** Another former Obama administration staffer joins the Biden administration. The President-elect named Elizabeth Klein as the deputy secretary of the Interior Department brining back the lawyer who served both the Clinton and Obama administrations. ** Representatives of fuel suppliers to Venezuela, importers of Venezuelan oil and advocacy groups said this month they plan to press …
January 2021 archive
Lucas and Johnson Bill will improve STEM education in rural communities
Oklahoma Republican Congressman Frank Lucas joined forces with Texas Democratic Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson in introducing a bill in the U.S. House to improve science, technology, engineering, math and computer science education in rural communities. Lucas is the Ranking Republican on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee chaired by Rep. Johnson. Their Rural …
New earth science exhibit funded by OERB grant
Tulsa’s Discovery Lab is unveiling a new earth science exhibit made possible in part by the people of Oklahoma Oil and Natural Gas. Through a $25,000 grant from the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB), the Discovery Lab’s new, original exhibition, Beneath Your Feet: Geology of Oklahoma will allow visitors to explore the geosciences behind how our state’s …
Final blow to Trump’s environmental deregulation efforts
On President Trump’s last day in office, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down his administration’s replacement of the Obama administration’s climate change regulations for power plants. The ruling by a three-judge panel comprised of two Democratic appointees and one Trump-appointed judge was considered to be a final blow …
Colorado sues BLM over oil-drilling plan
The state of Colorado has gone to court with a lawsuit challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to expand oil drilling what’s called the Uncompahgre Plateau, a nearly 1.5 million-acre geologic uplift in the southwest part of the state. In filing the lawsuit, Gov. Jared Polis said the BLM’s long-range plan did not follow …
Legislation in Kansas and Missouri targets natural gas bans
Eight months after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a bill blocking cities from banning natural gas, Kansas and Missouri are considering the same move. Hearings on efforts in the two states are expected to be held soon. In Oklahoma, House Bill 3619 was signed into law in May of 2020 after it …
Ohio joins Oklahoma and others in targeting environmental trespassers
Oklahoma took the action years ago putting a law on the books targeting those who trespass on energy properties and in recent days Ohio did the same, becoming the 13th state to do so. Since 2017, states such as Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and North Dakota adopted laws protecting energy and industrial infrastructure from environmental …
More Oklahoma highway improvement projects
Millions of dollars in contracts were recently approved by the Oklahoma Transportation Commission for the design of future highway projects including state highway 9 near Norman, US highway 69 near Durant and the Duncan Bypass in Stephens County. At least 17 engineering contracts for the design of the projects were approved as part of …
Colorado regulators sign off on Xcel Energy’s largescale EV project
Xcel Energy’s Public Service Company of Colorado is moving ahead with a $110 million aggressive transportation electrification plan to put more electric vehicles on the road in the state. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission recently approved Xcel’s largest-ever such plan that has a goal of putting 940,000 EVs on the road by 2030. The …
Another North Dakota gas project completed for ONEOK NGL gas system
Denver’s Outrigger Energy II LLC announced completion of its Williston Basin midstream project in North Dakota to connect a natural gas processing plant and 80-mile line to the ONEOK NGL pipeline system for natural gas liquids. Outrigger said its assets include the Bill Sanderson Gas Processing Plant, a 250 MMcfd cryogenic gas processing …