Oklahoma Treasurer Ken Miller announced Tuesday that March gross receipts for the state grew 7.4 percent compared to a year ago marking 12 straight months of an increase in revenues. Tax revenue on oil and gas played a role in the growth. Miller indicated gross production taxes on oil and natural gas brought in $72.8 …
April 2018 archive
Scott Pruitt’s Job on the Line at the White House
One Washington D-C news group maintains the White House is closer than ever to perhaps firing Scott Pruitt as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Politico says it’s learned White House chief of staff John Kelly had considered dumping the former Oklahoma Attorney General over Pruitt’s travel expenses. But Kelly wants to be sure and …
Pipeline System Hacked
Operations of Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company in Oklahoma weren’t affected but a cyber attack is blamed for causing problems with the electronic communication system owned by Energy Transfer Partners LP and its major U.S. pipeline network. The network includes Panhandle Eastern along with Transwestern Pipeline Co. and Rover Pipeline LLC. The attack happened Monday morning …
Pruitt Announces Rollback of Auto Emissions Standards
Scott Pruitt’s latest ethics issue over renting a Washington D-C condo from an energy lobbyist didn’t stop him this week from announcing a change in the nation’s fuel emissions standards. In doing so, he also took a swipe at the Obama administration and its EPA. “The Obama Administration’s determination was wrong,” said Pruitt about the …
Sierra Club Blasts Anti-Wind Legislators For Creating “a few bad bills”
The Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club is critical of some anti-wind bills floating through the legislature. “This legislative session has been a doozy,” said Chapter Director Johnson Bridgwater in an email alert to followers. “While many attacks against the wind industry have been defeated, there are still a few bad bills making their way …
ConocoPhillips Wraps up Purchases in Permian, Louisiana and Canada
ConocoPhillips says it closed or entered definitive agreements for nearly $250 million in proceeds from the sale of non-core assets in the first quarter of 2018. In an update on disposition activities, the Houston company with major operations in Bartlesville said several small packages were also closed during the quarter in the Permian Basin. Another …
$1 billion Deal Finalized for Energy Transfer Equity
A more than $1 billion deal has been finalized between Dallas-based Energy Transfer Equity and Energy Transfer Partners L.P. and USA Compression Partners LP of Austin, Texas. USAC is known as one of the nation’s largest independent providers of compression services and paid $1.232 billion in cash for Energy Transfer’s CDM compression business. The final …
Two Workers Hurt in Pulling Unit Fire near Wewoka
An investigation is underway after an explosion and fire injured two workers on a pulling unit over a well site near Wewoka on Monday. The fire burned much of the rig and the two workers were rushed to local hospitals. One was medi-flighted, according to the Seminole County sheriff’s office. The unit was at a …
Oil Prices Take Another Downward Skid
Monday saw an extension of a drop in oil prices as they slipped by at least 3 percent in trading. Why? Experts say geopolitical concerns that were behind last week’s rally faded. West Texas Intermediate crude ended the day down $2.09 or 3 percent at $62.85 a barrel for May futures on the New York …
Energy Firms’ Fight Over “Trade” Secrets Leads to Texas Court Ruling
A legal fight between two energy companies over trade secrets has led to a Texas Supreme Court denial of a request from Terra Energy Partners LLC to force the defendant to reveal which trade secrets were allegedly stolen. The case stems from a 2016 lawsuit by Sanchez Oil and Gas Corporation which accused Terra Energy …