A wind turbine bill calling for setbacks from homes and property lines failed to make it out of the Senate Energy Committee on Thursday as opponents raised issues of property rights.
HB2751 authored by Rep. Trey Caldwell in the House and Sen. Ally Seifried in the Senate failed on a 4-6 vote. It proposed a setback based on population density and geographic areas of the state. Under the bill, the setback from property lines and homes would amount of one and one-half times the height of the tower or one-half mile from property lines.
But it ran into opposition from Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt who declared, “Freedom is very fleeting.”
During his arguments against the measure, he questioned what industry is next?
“When we start regulating an industry because we don’t like it, we’re crossing a line,” said the legislator.
“We’re setting a very scarry scary precedent where we’re messing with freedom—we’re messing with the ability of people to develop their property the way they want to develop it. Where do we stop?”
He said feedyards, chicken farms, hog farms and even the oil and gas industry could be next.
HOUSE BILL 2751
Seifried Wind energy; legislative findings; setback
requirement for certain affected counties; waiver;
referral of question to eligible voters of a
county; requiring Corporation Commission to
maintain database; emergency.
AYES: 4 RCS# 54
NAYS: 6 04/24/2025
CP : 0 12:01 PM
VAC : 0
AYES: 4
Frix Green McIntosh Woods
NAYS: 6
Boren Dossett Kern Murdock
Rader Thompson
But a solar setback bill sponsored by Sen. Murdock, HB2156 was approved on a 7-3 vote. It would create a 500-foot setback from a home or 100 feet from a property line.
AYES: 7 RCS# 55
NAYS: 3 04/24/2025
CP : 0 12:13 PM
VAC : 0
AYES: 7
Frix Green McIntosh Murdock
Rader Thompson Woods
NAYS: 3
Boren Dossett Kern
Other bills receiving approval in the last meeting of the committee included HB2756, HB2157, HB2155, HB2142, HB1666, HB1374 and HB1371.
