February 2018 archive

PSO Rate Hike Request to Get Corporation Commission Review

A recommendation from an Administrative Law Judge that Public Service Company only get $81.2 million of a nearly $170 million rate hike request goes before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission on Tuesday. The matter is scheduled as part of the Commission’s regular meeting. It was in December when Judge Mary Candler issued her recommendation. She is …

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Date Set for Country’s Largest Oil and Gas Lease Sale

Land in Oklahoma won’t be included, the U.S. Department of Interior plans to hold the country’s largest oil and gas lease sale next month. The government plans to offer 77.3 million acres offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida for oil and gas exploration and development on March 21, 2018. The sale will include all …

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Kansas Legislators Kill Anti-Injection Well Bill….One Blames Oklahoma for Kansas Earthquakes

An effort launched by the Sierra Club to target oil and gas production in a bid to stop earthquakes in eastern Kansas has been killed in a State House committee. House Bill 2641 would have put water limitations on new and existing wastewater injection wells in the state.  The Sierra Club sponsored the measure following …

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Oil Rig Worker Injured Near Piedmont

The Patterson Drilling company could be in store for another federal investigation following a Sunday night incident that left a worker injured at an oil-drilling rig near Piedmont. Patterson is the same company that owned the rig that blew up last month and killed 5 workers near the southeast Oklahoma town of Quinton. The Sunday …

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$600 million Expansion of Google Plant at Pryor

  A $600 million expansion has been announced by Google for its data center near Pryor in northeast Oklahoma. Executives with the company say it is part of a $2.5 billion plan to expand data centers in Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia. Google will construct a new four-story data center where already 400 people …

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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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