Proposed legislation includes restrictions to the siting of renewable energy projects, prohibiting certain energy facilities from using eminent domain and imposing new setback rules.

Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Faxon, authored several of the bills. House Bill 2747 would expand the pool of entities able to bid on transmission projects in the state. During the floor session, Caldwell said the legislation would “lower the bar” for companies to become involved in building out the projects and boost natural gas generation.

OPMX previously reported on a Caldwell bill that would impose setback requirements for wind turbines and other renewable projects. House Bill 2751, passed on Wednesday, applies to structures like homes, schools and military facilities.

Caldwell’s House Bill 2752 would prohibit renewable energy companies from using eminent domain in Oklahoma. Natural gas projects would still be allowed to exercise eminent domain with the state’s established laws on the procedure. House Bill 2756 would require companies building transmission lines greater than 300 kilovolts to obtain permission from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission before building.

House Bill 2156, authored by Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, also imposes setback requirements. New solar facilities and associated battery storage structures would have to be at least 500 feet from homes or other occupied buildings. They would also be required to be at a distance of at least 100 feet from the center lines of public roads and half a mile from any public school or hospital.

“We have inexhaustible wind and more sunshine in our state than many, many of our surrounding states,” Dobrinski said. “It makes Oklahoma the prime target for these new types of facilities. We need new generation. We need all of the above. We need natural gas. We still have coal.”

“We have hydroelectric, wind and solar and we certainly need to be promoting and developing nuclear for our future.”

The representative also saw his House Bill 2157 pass, which creates the Oklahoma Agrivoltaics Act. Under the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, a new fund would find compatibility between renewable energy projects and agricultural land. The practice generally combines solar and farming on the same plot, creating two potential incomes.

Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City, saw his bill pass focused on setting back renewable energy projects like wind turbines from military installations. House Bill 2142 would create the Oklahoma National Guard Wind Energy Policy Act of 2025. It aims to prevent the projects from having “an adverse impact on the mission, training, or operations of any military installation or branch of the military,” the bill reads.

Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, had two bills pass on Wednesday. House Bill 1371 clarifies oil and gas royalty payments and House Bill 1374 allows certain companies and individuals producing their own energy to bypass regulation from public utilities. The proposed legislation only applies to people or companies that don’t plan to sell energy to other entities.

On Thursday, House Bill 2043 from Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City, passed the House floor. The proposed legislation updates the Energy Discrimination Act by removing political subdivisions but only applies to state agencies.

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