January 2018 archive

Video Shows Moving of Giant Railroad Spans in OKC

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation outdid itself in producing a fast-paced video of the movement of those giant railroad spans that are part of the I-235 construction project in Oklahoma City. While crowds had to wait hours last weekend to watch the slow movement of the spans, the DOT created a time-lapse video of the …

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Oklahoma Congressmen Escape Serious Injuries in Amtrak Crash in Virginia

Oklahoma congressmen who were aboard an Amtrak train when it crashed into a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia on Wednesday escaped serious injury.  The driver of the truck died later from his injuries despite the efforts of congressmen who are also medical professionals. Sen. James Lankford and Representatives Tom Cole, Steve Russell and Frank Lucas …

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Democrats Grilled and Roasted Scott Pruitt in Senate Hearing

If EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt doesn’t think he took a beating Tuesday from Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he took it in news coverage from environmental groups. Here are some of the headlines after Democrats grilled the former Oklahoma Attorney General:  “EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt Fails Another Senate Test,” “Scott Pruitt’s …

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Oklahoma Overcomes Iowa to Become Number 2 for Wind Power Production

Iowa is no longer the No. 2 wind power state in the U.S.  The honor now belongs to Oklahoma, according to the American Wind Energy Association. The Association released figures this week showing Oklahoma had 7,495 megawatts of installed wind power capacity at the end of 2017 and trails only Texas where the capacity totals …

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Selling What Oklahoma Offers for Potential Businesses

What’s there not to like about jet-powered drone-maker Kratos Defense moving operations to Oklahoma? In an editorial on Jan. 31, the Oklahoman writers said they “look forward to a day when the state’s workforce is such that the arrival of high-tech companies becomes the norm.” The writers noted that Congressman Steve Russell, who had early …

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ExxonMobil to Triple Production in Permian Basin by 2025

ExxonMobil says it will triple total daily production in the coming years from its Permian Basin operations in West Texas and New Mexico. The Irving, Texas-based company says production will rise to more than 600,000 oil-equivalent barrels by 2025 while tight oil production from the Delaware and Midland basins will increase five-fold in the same …

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Williams Subsidiary Announces $250 million Note Exchange

One of the subsidiaries of Williams Partners L.P. in Tulsa has announced it’s starting an offer to exchange $250 million in outstanding notes. Northwest Pipeline LLC is offering to exchange any and all of its $250 million in outstanding 4.000% Senior Notes due 2027 for an equal amount of its registered 4.000% Senior Notes due …

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Oil Rebound Helps Increase Traffic at Ports in Oklahoma and Texas

As officials at the Port of Catoosa wonder what 2018 will bring in terms of cargo traffic on the McClellan Kerr Navigation System, one port is already reporting record numbers. Port Houston in Texas is reporting that 2017 was a record year. It reached the highest total tonnage in Port history of 38.3 million tons, …

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Oklahoma DOT Boasts of Improvements in Bridge Safety

Leaders at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation are no doubt anxious as the 2018 session of the Oklahoma Legislature begins in a few days.  That’s because they wonder if funding will be approved to allow the DOT to continue its rate of replacing unsafe bridges. In a release this week, the DOT indicated it has …

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Environmental Group Targets Pruitt and His Administrators

Some of the environmental groups are pulling no punches in their attacks against former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, now the man in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency. Take the case of the Environmental Defense Fund which accuses him of leading the “Trump administration’s assault on public health.” Its website features a headline, “Pruitt’s …

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