A moratorium on wind farms in the eastern half of the state passed Wednesday in the Oklahoma Senate.

Senate Bill 1440, by Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, passed 32-8 after no debate.

The bill places a moratorium on new wind farm developments east of Interstate 35 until 2017. It limits the moratorium to those areas where the wind potential is less than fair, according to a 2008 map by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Sen. Rick Brinkley, R-Owasso, presented the bill for Bingman. Brinkley said the bill was met “by a little bit of opposition” and is still a work in progress.