Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners will hold a special meeting Monday afternoon with the focus on Senate Bill 1103, a bill a former Corporation Commissioner says would stop soaring utility bills in Oklahoma.
The agenda for the 1:30 p.m. meeting stated there will be consideration and discussion regarding SB 1103 and “any potential issues SB 1103 involves and/or its possible impacts.”
The commission further plans to hear input regarding the bill from representatives of parties who have “participated as parties of record in past utility cases at the Commission.” There could be a possible vote by the commission on its position about the bill and whether to guide guidance to its legislative liaison.
Former Corporation Commissioner Jeff Cloud, who came out last week in support of the measure, plans to attend the meeting and offer comments afterward.
“A yes vote for SB 1103 would stop price shocks from extreme winter storms by requiring electric utilities to store adequate supplies of natural gas and add much needed protections for Oklahoma ratepayers,” wrote Cloud last week in an opinion piece for The Oklahoman.
He urged legislators to adopt the bill, calling it “a major step in the right direction” and one way of stopping utility hikes for Oklahomans.
After SB1103 passed out of the Oklahoma Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Cloudy issued a statement of support.
“If passed into law, this legislation will protect consumers by creating greater accountability at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) and stabilizing rates at a time when fuel prices are making electricity more costly,” he stated.
Cloud resigned as a Corporation Commissioner after 8 years with the agency and was named executive director of The Alliance for Secure Energy in 2021. The nonprofit organization promotes innovation and investment to ensure Oklahomans have secure, affordable and reliable electric energy.