Xcel Energy has started the effort to win approval from Colorado authorities for a $1.7 billion 560 mile transmission line to carry wind and solar electricity from eastern Colorado to the Front Range population centers. Company officials met this week with Washington County Commissioners in Akron where they hope to get support for the …
March 2021 archive
Facebook expanding its Nebraska operations with $400 investment
While Google expanded its operations in Pryor, Oklahoma, Facebook is doing the same in Nebraska…and in a big way. The company announced this week plans to add 1 million square feet and a $400 million investment in its existing Papillion Data Center in Springfield, an expansion involving more than 500 acres of land southwest of …
Nation’s rig numbers increased in the past week
The US rig count rose by eight in the last week to 486 as of March 24, according to Enverus Rig Analytics. The count is up 8% in the last month but still down 38% YOY. The month-over-month increase of 36 rigs included 31 added in Texas, where 238 rigs are now running, 49% …
Continental Resources expands drilling in Oklahoma
Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy has shown increased drilling interest in Oklahoma as the COVID-19 pandemic loosens its grip on the nation resulting in growing demand for gasoline and other fuels. The company has received at least 12 drilling permits for the month of March. The latest two were in Custer County where the firm …
OK Sen. Inhofe opposed two more of Biden’s environmental nominees
Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe was among the nine Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee who voted Wednesday against two more of President Biden’s environmental nominations. Inhofe voted against the nomination of Brenda Mallory to be chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and Janet McCabe to be the deputy administrator …
Attorney General Hunter joins lawsuit to stop Pres. Biden’s job-killing measures
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter joined the lawsuit filed by more than a dozen states to blunt the Biden administration’s continued attack on the oil and gas industry. According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in the Western District of Louisiana, the president’s recent executive order that placed a moratorium on all oil and …
Deputy Energy Secretary confirmed with support of Sens. Lankford and Inhofe
With the support of Oklahoma U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford, David M. Turk won confirmation in the full Senate on Wednesday to be the Deputy Secretary of Energy. The vote was 98-2 for Turk, who served on the National Security Council and in the State Department during the Obama administration and cleared …
Biden administration teams up against Oklahoma refinery in supreme court case
The operators of the Wynnewood refinery in Oklahoma now face an even stiffer challenge in their U.S. Supreme Court Renewable Fuel Standard fight over exemptions from mandated biofuels production. The Biden administration and a coalition of biofuels groups filed response briefs on Wednesday in the Supreme Court and backed the ruling by the U.S. …
Energy news in brief
** Detroit-based Hercules Electric Vehicles is opening a $20 million Series A investment round to support product development, add employees, and scout for locations for facilities to produce components such as solid-state batteries. It is developing an electric sport pickup truck expected to be available late next year. ** Construction is expected to begin soon on a $5 million soybean …
25-year transportation plan unveiled for NW Arkansas
After two years of planning, a new transportation plan targeting Northwest Arkansas with improved highways to be built over the next 25 years has been unveiled. The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission released its 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported it will serve as a guide including highways, public transit and bicycle …