December 2017 archive

Lower Utility Taxes—Will They Translated into Savings for Customers?

While Democrats argued in Congress that the tax reform bill was for the wealthy, a review of the drop in corporate taxes shows Oklahoma utility consumers could see real benefits. As figured by Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony, it’s possible the state’s 4 major utilities, OG and E, ONG, Empire and PSO would pay nearly …

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Anthony Says Court Ruling Okayed Bribery in State Government

“I guess the Supreme Court just ruled that bribery’s okay.” It’s the reaction of Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony to the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling upholding a 1989 rate case where a then-commissioner had taken a bribe from Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. “It’s a sad day for Oklahoma when the state’s highest court can’t even …

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Supreme Court Upholds Bribed Corporation Commission Vote Again

The Oklahoma Supreme court has again struck down the efforts of some consumers seeking $16 billion in refunds from AT&T over a bribed Corporation Commission vote in 1989. With one dissenting vote, the justices ruled they had previously ruled against the issue on other occasions and did again this time. They upheld a decision by …

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State Regulators Reviewing Deadly Gas Rules After Complaints Near Dover

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has started reviewing its rules on deadly and poisonous gas from oil wells following complaints over incidents around one well near Dover in Kingfisher County. As E and E reporter Mike Soraghan recently found, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is also investigating. Residents in Dover have growing concerns after a …

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Arkansas Fights FERC Ruling on Entergy Payments

Arkansas has taken its fight against a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruling to the D.C. Circuit court. The Arkansas Public Service Commission is still fighting a FERC decision earlier in the year that Entergy Arkansas Inc. should not have to make millions of dollars in “bandwidth payments.” Oral arguments were heard Friday in Washington D.C. …

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Large Gasoline Inventory Keeps Oil Prices at Bay

While gasoline inventories across the U.S. continued to swell with the approaching holiday, oil prices just can’t seem to get out of the mire they’re stuck in. West Texas Intermediate crude closed Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $57.30, an increase of 26-cents a barrel for the day or just under half of …

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Oklahoma Rig Count Stays Steady

While the U.S. oil and gas rig count slipped by one in the past week, Oklahoma’s count remained at 121. Reports from Baker Hughes Co. and the Independent Oil and Gas Service show the national count is 930. The count includes a drop of 4 oil rigs to 747 while the number of gas-drilling rigs …

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12,000 barrels of Oil a Day from 8 Continental Resources Wells in STACK

  Oklahoma’s STACK has given Harold Hamm and his Continental Resources an early Christmas gift in the form of 8 Blaine County wells with production on each well ranging from a thousand barrels a day all the way up to more than 2,400 barrels a day. As reflected in the latest well completion reports listed …

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Clean Air Act on the Chopping Block

If the regulatory agenda announced this week by President Trump are carried out, the Clean Air Act so strongly fought by Scott Pruitt when he was Oklahoma Attorney General will be history in ten years. In short, the plan is on the chopping block. “We’re lifting restrictions on American energy, and we’ve ended the war …

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Stigler Among Cities Helped With $40 million in Support from USDA

The USDA’s highlighting the $40 million in financial support it gave to communities and states in the past year including $1 million to the city of Stigler. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue aid the millions were used to help construct or improve infrastructure and boost economic growth in rural communities. The money for Stigler went to …

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