Lawton Youth Policy Summit

The Future of Energy in Oklahoma;  The Next 50 Years

Great Plains Technology Center 

November 16-20th, 2009

Keystone Science School’s Youth Policy Summits (YPS) provide students with a unique training and preparatory experience that engages a contemporary, science-intensive policy issue. Their experience provides them with the research, negotiation, problem solving, and policy analysis skills they will need to be successful in their future endeavors as scientists, lawyers, doctors and business professionals.

In partnership with the Great Plains technology Center  Keystone Science School will conduct a Youth Policy Summit in 2009 focused on Teh Future of Energy in Oklahoma. Keystone will work with Great Plains to select 40 students from teh Lawton school system and the surrounding communities to participate in this program. Participating students will be asked to negotiate consensus-based recommendations for their respective Governors, state legislatures, and leaders in the business and non-profit sectors.

The Future of Energy in Oklahoma Summit is particularly timely. A climate bill recently passed in the House of Representatives, and the Senate will likely produce its own bill this fall. It is expected that some form of carbon controls will be enacted in the very near future. In the meantime, states are taking the lead; Oklahoma has an opportunity to become a leader on a balanced energy portfolio approach that can minimize impacts from its coal and gas use, and can increase other forms of energy, such as wind and solar power, and reduce energy demand at the same time. All these choices will result in fewer carbon emissions to the atmosphere, but every choice also has economic and social implications. Students will consider options to diversify Oklahoma’s energy sources and reduce greenhouse gases, while balancing political, economic, technological, health, environmental and social factors.