I've helped host several interim studies at the Capitol recently.
The first was a study on rural two-lane roads. We heard from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation about designs to improve these roads through widening and other upgrades as well as the basis for how they prioritize these projects as part of the department's eight-year plan. The study was held Oct. 9 before the House Transportation Committee.
The goal for rural lawmakers is to see the pace of these projects accelerated. As this is also a federal priority and we see the huge increase in distracted driver incidents, we believe we should increase our financial support for ODOT to address our rural twolanes quicker than illustrated in their current eight-year plan. We also had a liaison with the Department of Public Safety who discussed safety concerns and traffic hazards on these roadways. In our House district, we see a lot of truck traffic, both energy and agriculture related, so it's important to consider the safety of everyone sharing the roads.
The second study focused on energy generation in Oklahoma. We examined future needs for business growth and economic expansion so the state can prosper, and we looked at Oklahoma’s role in the Southwest Power Pool. This study took place Oct. 22 before the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. We had speakers from Oklahoma energy industries – including oil and gas, electric, wind and solar and others – as well as the general manager of the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority and the director of Oklahoma Industrial Energy Consumers. The upcoming demand as illustrated was considerably higher than recent projections have shown, and transmission projects needed to get new generation facilities onto the grid has already created much concern among rural agricultural producers. These challenges must be met with input from all constituents, including landowners and ratepayers.
My final study is scheduled for today, Wednesday, Oct. 30. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee will examine how solar relates to Oklahoma’s allof- the-above approach to energy generation. I want to determine the demand, benefit and potential of upcoming solar generation and battery backup energy projects within our state and possible oversight that may need to accompany them.
This study is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. in Room 206 at the State Capitol, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.
We'll hear from the Oklahoma Deputy Secretary of Energy and Environment as well as the senior director of grid asset utilization with the Southwest Power Pool, the president of the Garfield County Conservation Coalition, the private land supervisor from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, and executives from the Advanced Power Alliance. My goal for this study is to raise awareness on the amount of applications for new Oklahoma generation projects at the SPP and better define our future energy policy in our state. I believe we have gained some valuable lessons the last 20 years with the wind industry in our state that should help us develop a sound solar policy to balance all of our state's resources.
Interim studies are open to the public. This one can be watched online here: Oklahoma House of Representatives. To view this upcoming study or previous ones online, go to the House website, OKHouse.gov. At the top of the page, click on News & Media. Select Live Proceedings from the drop-down menu. On the left side of the page, select Calendar-Day/Month and select the date of the study you wish to view, then look for the name of the committee in which the study is being held or the name of the study.
Please remember, if I can help you with something, do not hesitate to reach out. You also can follow regular updates on my House Facebook page or call or email anytime at (405) 557-7407 o r Mike.Dobrinski@okhous e.gov.
In your service, Mike Dobrinski