The Oklahoma House Utilities Committee made quick work of three energy-related bills during a Tuesday afternoon hearing.
HB3466, the removal of the petty fund at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission received a Do Pass vote of 7-0. Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) explained the measure was introduced at the request of the corporation commission which felt the fund is no longer used at the agency.
Rep. Amanda Clinton’s HB3392 also received a Do-Pass on a 7-0 vote. The Tulsa Democrat’s measure calls for a Corporation Commission study of “large load customers” who fall under three categories.
They include: “a. operation of data centers, cloud computing facilities, server farms, or digital asset processing facilities,
b. artificial intelligence, high-performance computing,
or large-scale information processing, or
c. advanced manufacturing, industrial processing, or
other operations requiring continuous or near continuous high electric demand.”
HB4060 by Rep. Arturo Alonso Sandoval (D-Oklahoma City) was given a Do Pass on an 8-0 vote. The bill would create the Plug-In Solar Power Amendments Act which would allow certain exemptions and prohibit electric utilities from making certain requirements of users.
HB3724 by Rep. Jim Shaw (R-Chandler) was scheduled to be heard but the measure was delayed. Shaw’s bill targets high-demand facilities with certain electricity requirements and would prohibit taxpayer-funded subsidies for them.
“This section shall apply to any high-demand facility
initiating electric or water service on or after the effective date
of this act and to any existing facility that expands or modifies
operations after the effective date of this act in a manner that
increases electric demand to a total equal to or greater than
seventy-five megawatts (75 MW),” stated the bill.
In a social media message issued Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Shaw explained the delay.