Why Oklahoma Should Reject CO2 Sequestration

Dr. Jordan Peterson’s words cut through the climate hysteria with a truth that resonates in Oklahoma’s heartland: CO2 isn’t the villain it’s made out to be.

“If there’s more carbon dioxide the plants can close their breathing pores more and they don’t lose water and so not only is there 20 percent more vegetation, which is a lot. I think it’s twice the area of the United States that’s greened. That’s a lot of green. And where our agricultural production is more effective. And the places that have greened were the very places that the deserts were supposed to expand into. And so, right, because they’ve greened, they’ve shrunk, not grown,” he said — Dr. Jordan Peterson on the Joe Rogan Podcast (1:11:01 through 1:14:30)

In a state that powers America with oil, gas, and wind, the federal government’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 is a bloated overreach, funneling billions into green energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS). This subsidy-soaked scheme clashes with Oklahoma’s free-market ethos, squandering taxpayer dollars on CO2 sequestration, a costly dead end that ignores the natural benefits of CO2 in greening the planet and boosting agriculture. Conservatives across the Sooner State are demanding an end to federal meddling and a return to innovation-driven prosperity.

Updated: This year, legislators provided more than $1 billion in appropriations to Oklahoma colleges and universities. That negates any need for tuition increases. The question is whether university leaders will admit it. To that point, as of this writing, NOT happening at the University of Oklahoma, but the OSU/A&M Board of Regents today voted to keep tuition and mandatory academic fees flat for a fourth consecutive year at Oklahoma State University.

College leaders don’t always have a good track record of prioritizing affordability.