March 23, 2018 archive

Congressman Declares Victory Against Privatization of FAA Air Traffic Control

Saying airspace in the U.S. belongs to “we the people”, Oklahoma congressman Steve Russell reports a victory in the fight against those who wanted to privatize the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System. He made the announcement this week in a newsletter to constituents. After leading a long and hard-fought battle against proposed privatization of our …

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Appeals Court Upholds Oklahoman’s Lawsuit Against Dredging Operations in Mayes County

Oklahoman David Benham’s lawsuit that accused a sand and gravel company of illegally discharge dredge and fill material into an Oklahoma Creek has been upheld by the Denver Federal Appeals Court. The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his citizen lawsuit against Ozark Materials  River Rock Company in which the firm was accused of …

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Rig Count Drops in Oklahoma but Grows Nationally

The latest oil  and gas drilling rig counts show an increase nationally but a decline in Oklahoma. The Baker Hughes Co. of Houston reported the national  count grew by 5 in the past week to reach 995.  The count included 4 more oil rigs to reach 804 and the addition of one gas drilling rig …

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Tulsa Engineering Firm Wins $150 million Navy Contract

  Tulsa-based Ross Group has won a $150 million contract to do engineering work for the Navy installations in the southwestern part of the U.S. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest was one of three firms chosen to carry out engineering, procurement and construction services.  The work will be performed on military installations in the …

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Drought Intensifies in NW Oklahoma Where Hopes Are High for Weekend Rain Relief

  While the weekend forecast called for possible rain, northwest Oklahoma’s drought is growing. The Oklahoma Mesonet reports the far northwest and the eastern parts of the Panhandle are in the worst category, “Exceptional Drought.”  More than 8 percent of the state fits into the classification compared to zero just three months ago. From the …

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Phillips 66 Partners to Release First Quarter Earnings Report in April

Phillips 66 Partners plans to release its first-quarter 2018 financial results in about a month. The Houston company announced it will make known the results on Friday, April 27. The results will be released early in the day and the company will follow it up with a conference call later in the day after 1 …

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A $55,000 SNAFU at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture

For those taxpayers who wonder about the efficiency of their own Oklahoma state government, they have been handed yet another head-scratching incident. A SNAFU is what one state official called it. And we all know what SNAFU means. The Oklahoma Agriculture Department admits it owes $55,000 to another state agency but it can’t figure out …

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Pruitt’s EPA Travel Expenses Pale to Those of Gina McCarthy and Lisa Jackson

The conservative political website Hot Air has decided it’s time to compare the travel expenses of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt with those of his predecessors. The website’s reporters did some comparison of the expenses that Pruitt, the former Oklahoma Attorney General has run up in his first year in office.  While national news organizations have …

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