An Oklahoma Senate bill calling for a one-quarter mile setback for wind turbines from property lines and homes won approval Wednesday in the Oklahoma House Energy Committee. It also had some opposition.
But SB2 still faces a road of compromise between the House and Senate, reported Rep. Brad Boles during the meeting.
“It’s not our final language. We’re still in conversation with the Senate. We do not have a compromise,” he explained while also asking committee members to trust him as he negotiated with the Senate.
The title was stricken from the bill which gives legislators more time to work on a final product.
“I ask for your patience,” said Rep. Boles.
Speaker Kyle Hilbert joined in the discussion saying, “There are some things we need to improve but we’re working to keep the bill alive.”
Questions were raised by Rep. Dick Lowe who said, “I don’t like the quarter-mile setback from fence lines.” It limits the number of sites for wind turbines in some areas of the state where property sizes are smaller than in the western part of Oklahoma.
“That’s part of the conversation with the Senate,” answered Rep. Boles.
Rep. Jared Deck suggested the state might be “missing an opportunity” but not creating geographic pooling as is used in oil and gas well exploration.
Rep. Boles felt it would be comparing apples with oranges and wanted to “look at the whole picture.”
SB2 won approval on a vote of 8-4.
YEAS: 8
Bashore Hilbert Lepak May
Moore Roberts Tedford Waldron
NAYS: 4
Archer Deck Hefner Lowe (D)
The committee also held votes on two other measures. By a vote of 8-3, it approved SB460 which declares natural gas as the “preferred energy” in the state.
SB132, a measure focused on the plugging of abandoned or idle natural gas wells was approved on a 12-0 vote. The measure creates as 7-year period “to give operators an incentive,” said Rep. Boles who explained the measure.
Oil wells in the state have only one-year to be plugged or be added to the state’s plugging list.
“There’s currently no limit on gas wells,” said Boles. “The longer you have a well that’s not in production, the more chance of going into the plugging list which now totals 18,000.”
