Both the Oklahoma House and the Oklahoma Senate intend to hold legislative interim studies of data centers in Oklahoma…..an issue that is the focus of several controversial proposed data centers in the state.
Senate President Lonnie Paxton approved a
list of interim studies and one of them is a request made by Sen. Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard). It is entitled “Data Centers and what all they mean for our state.” Her study will be conducted in the Agriculture and Wildlife Committee in the Senate.
The interim study follows the Senator’s effort in the recent legislative session to create a three-year moratorium on new data centers in the state. She introduced
Senate Bill 1488, which failed to get support for any votes in the Senate or the House. The measure would have directed the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to study the long-term impacts of large-scale facilities on utility rates, water supply, and property values. The Senator said at the time she expected widespread support from Oklahomans but she did not get in the legislature because her moratorium bill did not pass out of committee and died during the legislative session.
In filiing the moratorium bill earlier this year, the Senator explained, “The goal is not to halt progress but to ensure that progress does not come at the expense of Oklahomans’ quality of life or their utility costs. We owe it to our communities to understand what we don’t yet know before we make irreversible decisions about where and how these facilities are built.”
A data center study in the Oklahoma House was proposed by Rep. Mark Chapman, (R-Broken Arrow). The study is entitled “The Real Impact of Data Centers: Pros and Cons.” As approved by House leadership, the scope of the study will explore how proposed data center developers communicate with the City Council, County Commission, Planning Commission and boards. It also wants to consider the tax benefits and the cost. The final topic of the study is: Electricity, Water and Noise–Separating fact from Fiction.
Other studies in the Senate include a study of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission as proposed by Sen. Grant Green (R-Wellston). Further details were not listed in the Senate but the study was assigned to the Senate Energy Committee which he chairs.
Sen. Mary Boren (D-Norman), also a member of the Senate Energy Committee, is behind an approved study called “Keeping Our Light & Water Bills Low.”
Oilfield truck traffic and its impact on county roads in rural Oklahoma is the subject of study proposed by Sen. Casey Murdock (R-Felt). It too will be handled by the Senate Energy Committee on which he sits.
Sen. Mary Boren also wants a study of “This Land is My Land Eminent Domain” and it will be in the Judiciary Committee. Rep. Annie Menz (D-Norman) has a study in the House called “Eminent Domain Reforms: Exploring Opposing Viewpoints.” The study will explore ways to responsibly reform the ways
eminent domain is used in Oklahoma, gathering input and ideas from all sides of the conversation.
Sen. Grant Green also requested a Senate Energy Committee study of rural water.
Sen. Mark Mann (D-OKC) requested a study on the question,”Is Oklahoma Competitive with Surrounding States in the Aerospace Industry?” It will be handled in the Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee.
Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton approved this year’s Senate interim study requests, saying the process gives lawmakers an opportunity to examine important issues in greater detail before the Legislature reconvenes in February.
According to Paxton, interim studies are designed to encourage collaboration between lawmakers, experts and stakeholders while helping legislators develop informed policy proposals for future sessions.
In the House, Rep. Arturo Sandoval Alonso (D-OKC) pushed a study called “Distributed Energy,” explaining: “With increased energy demand causing higher electricity bills for all Oklahomans, it will be important to consider all forms of energy generation to lower costs. This interim study will examine the policy, regulatory, and market changes needed to make Plug-in Solar and other distributed energy options a practical and affordable reality for more Oklahomans”
