January 2021 archive

Texas legislators faced with $1 billion budget hole due to energy downturn

  Just as Oklahoma legislators have to face dwindling income from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on oil and gas, Texas legislators have to deal with a nearly $1 billion hole in their budget. Glenn Hegar, the Texas Comptroller revealed this week that the state of Texas is nearly $946 million in the red for the …

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Solar energy to power city buildings in Greenwood, Arkansas

  Greenwood, Arkansas, a city of about 9,000 and located just east of the Oklahoma state line and southeast of Fort Smith will power its municipal buildings with renewable energy. Greenwood has signed a partnership with Scenic Hill Solar based in Little rock to construction two solar power plants to supply electricity to the city. …

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Xcel Energy consumers are asked to pay for wind power expansion in New Mexico

  Xcel Energy’s running into some opposition to its plan to increase power rates in Southeast New Mexico as it tries to recover the costs of expanding wind power in the state. The company wants a 9.2% increase so it can recover millions of dollars spent on new substations and power lines along with its …

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EPA mum about who’ll get biofuel mandate waivers this year

  In light of the move by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the biofuel blending challenges by the Wynnewood Refinery Co. in Oklahoma, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to soon announce exemptions to other refiners from the requirements. POLITICO reported this week that the Energy Department undertook a reevaluation of the 32 petitions …

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Energy news in brief

** A North Dakota lawmaker says moratoria on utility-scale wind projects in three counties is a futile attempt to save coal jobs and could harm the future of various agricultural enterprises reported the Duluth News Tribune. ** Utah has joined a lawsuit opposing a California city’s rejection of a coal export terminal reported the Salt Lake Tribune. ** A watchdog group is opposing renewal of …

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Solar industry is booming in upper Midwest

  While Oklahoma’s solar industry has yet to see much momentum, other states are seeing fast growth. Such as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio where solar industry activity abounds and cities and counties are taking advantage of the growth. Here are a few stories reported today about the state’s solar activities. The Energy News Network reported …

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Company challenging frac mining ban won’t get Supreme Court chance

  A frac mining company in Minnesota lost an attempt this week to have the U.S. Supreme Court hear its argument against a Minnesota county ordinance that banned frac sand for frac purposes in the oil and gas industry. The high court denied the petition of Minnesota Sands LLC which filed suit in 2017 challenging …

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Somebody’s gotta pay for a major highway goof in Colorado!

  A huge Interstate 70 renovation in Denver, Colorado is not only going to take a year longer than planned but cost another $150 million beyond the $1.2 billion original price. Taxpayers will be left footing some of the bill according to a report by the news website, Out There Colorado. Click here for story …

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State of American Energy to be reviewed by API

    While Congress races to impeach President Trump a second time, the American Petroleum Institute is focused on energy and the U.S.  economy and will reveal its plans Wednesday. The API will hold its annual State of American Energy virtual event on Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. Central Time where its leaders will discuss …

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Cushing is a target of many of the longest pipelines in the US

  When it comes to some of the longest oil and natural gas pipelines in the U.S., many pass through Oklahoma, unloading oil at the Cushing tank farms or being transferred to the Gulf Coast refineries. The Overland Pass Pipeline, operated by ONEOK and Williams, both of Oklahoma is considered to be the 5th longest …

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