December 2019 archive

State regulators likely to deal with Universal Service Fund hike in 2020

The New Year 2020 is likely to bring another rate hike in Oklahoma phone bills to pay for the state’s Universal Service Fund, despite criticism and opposition by two Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners. If approved by the commission, it means the monthly service fee on most Oklahoma’s phone bills will go up about 3%. The increase …

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New Year to bring higher oil surpluses and lower capital investment

What will 2020 mean for oil and gas exploration in Oklahoma and the rest of the U.S.? Speculators believe those shale E and Ps will have a more difficult time obtaining financing for their exploration, whether it’s in the STACK, the SCOOP, the Permian Basin or the Bakkens of North Dakota. Investors have lost interest …

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Bridenstine says Space Force will be one of Trump’s most important accomplishments

Former Oklahoma Congressman-turned NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has made a bold prediction—the creation of the U.S. Space Force will be one of the most important accomplishments to come out of the Trump administration. Interviewed recently on Fox News, the former Tulsa U.S. Representative explained, “When we look back, maybe 15 years from now, we look …

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Energy news in brief

** An Ohio based company, Babcock and Wilcox Enterprises has renewed a $4 million contract to run the Public Service Company of New Mexico’s San Juan Generating Station in 2020. BWCC will continue to provide a variety of services at the power plant next year, including general plant maintenance, coal pulverizer equipment maintenance and outage support, …

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Fight brewing over plans to increase oil flow in Dakota Access pipeline

A move by the owners and operators of the Dakota Access pipeline across Illinois to double the volume of oil coming out of North Dakota will likely be decided by the courts. The Dakota Access pipeline and the Energy Transfer Crude Oil pipeline are known together as the Bakken Pipeline which is a joint venture …

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Two dead in chemical accident near Houston

Two workers were killed early Saturday in an industrial tank-cleaning facility in Pasadena, Texas. They were overcome by fumes in a chemical tank. The Houston Chronicle reports the same company was sued in September by a worker who contends he did not get medical attention for three hours after he was exposed to “extremely toxic …

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Extended credit agreement for MidCon Energy

  Tulsa’s Mid-Con Energy recently extended its credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank but with a decrease of the borrowing base from $110 million to $95 million. The maturity date was extended to May 1, 2021 and the credit included a borrowing cap of $85 million. It also requires Mid-Con Energy to have a consolidated …

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Deadline approaching for Magellan’s extended open season in Texas

Friday is the deadline of an extended supplemental open season on Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.’s western leg of its pipeline system in Texas. The Tulsa-based company recently announced the extension and said binding commitments for transportation volume would be due by 5 p.m. Central Time on Jan. 3, 2020. The extension gave interested shippers additional …

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Oklahoma regulators add electronic filing for injection well operations

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission plans to move to an updated electronic form reporting for some of the state’s non-commercial disposal and injection wells. The Commission announced the electronic Form 1012 for annual volume reporting on all non-commercial disposal/injection wells will go into effect on Jan. 2, 2020. “This is part of an ongoing effort by the Oklahoma …

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Where they’re drilling in Oklahoma

The latest filings with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission show where energy companies intend to drill for new oil and gas sources. BCE-Mach LLC based in Oklahoma City received a permit to drill in Alfalfa County where the company has been exploring with other wells. The permit is for Means 13-25-11 #3H to be drilled at  …

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