June 6, 2018 archive

Inhofe and Others Move to Curtail Government Overreach in Water Permits

Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe joined three other Senators this week in introducing a bill to make clear the amount of time the EPA can prohibit the issuance or terminate existing dredge-and-fill permits. It’s an effort to promote more energy production including coal mining as well as oil and gas operations and to end government …

Continue reading »

SandRidge Energy Applauds Recommendation of Proxy Advisory Firm in Fight with Icahn

What’s the latest in the SandRidge Energy fight with activist investor Carl Icahn?  The Oklahoma City-based company announced Wednesday that Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., an independent proxy advisory firm is recommending that SandRidge shareholders vote “for” the slate of officers recommended by the company and not those preferred by Icahn. The White SandRidge Universal proxy …

Continue reading »

State Reaches Settlement in Another Lawsuit Against VW in Emissions Cheating Scandal

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter’s announced an $8.5 million settlement with Volkswagen and other auto makers from the state’s lawsuit accusing them of false and deceptive advertising. The suit against VW was filed after the car maker cheated on emissions software in diesel cars. The scandal allowed VW to meet U.S. standards while in reality, …

Continue reading »

Billionaire David Koch to retire due to poor health

Declining health is forcing David Koch, 78, one of the brothers leading Koch Industries as well as a nationally known conservative group to retire. The conservative billionaire made the announcement this week, leaving control in the hands of his older brother Charles. Together, the two have been a force in American politics since the 80s. …

Continue reading »

Anadarko Basin Operator Forms Joint Venture for Texas Exploration

A Denver, Colorado company with extensive operations in western Oklahoma has formed a Fort Worth firm to create a new company concentrating on oil production in the Midland Basin of Texas. Privately-held FourPoint Energy in Denver teamed up with Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC of Forth Worth. They’re calling their joint venture DoublePoint Energy. …

Continue reading »

Oklahoma Oil and Gas Operator Gets Fresh Start and Emerges from Bankruptcy

Houston’s EV Energy Partners, L.P. , an upstream oil and gas business, has wiped out $355 million in debt and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It also has a new name—Harvest Oil and Gas Corp., a firm with operations offices in Elk City, Oklahoma. The company said it significantly enhanced its financial flexibility through restructuring. …

Continue reading »

Oklahoma Highway Safety Awards Handed Out This Week

Safety awards were handed out for Oklahoma highway workers at this week’s meeting of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Commission. Workers were honored for putting their lives on the line to help construct and maintain state highways, interstates and bridges.  Safety is considered to be ODOT’s top priority and the agency conducts onsite reviews, accident …

Continue reading »

State Board Releases Detailed Water Data in Oklahoma Lakes and Well Sites

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) water monitoring staff announced the release of the agency’s 2017 Beneficial Use Monitoring Program (BUMP) reports providing detailed physical, chemical, and biological water data from approximately 1,300 stream, lake, and groundwater well sites across Oklahoma. Created in 1998, BUMP provides data necessary for water quality management decisions by identifying impairments to …

Continue reading »

State Labor Commissioner Switches Jobs in Fallin Administration

Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Melissa McLawhorn Houston has a new job. Secretary of Education and Workforce Development for the state. Gov. Mary Fallin announced her appointment this week making the switch in jobs to be immediate. And it leaves the field wide open for those running to succeed McLawhorn Houston who said she would not seek …

Continue reading »

Wheat Harvest Puts More Trucks onto the Highways

Truckers in the oil and gas industry as well as gravel haulers are seeing other big trucks on the highways over the past two weeks as toe 2908 Oklahoma wheat harvest is underway. Mike Schulte, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission estimates the harvest is already 45 percent finished. More combines are rolling through …

Continue reading »