Koch Industries says it won't gain from Wisconsin bill

By BOB KING | 2/23/11 5:01 PM EST
Politico.com

A lesser-known provision of Wisconsin’s budget-repair bill would allow the state to sell off publicly owned power plants in no-bid deals – prompting a flurry of speculation by liberal bloggers who allege that Gov. Scott Walker is attempting a giveaway to energy conglomerate Koch Industries.

The bill includes language saying the Wisconsin Department of Administration “may sell any state-owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount that the department determines to be in the best interest of the state.”

It would also exempt the deals Public Service Commission scrutiny, and says any profits would go into a budget stabilization fund.

Koch insists it doesn’t stand to gain from the legislation, and is furiously denouncing the rumors as they have spread to media outlets including MSNBC, Forbes and Bloomberg.

(More here.)