Sen. Lonnie Paxton, chosen this week to be the next Senate Pro Tem succeeding Oklahoma City Sen. Greg Treat, is a name known in certain energy circles in Oklahoma.
He was at the center of efforts last year and this year to consider a Right of First Refusal bill in the legislature. The Senator from Tuttle sat on the Senate’s Energy and Telecommunications committee and Natural Resources and Regulatory Services committee. Other committee assignments included the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Education, Rules and Veterans and Military Affairs.
If his name rings a bell with electricity production in the state, it’s because of his role when the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee held exploratory hearings in the fall of 2023 delving into ROFR or Right of First Refusal along with Performance Based Ratemaking and the best method to have responsible electricity production in the state. It was Sen. Paxton who asked for the hearings and the study of the controversial issue.
“This is a critical issue that impacts our economy, business community and consumers. We need to find the best path forward to provide efficient, reliable, and affordable electrical service to our citizens and businesses,” Paxton said in announcing the hearings.
“Given the complexity of this issue and its widespread impact, we’ll continue having discussions in the coming months. We’ll keep the best interests of Oklahoma ratepayers at the forefront of our decision-making as we continue studying this important issue. I appreciate the wide range of perspectives provided during this study and look forward to working with all stakeholders as we work to find the best solution for Oklahoma.”
He led a hearing at the capitol in which those for ROFR and those against ROFR were allowed to speak. Paxton and other members of the committee questioned witnesses—some who said ROFR would allow the development of new transmission infrastructure but others who argued a ROFR law would be anti-business and increase rates for Oklahoma consumers. Opponents also cclaimed it would cost the state billions of dollars in future transmission projects.
Paxton also was responsible for introducing the ROFR bill, SB 498 in 2023 but it was later withdrawn with no votes in the legislature. ROFR returned for this year’s legislative session after Paxton chaired the study last October.
The PBR issue was raised in the form of SB 1103. It was in the form of the Ratepayer Protection Act of 2023 and was led by Sen. Pro Tempore Greg Treat and House Speaker Charles McCall.
What we can’t answer is whether Paxton, now that he is the new leader of the senate, will encourage yet another attempt to put ROFR back before the legislature.
