Oklahoma is home to an embarrassment of energy riches. It extracts more natural gas each year than 47 other states, it ranks fourth in wind power and it’s the fifth-biggest oil producer. One fuel not in abundance is coal.
So when Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co., sought to extend the life of its 37-year-old Sooner coal plant by spending $500 million on pollution scrubbers, ratepayers scoffed and regulators rejected the idea. But the utility garnered one important ally: Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who successfully intervened on its behalf.