When President Obama announced his Clean Power Plan to cut power plant emissions, he enraged Oklahoma leaders. But researchers and officials now say that the effort to could create new opportunities in Oklahoma, reports StateImpact.
Obama’s plan has three parts. First, it would reduce air pollution from existing plants. This could force hundreds of coal-fired plants to close. Second, the plan would place steep emission limits on new plants. The third part requires states to meet a specific reduction goal.
It’s this third part that could prove a boon to Oklahoma. As a result of the requirement, demand for natural gas and renewable energy would very likely increase. Oklahoma ranks fourth nationally in both wind power capacity and natural gas production. The new law could create investment certainty for some utilities and for their shareholders.