July 25, 2018 archive

New Energy Index indicates continued strong growth for Oklahoma oil and gas industry

The latest Oklahoma Energy Index shows the state’s oil and natural  gas industry isn’t letting up in its expansion. Dr. Russell Evans, executive director of the Steven C. Agee Economic Research and Policy Institute, said the ongoing expansion in the state’s primary industry is driving widespread economic growth and stronger than expected fiscal conditions across …

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Environmentalists slam Pruitt and accuse him of going ‘soft’ on Oklahoma oil and gas companies

  Scott Pruitt is no longer head of the Environmental Protection Agency and he’s still  targeted by environmentalists and left-leaning news organizations. The latest report contends he was “soft” on Oklahoma-based oil and gas companies while he ran the EPA and cracked down on firms in other states. The Sierra Club, the Environmental Integrity Project …

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Extreme heat causes more buckling of highways in Oklahoma

The extreme heat in Oklahoma has caused more buckling of highways including the Cimarron turnpike among the latest. At least 16 concrete panels in 11 locations have buckled on the turnpike in recent days, according to Joe Echelle, assistant executive director for engineering and maintenance. “We are hoping for cooler weather,” he told the Tulsa …

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2015 oil tanker derailment leads to more than $2 million in fines for rail company

Railway operator CSX Transportation has agreed to settle for $2.2 million in penalties with the government over the 2015 derailment of an oil tanker that caused a fiery mess in a small West Virginia town. The rail company will pay $1.2 million in penalties to the Environmental Protection Agency and another $1 million to the …

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$115 million in improvements begin at Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport

After a delay, Oklahoma City leaders are moving forward with more than $100 million in improvements to the Will Rogers World Airport. The Airport Trust voted in support of $115 million in revenue bonds to help finance a 5-year capital plan. Work on the terminal project is to begin in early 2019 and should last …

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Open Records court fight still underway over Scott Pruitt’s days as Attorney General

They’re still slugging it out in court in an open records lawsuit filed by the Center for Media and Democracy against former Attorney General Scott Pruitt. The suit was filed in 2017 and now involves a dispute even after current attorney general Mike Hunter’s office has turned over 8,000 documents to the Oklahoma County District …

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Holly Energy Partners considers a new Permian Basin pipeline

Holly Energy Partners, L.P. says it’s considering possible construction of a new pipeline in the Permian Basin. The company has contracted with the engineering firm AECOM to carry out a feasibility study for a potential refined product pipeline from Orla, Texas to Midland, Texas. Holly Energy said it would complement the company’s existing footprint in …

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Settlement offered in Petroleum Storage Tank Indemnity Fund lawsuit filed 4 years ago

The State of Oklahoma might be close to settling a lawsuit filed four years ago against several companies accused of defrauding Oklahoma’s Petroleum Storage tank Division Indemnity Fund. This week, Attorney General Mike Hunter informed the Oklahoma Corporation Commission that after mediation, a settlement had been reached with MRP Properties Company, LLC named in a …

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Dixie Pipeline expands crude oil capacity to meet growing demand

Increased shipper demand has prompted the Dixie Pipeline Company in Houston to expand its crude transportation capacity. It will increase capacity from 58,000 barrels a day up to 90,000 and the project should be on-line in March 2019. It will apply to the westbound transportation capacity carrying oil to Mont Belvieu, Texas. Dixie is an …

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Oklahoma wind farm contractor signs off on deal in Iowa

Another wind farm project built by EDF Renewables North America, a firm with a construction history in Oklahoma, has been sold. This time, in Iowa where MidAmerican Energy Company has closed on a deal to buy the assets associated with the 91-megawatt Ivester Wind Project. The project covers nearly 7,000 acres of land in Grundy …

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