternative fuel sources. By doing this, he has crossed party lines, which is sometimes difficult in this day and age.

And he has encouraged his fellow Oklahomans and Americans to utilize a resource that is plentiful in our state. This promotes the national use of Oklahoma’s resources, which could help boost our economy.

We feel the use of alternative energy sources, like wind, electricity and natural gas, can sometimes be a controversial and partisan issue. And this is unfortunate given the problems of high gas prices and the existence of global warming.

But by introducing these bills, Benge has promoted unity. He has reached out to the Democratic minority in the state House, and perhaps made his fellow Republicans think more deeply about the use of alternative energy sources.

Quite frankly, we are used to some of Oklahoma’s prominent politicians saying things that embarrass our state (Jim Inhofe’s stance on global warming and Sally Kern’s “proclamation for morality” spring to mind).

But it’s nice to see an Oklahoman saying and doing things that set an example for other states.