An Oklahoma House Committee will meet Wednesday, weather providing, to consider a bill to promote renewable natural gas.
House Bill 1815 by Moore Rep. Mark McBride will be heard by the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee during a scheduled hearing at 3 p.m.
The bill would have the legislature declare that “renewable natural gas is a complement to our state’s vast natural gas and renewable energy resources that can be carbon neutral or carbon negative.”
Rep. McBride’s bill would in effect promote the use of natural gas and require a report from the Corporation Commission to generate educational materials favoring “RNG.”
But his bill has its opponents, namely the Oklahoma Sierra Club which contends renewable natural gas is not renewable. The Club questions the requirement of the Corporation Commission to promote the RNG “even before the OCC has actually studied and determined whether so-called “renewable natural gas” is good or bad.”
In a notice to its members, the Sierra Club leadership argued the bill is not needed. It also urged members to oppose another bill introduced by Rep. McBride.
House Bill 1833 would prohibit lawsuits or nuisance acts against oil and gas activities that have lawfully been in operation for two years or more before the start of such actions. It also provides for a $250,000 limit on damage claims.
The Sierra Club contends the bill is unconstitutional because is violates the Oklahoma Ethics Law by singling out one industry.