The EPA has announced a settlement with Macy’s over violations of hazardous waste regulations and as part of the agreement, training programs will be launched in Oklahoma and Texas. Macy’s agreed to correct the violations and said it will develop a program with the capacity to train 400 retailers in the two states. It will …
October 2017 archive
Osage County Wind Farm Fight Sees Another Challenge
The fight over a wind farm in Osage County took another step this week when the Osage Minerals Council argued the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong in staying a ruling that said the wind farm operators should have obtained a mineral lease before starting construction. In a filing with the Denver Federal …
Activist Says Starting a Riot Was Justified to Protect the Environment
An American Indian activist charged with inciting a riot during the protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline claims he will use a “necessity defense” in justifying his civil disobedience last year. Chase Iron Eyes will take his argument before a judge on Nov. 3 after pleading not guilty to inciting a riot and criminal …
Tracking Pipeline Vandalism
Days after Oklahoma Congressmen Frank Lucas and Markwayne Mullin and 78 others in the House expressed concern about the safety of America’s pipelines, a new database was released by Energy Builders that tracks criminal attacks on the energy infrastructure. Called the Energy Infrastructure Incident Reporting Center, the project’s unveiling came after members of the House …
Inhofe Pleased With Senate Committee Approval of EPA Nominees
Oklahoma’s senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, praised the committee approval of four nominees for positions at the Environmental Protection Agency and the nomination of Paul Trombino III to be Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, according to a press release issued Wednesday. “I am pleased …
Third Quarter Dividend Announced by ONEOK
Tulsa-based ONEOK’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of 74.5 cents per share effective for the third quarter of 2017, according to a company press release issued Wednesday. The annualized dividend has reached $2.98 per share. The dividend is unchanged from the previous quarter when it was increased 13 cents per share, or 21 …
Oil Settles Lower on Wednesday as Data Reveals Crude Supply Jump
Oil futures settled slightly lower on Wednesday as domestic crude supplies rose for the first time in five weeks, according to Bloomberg MarketWatch. December West Texas Intermediate crude fell 29 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $52.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. December Brent crude, the global benchmark, edged up by 11 cents, or …
Robert Redford Charges Pruitt Isn’t Protecting the Environment
Add actor Robert Redford to the growing list of those critical of Scott Pruitt, the former Oklahoma Attorney General who now runs the Environmental Protection Agency. Writing this week in Time magazine, Redford accused Pruitt of being “hell-bent” on not protecting the environment. Here is what he wrote: Forty-seven years ago, none other than President Richard …
Van Crash Injures Several Halliburton Workers Near Calumet
At least five people were hurt Wednesday morning when a Halliburton van overturned and crashed on a Canadian County road. Reports by News 9 indicated eight people were in the van when it crashed around 6:20 a.m. near 164th and Calumet Road. The vehicle rolled several times. At least one of the injured was flown …
Daring Move by Amazon CEO to Launch Texas Wind Farm
Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos recently climbed atop a wind tower in west Texas to smash a bottle of champagne and christen the start of a wind farm that will provide power to his huge company. As the Dallas Morning News reported, Bezo launched the 253-megawatt Amazon Wind Farm Texas in Scurry County. His company has …