February 16, 2018 archive

Republican State Auditor Gets Support of Democrats in Budget Solution

Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones is a Republican running for Governor. Yet in the past week, he attracted the support of the Democrats in the State House, Democrats who blocked the Step Up Oklahoma plan to hike taxes. How did he do it?  Compromise he said in an interview with OK Energy Today. …

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Rig Count Steady in U.S. and Growing in Oklahoma

The oil and gas rig count in Oklahoma jumped by 5 in the past week to reach 123 while nationally, the count was unchanged and remained at 975. Baker Hughes Co. of Houston reported the U.S. added 7 oil rigs in the pat week to reach 798 while the number of gas rigs fell by …

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One Year on the Job for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt

Former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt observed his first year as EPA Administrator over the weekend.  It was a year ago Saturday when he took over the job in the Donald Trump presidency. As Politico’s Morning Energy Report indicated, it wasn’t necessarily a happy occasion. “HARSH WORDS MARK END OF YEAR ONE: Saturday marks one year …

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Could it be an Ill Wind Blowing Against PSO’s Wind Farm Project?

The recent recommendation by an Administrative Law Judge at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission against pre-approval of PSO’s massive Panhandle wind farm indicates the utility could present serious challenges in going before the full commission. In other words, PSO could be going against the wind. As OK Energy Today reported earlier, Judge Mary Candler determined Public …

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Laredo Petroleum Launches $200 million Repurchasing Move

Tulsa-based Laredo Petroleum, Inc. announced it has started a $200 million share repurchase program. The board of directors approved the decision this week and indicating the timing, number and value of shares repurchased will be at the discretion of management and the board. It will also depend on market conditions, business conditions and the trading …

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LINN Energy Moves Ahead with More Asset Divestiture But Not Its Oklahoma Operations

LINN Energy’s announced it’s selling its west Texas properties for $119.5 million as it continues with divesting some of its properties in the wake of bankruptcy. The sale includes 28,000 net acres with 2017 net production of 6,300 BOE/d. The Houston, Texas firm, with big operations in Oklahoma did not disclose the identity of the …

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Waynoka Oklahoma Shaking With More Earthquakes

Regulators at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey no doubt are scratching their heads over the series of earthquakes that rattled northwest Oklahoma this week. Most happened around the town of Waynoka in Woods County where some of the first actions were taken a few years ago by the state …

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More State Agency Budget Cuts Are Coming in Oklahoma

Days after the state House in Oklahoma defeated Step Up Oklahoma’s tax hike plan to fix the government budget crisis, legislators approved a move to cut state agency budgets by 2 percent through June. Legislators could not get support on Monday to increase taxes on oil and gas, fuel and cigarettes, so a Joint Committee …

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Senate Leader Calls For More Diversified State Economy

In the latest Oklahoma Economic Report from the State Treasurer, Senate leader Mike Schulz says while he is a strong supporter of the Oklahoma energy industry, the state still needs to diversify its economy. Writing in a guest commentary, the Senate President Pro Tempore said, “Oklahoma has more to offer than just oil, natural gas …

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HollyFrontier Declares Quarterly Dividend

A quarterly dividend of 33 cents a share has been declared by Dallas-based HollyFrontier Corporation, the firm with refineries in Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah.. The Board of Directors of the firm announced the dividend will be payable on March 14, 2018 to those holding shares on Feb. 28, 2018. The company’s operations …

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