Oklahoma Senate Passes Bill Protecting Citizens From High Utility

This past February Oklahoma saw one of the worst winter storms we've ever seen. It wreaked havoc all across the state with freezing temperatures, snow, ice and just about everything else Mother Nature could throw at us. Everyone struggled to keep warm and safe, it was an historic winter storm and we're still recovering from it. What's weird is how late in the season it came. Who gets 4-6 inches of snow and below zero temperatures in mid February, Oklahoma that's who! Like they say "If you don' like the weather in Oklahoma, just give it a minute or two." We've seen more than our fair share of crazy weather patterns, but this one was beyond ridiculous! Just glad we're warming up, Spring is finally here and Summer's coming.

Once the storm ended most people became very concerned about what it was going to cost them and how much more their utility (electric and gas) bills were going to go up. We heard all kinds of crazy rumors of gas and electric bills being around $1,500 or more for some people due to the strain and amount of use on available energy during the storm. I didn't adjust my thermostat, at least not for more heat as we all heard about high bills and how the state and utility companies were struggling to keep up with the demand. There were even rolling blackouts to avoid a total disruption of power to some areas.

The increased energy cost in the state was phenomenal, were' talking over 4 billion dollars all caused by the winter storm. Luckily the Oklahoma Senate has passed a few bills recently to help Oklahomans, protecting them from going broke from trying to pay their electric/gas bills. SB 1049 and SB 1050 have both passed the Senate and are expected to head to the House soon. Once voted on and approved by the House it will head to the Governor's desk for final approval and signature. The bills basically allow customers to pay out balances and not be expected to pay significant increases. Instead it will spread it out over the next 10 years or so.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.