July 5, 2018 archive

Biofuel industry and corn-state US Senators applaud Pruitt’s departure

Even some Republicans in Congress were applauding the resignation Thursday of EPA chief Scott Pruitt. They were ethanol defenders who said they hoped the removal  of Pruitt and replacement by acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler would be better for the Renewable Fuel Standard. GOP Sens. Chuck grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa praised the resignation after …

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Pruitt’s ethical scandals force him to resign as EPA Administrator

When he was head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt also carried the title of “former Oklahoma Attorney General.” Now he is the “former” EPA Administrator. The 50-year old Pruitt resigned  Thursday with the resignation to be effective Friday, July 6. He sent a letter to President Trump, thanking him for the opportunity to …

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Crash of frack sand truck into river leaves driver dead near Yukon

A trucker hauling frack sand was killed early Thursday morning when his tractor-trailer rig crashed on a Canadian County road close to the North Canadian River north of Yukon. Yukon Police Maj. Mitch Hoskins said the truck left  State Highway 4 which is also known as Piedmont Road. The bridge is located about 2 miles …

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Halliburton hit with EEOC lawsuit over alleged religious discrimination

Two Muslim workers for Halliburton Energy Services Inc. have gone to court claiming the company subjected them to a hostile work environment because of their ethnicity and cultural attire. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit this week in Dallas federal district court. The suit was filed based on complaints filed by two …

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Xcel Energy wraps up purchase to make major wind farm expansion in West Texas and New Mexico

Xcel Energy is moving quickly ahead on its massive wind farm expansion in far West Texas and southeast New Mexico. The company finalized its purchase this week of the Hale Wind project from NextEra Energy Resources near Plainview, Texas. It means Xcel will be able to start construction of the new project that will span …

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Short week for well completions in Oklahoma

The July 4 holiday resulted in a shorter-than-normal completions report for wells drilled in Oklahoma in the past week. As published on OK Energy Today’s well completions report, only 12 wells were completed. Honors for the largest producer went to Tulsa’s Cimarex Energy company with a Blaine County well producing 1,014 barrels of oil a …

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Well completions for June 28-July 3

Here is the Weekly Completions Report.  The table below provides a summary of the Completion tickets (Form 1002A) that were published between June 28th and close of business on July 3rd (as nothing was filed yesterday). The table includes the Initial Production data for Oil (b/d), Gas (MCF/d) and Water (b/d). There are two links in the …

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Oklahoma wheat harvest nearly complete—-but it was a bad year for farmers

Not a good year for wheat in Oklahoma. The final wheat harvest report of the season from the Oklahoma Wheat Commission says the harvest is 98% complete but also is 47% less than last year. That’s nearly half of what was harvested last year. “While quality will be high, the amount USDA currently estimates the …

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Oklahoman gets big promotion at EnLink Midstream

EnLink Midstream announced this week the naming of a new member of its executive leadership team. Alaina K. Brooks, an Oklahoman, was named Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Administrative Office and Secretary. She will lead several departments across the company including legal, regulatory, human resources, public and industry affairs and environmental, health and safety. …

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OKC to offer free testing of lead and copper water lines

  Oklahoma City has launched a move to start voluntary testing of lead and copper in older homes. The city Utilities Department announced it is offering the free testing for water customers who have lead water service lines on their property. The testing is conducted in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper …

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