Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, representing Oklahoma's Republican branch, drew a clear line in the legislative sand today over the contentious wind energy bill that's spun into a stalemate in the chamber, according to a recent press release. The bill in question, Senate Bill 2—which initially sought to set boundaries on the proximity of wind turbines to homes and other properties—hit a wall and will not be advancing this session, Paxton confirmed.
The legislation's trajectory altered when it adopted proportions from the doomed House Bill 2751, the latter having been dismissed previously by the Senate Energy Committee on April 24, taking with it a draft that's now a forbidden rerun under the Senate's watchful "final action rule." The rule prohibits bills with identical language from resurrecting in the Senate's current legislative period; nevertheless, the bill remained technically on the table for conference committee review, it simply couldn't inch its way to a floor vote without breaking the rules.
Outlining his stance, Paxton delineated the escalation of Senate Bill 2 from a well-intentioned regulation to a potential industry-crippler, saying, "I made the decision to hit pause on this bill because it violates the Senate’s final action rule, as legislation with this language already failed in the Senate Energy Committee." His criticisms didn't stop there; he slammed the door on the politicization that overwhelmed the bill's debate, which included senators receiving a less-than-warm reception, riddled with harassment making rational policy discussions a near impossibility.
Paxton maintained his decision to hold back the bill came from a place of seeking balance, not stifling it, he extolled the initial version of the bill for maintaining equilibrium between landowner rights and setback demands, ambitiously— he lauded Senator Grant Green for the create and muscle that went into drafting the original bill, but Paxton's vision for moving forward involves finding consensus, and that means undoing the knots of politics that have tied up SB 2 to a standstill, Paxton asserted on the Oklahoma Senate, "I think the best path forward for this legislation is to hit pause and find a better path forward where everyone can come to a reasonable agreement."
