By Journalist Kennedy Thomason (OSU)
Oklahoma’s birds are now safer.
The “Safer Streetlights” act, SWOSU-501, passed in the House Friday evening. The bill would require all street lights and billboards to change their lights from LED to warm light.
Rep. Gregory (SWOSU) said the current installed lights pose a threat to Oklahoma’s bird population.
“Artificial lighting can be a severe threat to wildlife,” Gregory said. “For hundreds of years, regular lighting has had damaging effects on wildlife by disturbing their natural behavior.”
The bill defines warm light as “a light or light bulb with a color temperature below 3000 Kelvin, consisting of shades of color ranging from red, orange, yellow, and a warm white glow.”
LED lights have a rating of 4,000 Kelvin, according to natalebuilders.com.
This makes LEDs appear much brighter to the human eye.
Gregory said warm lights will provide as much visibility as LEDs do.
Warm lights can be perceived as emitting less light than LEDs, as LEDs can make details sharper to the eye, according to reolink.com.
The bill states that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation would be responsible for replacing all of the lights.
If a city or county does not abide by the law, they would be subject to a fine of $500 per LED street light. The maximum fine would be set for $10,000 for each month that the lights are not changed. All fines would be paid to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
But the primary concern for Rep. Gregory is protecting birds.
LED lights attract birds and can cause them to become disoriented, according to the Environmental Evidence Journal.
The bill, which will now move on to be heard in the Senate, would impact all cities and counties in Oklahoma.
Gregory said concern for the safety of birds is central to the point of the bill.
“Oklahoma is under a major migratory airway,” Gregory said. “Each year billions of migratory birds become blinded or disoriented when… they are trying to make the journey across the continent.”