September 25, 2018 archive

Wind farm operator to face Aeronautics Commission lawsuit over state law protecting military installations

While the Oklahoma Corporation Commission doesn’t believe NextEra Energy is violating a new state law banning wind farm  development near military air installations, the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission is preparing to file suit. The Commission voted earlier this month to take the wind company to court and force it from construction of more wind towers at …

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Fort Worth’s Basic Energy rejects merger offer by Key Energy

Short and sweet—-Basic Energy Services Inc.’s rejection of a merger proposal from Key Energy Services Inc. based in Houston. The Fort Worth company announced its Board of Directors unanimously voted against the merger offer made this week by Key Energy. Key made the unsolicited proposal to combine with Basic Energy in a stock-for-stock transaction. In …

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AeroSystems’ bid for B-52 maintenance could mean more for its Oklahoma operations

Oklahoma could gain financially if Wichita, Kansas based Spirit AeroSystems, the successor to Boeing Wichita succeeds in winning a B-52 maintenance contract. It could mean additional work for the AeroSystems operations at Tinker Air Force base in Oklahoma City and perhaps impact manufacturing facilities in McAlester and Tulsa. As the Wichita Eagle reported many of …

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Chesapeake plans to sell $1 billion in notes to raise money

With nearly $10 billion in debt, Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Corporation is considering a move to raise more funds through a proposed more than one billion dollar sale of senior notes. In a preliminary prospectus  filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the company proposed a sale of $1,250,000,000 in senior notes due …

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Judge halts new BLM rules affecting sage grouse habitat in oil and gas lease areas on public land

Controversial rules designed to protect the sage grouse habitat in eleven states from oil and gas drilling produced a federal judge’s ruling that sided with environmentalists. U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush issued a ruling that halted implementation of the Trump administration policy that curtailed the public participation in the oil and gas leasing …

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Agreement reached on long-term funding for FAA

Thousands who work at the FAA’s Mike Monroney center in Oklahoma City will be directly affected by a bipartisan final agreement reached by House and Senate Committee leaders this week. The legislation will provide long-term stability and critical reforms to the Federal Aviation Administration. It also transforms federal disaster programs to better prepare communities for …

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NASA satellite captures dramatic photos of ocean pollution caused by Hurricane Florence

Hurricane Florence’s impact is seen in dramatic NASA satellite photos. Here’s how the News and Observer newspaper based in Raleigh, North Carolina reported the story. A NASA satellite is tracking flooding in the Carolinas following Hurricane Florence, and its images show dark, polluted water flowing from rivers into the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly 8 trillion gallons of rain …

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Sierra Club says shutdown of north Texas power plant is long overdue

The Oklahoma Sierra Club says the decision by American Electric Power to close its Oklaunion coal-fired power plant in Vernon, Texas is long overdue. The company plans to end operations by September 2020, prompting the Sierra Club to call it “welcome news” to Texans and Oklahomans alike who currently breathe air polluted by the plant. …

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SE Oklahoma flooding greater than 1,000 year event

(cattle swept away in floods) Historic flooding occurred throughout South Central Oklahoma on Friday, September 21st, 2018. The Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) would like to extend our sincere sorrow to those affected by the floods. “These floods were devastating,” said OCC Executive Director Trey Lam. “The full extent of …

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Corporation Commission to consider changes to oil and gas rules

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission plans a discussion on Thursday to consider proposed changes of oil and gas rules enforced by the Oklahoma and Gas Conservation division. The discussion will be led by staffers and no vote of the commission is expected at the 10 a.m. meeting in the Jim Thorpe building. It is considered to …

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