HB 1989: Wind farms; modifying date; modifying list of setbacks; effective date. - Oklahoma

Introduced → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended by the House Policy Committee to reorganize and clarify the text of HB 1989, which regulates wind farm setback requirements in Oklahoma. The amendment effectively restructures the bill's formatting and numbering while preserving the core policy provisions regarding wind energy facility construction distances from airports, schools, hospitals, and other sensitive locations. The substantive policy content remains largely unchanged, though some text was reorganized for clarity and consistency.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on regulating wind energy facility construction setbacks in Oklahoma, with no changes to the underlying policy requirements or applicability criteria.

TECHNICAL

Bill title changed from 'Introduced' to 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' to reflect the committee's review and amendment process

Bill description updated from 'wind farms' to 'wind energy facilities' for more precise terminology

Page numbering and formatting reorganized to conform to committee amendment standards

Line numbering and section formatting adjusted throughout the document for consistency

Request number changed from 11795 to 12664 to reflect new committee processing

Date stamp updated from March 2026 to February 2025 to reflect current committee action

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 2 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 3 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to expand its scope from wind energy facilities to wind energy in general, with updated legislative findings and definitions. The effective date was moved from November 1, 2025 to the current session, and new definitions were added for affected counties, towers, and wind turbines. The bill now includes provisions for voter referendums to eliminate setback requirements and requires the Corporation Commission to maintain a public database tracking setback provisions by county.

Scope change

The bill's scope was broadened from specifically regulating wind energy facilities to covering wind energy more broadly, with new definitions for affected counties based on population density and wind speed thresholds.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from November 1, 2025 to the current legislative session date of February 18, 2025.

DEFINITION

New definitions were added for 'affected county' (population density over 8.5 per square mile with wind speed under 9.5 mph), 'improvement to real property', 'tower', and 'wind turbine' (minimum 100 megawatts capacity).

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to maintain a publicly accessible database tracking setback provisions by county, including expiration dates.

Removed specific setback distance requirements that were previously listed, replacing them with a new section establishing a 2,640-foot setback from improvements to real property.

ELIGIBILITY

Added provision allowing county voters to eliminate setback limitations through a referendum after five years, initiated by a majority vote of the board of county commissioners.

SCOPE

The bill title and legislative findings were expanded to address wind energy more broadly rather than just wind energy facilities, with updated findings about tower height and setback limitations.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision updates the effective date of setback requirements for wind energy facilities from August 21, 2015 to November 1, 2025, and modifies the distance thresholds for various protected locations. The changes also adjust the surface area threshold for water bodies from 14,000 to 12,000 acres and update document tracking numbers. These modifications affect when new wind facilities must comply with setback rules and which properties receive protection.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on wind energy facility setback requirements, but the applicability timeline has been extended by over three years, and the water body protection threshold has been reduced.

TIMELINE

The effective date for wind energy facility setback requirements changed from August 21, 2015 to November 1, 2025, extending the compliance period by approximately three years.

REQUIREMENT

The surface area threshold for water body protection was reduced from 14,000 acres to 12,000 acres, meaning more water bodies will now trigger setback requirements.

TECHNICAL

Document tracking numbers were updated from Req. No. 12664 to Req. No. 12682, and page references were adjusted throughout the document.

The bill title and header information were updated to reflect the new substitute version (POLPCS2) with a revised timestamp from 2/14/2025 11:20:30 am to 2/14/2025 2:42:15 pm.

Wind farms; modifying date; modifying list of setbacks; effective date.

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