The Oklahoma Environmental Quality Board meets this week for the first time in 2022 and at hand will be a number of steps to update rules and regulations covering a variety of issues. The Friday morning meeting in Oklahoma City will include regulatory amendments covering Radiation Management, Air Pollution Control, Hazardous Waste Management, Brownfields, …
Utilities to spy on electric customers for commercial pot growing?
A bill filed in the Oklahoma legislature by Shawnee Sen. Shane Jett would in effect have utilities spy on commercial medical marijuana growers and report high electrical usage to state regulators who in turn could notify law agencies. Senate Bill 1775 would require an electric utility to monitor and report suspicious usage data from a …
Headlines of other energy stories
** Duke Energy plans to work with BMW of North America, Ford Motor Co., General Motors and American Honda Motor Co. Inc. to recruit 200 electric vehicle owners for the pilot. ** US natural gas producer EQT says prices are surging due to lack of adequate pipeline structure. CEO Toby Rice suggested the fix to high natural gas …
Biofuel industry still contends ethanol is good for the climate
Backers of the biofuel industry aren’t saying much about a scientific study that claims ethanol is a bigger contributor to global warming than straight gasoline. Instead, the industry is hoping to persuade Congress that the nation’s renewable fuel mandates being reviewed by the Biden administration are good for farmers, national security and the environment …
Inhofe’s nuclear waste point made by ongoing fight in New Mexico
High lighting Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe’s recent lament that the U.S. should do more to find a permanent solution to storage of nuclear waste is what’s happening in New Mexico and Texas. Inhofe outlined his complaint at a recent Senate Committee hearing, as OK Energy Today reported earlier this week. But such a …
Roughneck shortage in Permian could affect production
A report by industry consultants Evercore ISI says producers in the Permian Basin, the nation’s most prolific source of crude oil could be faced with a shortage of labor—specifically “roughnecks.” Evercore called them “significant challenges” that producers could face reported Bloomberg. Click here for Bloomberg
Devon share sale clarified
A story OK Energy Today carried this week about the reported sale of $18 million in shares by Devon executives was clarified by a company spokeswoman. “I think you must know that the “sale” that you reported is not a sale of shares, but simply Devon retaining shares to cover the tax withholdings for …
4Q earnings show 2021 was a “breakout” year for Devon Energy
No wonder Devon Energy leaders called 2021 a “breakout year.” The company reported net earnings of $1.15 billion or $2.23 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of the year leaving leadership excited about the prospects for 2022. Adjusting for items analysts typically exclude from estimates, the company’s core earnings were $935 million, or $1.39 …
Crude prices drop 3% as Russia removes some troops near Ukraine
A possible de-escalation of the tension between Moscow and Europe sent crude oil prices tumbling more than 3% and more than $3 a barrel in Tuesday’s trading. The retreat from a seven-year high came after Russia’s Putin claimed some of the military units gathered along the border of Ukraine were returning to their bases. …
Other energy headlines
** Louisiana officials are investigating the cause of a massive methane cloud that was spotted on satellite imagery, Bloomberg reports. A plume of the gas — the highest concentration of the powerful greenhouse gas spotted by the satellite in the U.S. since October — was detected on Jan. 21. ** Wind energy advocates say a series of bills …
