Jim Roth: Oklahoma renewable energy projects face tougher rules than oil and gas

Attorney Jim Roth of Phillips Murrah Law Firm joined Scott Mitchell on this week’s Hot Seat to discuss the growing tension between fossil fuel operations, renewable energy projects, and how Oklahoma lawmakers are navigating private property rights.

Uneven rules for energy projects

Roth said renewable projects like wind and solar face stricter setbacks than oil and gas operations.

“For example, a lot of the proposals out at the legislature for setbacks and even the current law for wind energy. requires a 1.5 nautical setback from public airports, from hospitals, and from schools,” Roth said. “Nothing like that exists on the oil and gas side.”

Lawmakers have been debating new restrictions on renewable projects, including solar farms and energy storage facilities, raising questions about how far new developments should be located from homes or occupied structures. Roth urged caution.

“My prayer for our legislature is to be a good carpenter, right? Measure twice, only cut once,” Roth said. “We don't want to harm private rights. We don't want to cause danger around people.”

Political extremes and public frustration

Mitchell noted that recent disputes over energy development reflect the chaos of a political environment where ideas swing from one extreme to another. Roth agreed, adding that most Oklahomans aren’t engaged in the political noise.

“I think 80 percent of the public that’s in the middle is too busy to be on Facebook ranting with internet science,” Roth said. “I know a lot of Oklahomans who are working hard to get by. They may have two jobs, kids in daycare, and it's an expensive reality. Inflation is on the move, still upward, unfortunately."

"The idea that politics has gotten strange is because I think people feel like they're keyboard warriors that sit behind a screen anonymously and can say whatever they want without any accountability," Roth said. "That sometimes creates this false crescendo of noise, and the policymakers are like, 'Oh, I need to react to that.”

Roth emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation on energy and property rights issues, saying progress is best made when lawmakers focus on practical solutions rather than online rhetoric.