Beverly Photo, Davenport

Federal Grants Reverse Oklahoma Coal Plant Retirements as Critics Warn of Higher Bills

The Grand River Dam Authority had a plan: retire its last coal unit in Chouteau this year and replace it with a new natural gas facility. That plan is now shelved, courtesy of a $28.5 million federal grant from the Trump administration.

As Paul Monies reported, GRDA and Oklahoma Gas and Electric are among 12 coal-generating plants nationally to receive grants from a $500 million Trump initiative to keep the domestic coal industry running. OG&E’s Sooner plant in Red Rock will receive $22.5 million for technology upgrades at two coal units dating to 1979 and 1980.

The Trump administration is using the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law, to fund the projects and ordering coal plants to keep generating electricity under emergency provisions of the Federal Power Act.

GRDA’s own vice president of generation operations said in 2023 that Unit 2 was uninsurable, faced maximum regulatory uncertainty and carried the highest expense across the entire GRDA fleet. The authority did not respond to questions about the reversal.

Clean energy advocates say the grants will ultimately cost ratepayers more than they save. OG&E acknowledged it will seek rate recovery for its $35.2 million share of the Sooner project and said the federal grant would reduce, but not eliminate, the cost to customers. The utility also said the project will not directly address pending nitrogen oxide emissions regulations that it has estimated could cost up to $2.8 billion to comply with across its coal fleet.

More worth knowing:

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Overpass Plan Raises Ire A proposal to build a bridge for vehicle traffic over two railroad lines that cut through Wagoner’s downtown is drawing criticism from the city’s mayor. [Tulsa World ▲]

Tulsa Wants to Make Improvement Program Permanent Tulsa is establishing a permanent program to bring improvements to neighborhoods following initial positive results — and city officials want to bring more residents into the fold. [Oklahoma Eagle]

Jackson Lahmeyer: From Fringe to Frontrunner Pastors for Trump helped the leader of a storefront church deepen his relationship with the president and mobilize evangelical voters. The effort helped transform him from a political outsider to a congressional contender. [The Frontier]

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The Neosho madtom — a catfish so small it fits in a human palm — exists in only a handful of clean, gravel-bottomed stream segments in northeastern Oklahoma and neighboring states, making it one of the rarest fish in North America.

Ciao for now,

Ted Streuli Executive Director, Oklahoma Watch tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org