Oklahoma pushes forward on climate change plan despite missing out on federal grant

Dale Denwalt, The Oklahoman
·3 min read

Despite turning in a detailed plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Oklahoma missed out on a share of nearly $5 billion in federal grants to accomplish these goals.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced 25 awards across the nation, which will fund charging infrastructure for zero-emission freight trucks, incentives to support 19,000 new megawatts of solar and wind power and over $1 billion for energy efficient homes. Money also will be spent on reducing emissions from industry and protecting coastal and forest lands.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, the state submitted its own grant request and cooperated on another five proposals with coalition partners. None were selected for funding by the Biden Administration.

The effort wasn't in vain, however.

To apply for the grant, Oklahoma developed a 236-page Priority Action Plan that details the state's path to "pollution reduction and energy growth." Over six months, state officials met with focus groups, Indigenous tribes, industry, local governments and schools to identify projects that will reduce or slow the growth of climate pollution.

"While those (projects) were not funded, DEQ continues to work towards the goals outlined in the Priority Action Plan," said DEQ Director of Communications Erin Hatfield.

Oklahoma's 'all of the above' strategy

While Oklahoma is well known for over a century of oil and gas drilling, the state has proactively tried to diversify its energy production in recent years while acknowledging the need to reduce emissions.

Gov. Kevin Stitt has repeatedly invoked an "all of the above" strategy for energy production, which includes wind power, hydro and geothermal power, solar and other technologies.

More: For Gov. Kevin Stitt, climate change is less threat and more business opportunity

In its Priority Action Plan, DEQ identified several ways that Oklahoma could reduce carbon emissions. One notable technology mentioned several times in the state's plan is the use of hydrogen as a fuel. State officials tried in the past to snag federal funds for a tri-state hydrogen hub with Louisiana and Arkansas that would have led to the development of refining and transportation infrastructure. That plan wasn't funded either.

Employment in Oklahoma's "clean energy" economy grew by over 6% last year, according to federal statistics compiled by advocacy group E2. That includes a wide range of careers in multiple sectors that are focused on alternate forms of energy production and manufacturing of energy efficient products.

By supporting renewable energy and emission reduction, however, Oklahoma is tiptoeing the climate change line.

While agencies and officials support these goals, lawmakers also have tried to curtail the influence of corporate ESG (environmental, social and governance) policies, which refers to a business strategy that considers environmental impacts when making investment decisions. ESG opponents say that adopting this kind of policy discriminates against the oil and gas industry, one of the pillars of Oklahoma's economy.

Their efforts led to a 2022 law that created a blacklist of banks and financial institutions banned from doing business with state agencies and cities.

Oklahoma's emission-reduction goals

Here are the projects Oklahoma hopes to implement as part of its climate pollution reduction plan:

More: Read Oklahoma's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant - Priority Action Plan (PDF)

  • Transportation: Build an electric and hydrogen refueling network for medium and heavy duty trucks; promote asphalt material reuse

  • Electric power: Support the development of solar farms; increase voltage capacity to the electricity grid, which Oklahoma says would allow the addition of more renewable sources

  • Industry: Support emission-reduction upgrades to oil and gas operations; support the development of Oklahoma's hydrogen economy; support increasing ammonia production and carbon dioxide capture and storage; support renewable sources of energy for tire manufacturing

  • Agriculture: Support existing sustainable farming practices; incentivize the reforestation of disturbed lands and fund tree-planting programs

  • Commercial/residential: Incentivize installation of solar systems and battery storage; support for energy efficiency programs; upgrade streetlights to LEDs

  • Waste management: Incentivize collection of methane produced by landfills; support efficiency upgrades to municipal wastewater facilities

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Feds decline funding for Oklahoma's climate pollution reduction plan