March 2018 archive

Denver Oilfield Firm Carried Out Major Expansion in 2017

Talk about a good year for an energy company! How about Denver, Colorado-based Liberty Oilfield Services Inc and how 2017 turned out for the firm. It doubled its oilfield fleet and added nearly 1,000 workers to the company’s payroll. The 2017 revenue totaled $1,490 billion and net income came to $169 million. Revenue for the …

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Inhofe’s FERC Bill Wins Committee Approval

 Last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee favorably reported H.R. 1109, legislation to ensure all transmission transactions are provided parity in the review process by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This bill is the companion legislation to S. 1860, authored by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). “I’m pleased …

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Despite Tighter Restrictions, Earthquakes Still Rattle Oklahoma and Kansas

Geological experts in Kansas say the earthquakes that have been rattling the state in the past week to 10 days were likely caused by wastewater injections in both states…not just Oklahoma. In other words, they were caused by humans, not nature. The Wichita Eagle interviewed Justin Rubinstein, deputy chief of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Induced …

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Oklahoma Sees Improvement in Coal Ash Pits

The focus in recent days by some environmentalists has been concern over reported contamination of coal ash pits located at power plants around the country. But in Oklahoma, there has been progress made regarding coal combustion by-products according to the Oklahoma Department of Mines. The sites are not those at coal-fired power plants but rather …

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State House Approves Groundwater Bill

With no debate, the Oklahoma House has approved a bill amending the state’s Groundwater Quality Standards Act. The house voted 83 to two in support of House Bill 3404 with opposition from Reps. George Faught of Muskogee and Jason Murphey of Guthrie. As author Rep. Weldon Watson explained, it was a “request” bill from the …

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State Civil Appeals Court Rules Against Chesapeake Energy

The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals has ruled a state lawsuit filed by mineral owners accusing Chesapeake Energy of antitrust practices can be heard in state court. The energy company contends the matter should be heard in federal court but the Civil Appeals court ruled otherwise. “It is well established that federal antitrust law does …

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Crude Oil Prices Slip Further as Storage and Production Grow

Growing concerns that the U.S. will be facing a glut of oil again is blamed for oil prices falling closer to the $60-a-barrel mark. West Texas Intermediate crude on Friday dropped 7 cents to $62.11 a barrel on April 2018 futures. Brent Crude in London was down 6-cents and settled at $65.55 a barrel for …

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Drilling Company’s Fight with City of Mustang Continues in Supreme Court

Despite oral arguments having been made before a State Supreme court referee, the legal fight between the City of Mustang and Tulsa’s Citizen Energy II LLC is anything but finished. The fight focuses on the oil drilling company’s refusal to comply with Mustang’s drilling restrictions created late last year as Citizens Energy sought permission to …

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Rig Count Drops in Oklahoma but Grows Nationally

While Oklahoma’s oil and gas rig count slipped by 4 in the past week, the national count went up by 3 to reach 984. Results from Baker Hughes Co. and the Independent Oil and Gas Service showed the Oklahoma count is down to 120 compared to a week ago. The national count included a drop …

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Another Strong Oklahoma Earthquake While Others Hit Southern Kansas

Northern Oklahoma experienced another strong earthquake early Friday morning while others occurred in recent days throughout southern Kansas. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a 3.6 magnitude quake shortly after midnight on Friday near Fairview.  It happened at 12:16 a.m. and had a depth of about 3 miles. But throughout the past several days, quakes were …

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