When Chad McDougall stepped into his role as Chairman of the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma, it was more than a title.

It was a mission.

With a steadfast goal to level the playing field between traditional energy producers and their heavily subsidized renewable counterparts, McDougall has led a call to action that has taken The Alliance into new arenas of advocacy and has strengthened the organization’s position at the Oklahoma Capitol.

McDougall has emerged as a leading voice calling for tax equity between oil and natural gas operators and wind and solar developers, arguing that if renewables want a seat at the same economic table, they should pay the same price of admission.

He is also an unabashed proponent of Oklahoma natural gas and the increased use of the fuel for electricity generation to power the state’s next wave of economic development. During his tenure as Chairman, The Alliance has successfully supported state utilities adding natural gas-fired generation to the state grid and opposed efforts that would increase consumer costs without the benefit of added natural gas generation

“At the end of the day, oil and gas is the backbone of the state, “McDougall said. “It’s the backbone of the economy. It’s the backbone of tax revenue.

“Sometimes, you just need to be who you are. And that’s what Oklahoma should work at. Oil and gas has made the state what it is. Why run away from it?”

McDougall’s leadership has improved the Alliance’s advocacy strategy. For decades, the organization has promoted legislation and regulation that encouraged investment in Oklahoma’s historic oilfields while also defending oil and gas interests against overregulation and shifting political winds.

With McDougall leading the charge, the Alliance has increased its focus on exposing the disparities in taxation that distort Oklahoma’s energy market. By demanding that all energy producers carry their share of the fiscal load, McDougall has championed a future where Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas industry can thrive by removing government favoritism and rely on the industry’s resilience, efficiency, and free-market competition.

Those efforts came oh-so-close in 2024, when House Speaker Charles McCall unveiled a plan to reduce the state’s personal income tax, using proceeds from a new tax on renewable energy to partially offset the decrease in dollars flowing into state coffers.

Although the bill failed to advance to the Senate, the legislation marked the first major step in leveling the playing field between oil and gas and renewables and reinvigorated discussions at the Capitol on parity in energy taxation.

This year, 74 Oklahoma lawmakers signed on to an Alliance letter to the state’s federal lawmakers calling for them to repeal federal subsidies for renewable energy embedded in the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. The mass support of the effort from state legislators coupled with a groundswell of statewide grassroots opposition to wind industry expansion has signaled a shifting tide on energy from elected officials.

“Alliance members are Oklahoma companies. Our employees are here. Our families are here. Our kids are in school here. We donate to charities here. We’re all about trying to be a good citizen,” McDougall said.

“Renewables are either foreign companies or out-of-state companies, and they’re in here for one thing. They’re here to take the Oklahoma taxpayer’s money, shove it in their pockets with both hands, and take it out of state with them when they leave.”

McDougall has successfully completed his two-year term as Chairman of the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma, and made his final appearance as head of the state’s largest oil and gas trade organization during The Alliance Annual Meeting in June, when he passed the gavel to incoming Chairman Kim Hatfield of Crawley Petroleum.

Elected unanimously by the Alliance’s Board of Directors in 2023, McDougall brought to the role nearly three decades of experience in the oil and natural gas sector. His tenure at JMA Energy, where he has served since 1994 and as Vice President since 2004, provided a strong foundation for his leadership at the Alliance. McDougall’s industry involvement also includes prior roles as Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the Alliance, as well as leadership positions within the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association (OIPA), an Alliance legacy organization.