** A new report reveals oil and gas drilling has reached its lowest level since 1949 because of oil price volatility and the coronavirus crisis. ** OPEC+ members are in talks to lengthen current crude oil output curbs instead of loosening the restrictions as envisioned in their April agreement, per reports in Bloomberg and Reuters. ** The closing of the $252 million bankruptcy sale …
2020 archive
Historic low rig count in Colorado
As OK Energy Today reported this week, the nation’s oil and gas rig counts continue dropping and that only six drilling rigs remained active in Colorado. The Colorado Sun reported it is an historic low for the state where the average for the month of May was only seven drilling platforms, the fewest in 28 …
Icahn gets more control over Occidental Petroleum
Carl Icahn, the man known as the “corporate raider,” won three seats on Occidental Petroleum’s board Friday, giving the billionaire activist investor greater control over the direction of the embattled Houston energy company. It came two years after Icahn made a similar move and wrestled control of the now-failing SandRidge Energy company, a firm that …
“Hard labor” part of Louisiana bill targeting trespassing oil/gas protesters
Oklahoma did it in 2017 and now other states are considering adopting the same law targeting protesters who trespass on energy sites, whether they be oil pipelines or other operations. Some are getting tougher. The latest is Louisiana where Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) is considering whether to sign a bill sent to him late last …
2019 shutdown of Houston Ship Channel leads to lawsuits
A group of energy companies have sued the Intercontinental Terminals Co. over what they called major financial damage resulting from last year’s closure of the Houston Ship Channel. Rio Energy International, Gunvor USA, and Texas Aromatics are seeking $3 million combined in their lawsuits against ITC from losses following the Deer Park chemical fire, which shut down the waterway for …
OU researchers arrested on federal charges of misspending Energy grant
Two University of Oklahoma researchers are accused of misspending a $2.1 million U.S. Department of Energy grant and face criminal federal charges. Shaorong Liu and Juan Lu, who are married to one another appeared in Oklahoma City Federal court on Friday and if convicted could fax a maximum of 20 years in prison. They were …
Deadline approaches for Water Research grants
Those wanting to apply for water research grants offered by the Oklahoma Water Resources Center have only about two weeks remaining before a deadline. In a recent announcement, the Center said it is still accepting pre-proposals for the Water Resources Research Grant Program. They’re called the United States Geological Survey 104(b) annual grants. The …
Oklahoma lags behind many US cities for solar power
While some attempts at creating commercial solar projects in Oklahoma are still considered fledgling efforts, it’s clear the state lags far behind others. A new report by Environment America shows at least 50 U.S. cities have more than doubled their total installed solar capacity since 2013. Los Angeles and Honolulu are among the nationwide leaders …
AEP awaits final approval of 4-state wind farm project
Only the state of Texas has yet to give approval to a three-wind farm purchase plan in Oklahoma by American Electric Power to supply power to Southwestern Electric Power Company…a project that already received approval from federal regulators. Louisiana’s Public Service Commission signed off on the 1.5 GW North Central project. The approval in …
New chairman chosen for Laredo Petroleum’s board of directors
– A new chairman of the board has been named at Tulsa-based Laredo Petroleum Inc. William Albrecht was named to be the new chairman of the board. The appointment came just three months after his appointment as a director to the board. He succeeded Randy Foutch whose term expired May 14, 2020. Albrecht is currently …