Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma President Brook A. Simmons released the following statement following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that it will eliminate federal greenhouse gas emissions requirements for coal- and natural gas-fired power plants:

This move by the Trump Administration restores the rule of law at EPA. It is good news for ratepayers, Oklahoma’s budget, the U.S. natural gas industry, and electric utilities serving customers statewide. It allows utilities to make power generation decisions based on reliability instead of pushing them toward intermittent, weather-dependent generation.

Oklahoma has abundant, affordable, clean-burning natural gas resources to provide reliable, around-the-clock electricity. Greater use of natural gas means more investment in our state, greater demand for Oklahoma-produced energy, and a stronger, more dependable electric grid.

I applaud Administrator Zeldin and his entire team for this move.

ABOUT THE PETROLEUM ALLIANCE – The Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma is the only trade association in Oklahoma that represents every segment of the oil and natural gas industry, representing more than 1,700 individual and member companies engaged in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the state’s defining industry.