OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Wind Coalition denies that it hired a Texas political consultant to follow an Oklahoma legislator.
Court records show the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation found that political consultant George C. Shipley hired private investigators who placed a tracker on state Rep. Mark McBride’s vehicle.
<a target=”—blank” href=”http://www.oklahoman.com/the-wind-coalition-denies-hiring-a-texas-political-consultant-to-investigate-oklahoma-legislator/article/5585195″>The Oklahoman reports</a> that McBride discovered the tracker in December and suspected it was put there because the wind industry wants to discredit him because he’s working on legislation that would tax wind-energy companies.
Jeff Clark is president of the industry trade association, which was created to encourage the development of wind energy as a power source. He says that while an internet search shows that the coalition has the same address as Shipley & Associates, the information is outdated and the association wasn’t involved in the opposition research.