May 22, 2019 archive

T-Boone Pickens celebrates 91st birthday

  Millionaire oilman T-Boone Pickens celebrated his 91st birthday on Wednesday. And he made light of it in a tweet to his followers: “Turn 91 today. Here’s how I celebrated my 2nd birthday. Things were simpler then. At my age now, a cake with candles is a certified fire hazard.” Then. And now.

Corporation Commissioners tee off on secrecy of rural phone companies

  Corporation Commissioners remain perturbed by an April Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling and at least two of them voiced their displeasure again in Wednesday’s meeting. The ruling concerned the Universal Service Fund and the court’s ruling concerning Dobson Telephone company’s challenge of the commission’s denial of more than $95,000 in 2017. The court remanded the …

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Supreme Court sides with Bristow tire recycling company

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has upheld a Creek County judge’s ruling against a former employee of Oklahoma Tire Recyclers, LLC who sued after being fired in 2016. The appeal by Thomas Southon claimed he was fired a month after being hurt on the job at the Bristow company because he had filed a claim for …

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City of Lawton moves ahead with renovation of regional airport

The city of Lawton is planning $15 million in renovation of the Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport. Members of the Lawton Metropolitan Area Airport Authority voted this week to issue a $15 million revenue note to renovate most of the airport terminal, according to the Lawton Constitution. The renovations will include a new secured passenger holding …

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Saudi Arabia agrees to become major buyer of US LNG

Sempra Energy, the California based company with major LNG operations in Texas has entered into a 20-year agreement with Saudi Aramco in which the Saudis will purchase liquefied natural gas. The deal is with Sempra’s subsidiary, Sempra LNG and will allow the Saudi state oil giant to become a major global gas player. Aramco has …

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Job cuts made by Pioneer Natural Resources

In a move to cut $100 million from its overhead, Pioneer Natural Resources laid off 230 workers this week. The layoffs happened at the corporate offices in Irving, Texas and the Permian Basin. They came after another 300 workers took earlier buyouts. Seventy of the layoffs happened in the Permian while 160 corporate employees were …

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Oklahoma floods are a repeat of what happened 33 years ago

This week’s flooding in Oklahoma is a repeat of what happened 33 years ago when 30,000 people were evacuated from 25 towns in the state. Heavy rains were caused by the flow of moisture from Hurricane Paine into Oklahoma. The 1986 flood not only forced evacuations but a swollen Cimarron River left the I-35 bridge …

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The “T-word” gets approval at the Oklahoma legislature

A measure sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt this week might help those in the energy industry learn more easily how affecting state agencies are spending money. For instance, how much money is spent by state regulators regarding rules and regulations of the oil and gas industry. The Senate approved Senate Bill 1 which creates the …

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New state budget sent to governor includes money for clean water, dams and rural firefighters

The $8.1 billion budget approved by the Senate on Tuesday and sent to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt includes money for rural Oklahoma, areas where the state’s oil and gas industry drills for new energy. The budget includes $500,000 to fund a public-private partnership to maintain clean water in Northeast Oklahoma and areas with high poultry …

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Chesapeake Energy directors receive compensation

New filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show the compensation received by directors of Chesapeake Energy following their election at the recent shareholders meeting. Thomas L. Ryan received 114,108 shares while R. Brad Martin received 219,918 shares. The shares given to Scott Gieselman totaled 110,358 while director Merrill A. Miller Jr. received 109,959 shares. Gloria …

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