Crude oil prices went up about a half percent in Thursday’s trading and some Oklahoma energy stocks scored well too. Why the slight gain? It was due to signs of a strong economic rebound in top crude importer China according to Reuters. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 47 cents or 0.6% to close …
March 2023 archive
Growing focus on wind turbine blade graveyards
The growth of wind farms across the nation, including Oklahoma, the second-highest wind power state in the country, created a problem —how to dispose of the old turbine blades that have a life-span of about 20 years. A study made a few years ago and published in the Waste Management scientific journal claimed an …
Oklahoma to learn soon whether “mystery” company chooses the state for a plant
With another mystery company, possibly Volkswagen, ready to announce its choice for a large electric vehicle battery manufacturing site yet this week, the Oklahoma legislature moved quickly to approve a $698 million economic incentive package. It’s the same kind of move made last year by the state in a failed effort to land a …
Exxon admits error over massive methane leak in the Permian Basin
Exxon Mobil Corp. made a big “my bad” admission this week, saying yes, it failed to report a Permian basin greenhouse gas methane leak discovered by a third-party satellite image. The early February incident was a violation of state rules in New Mexico according to Bloomberg. Exxon explained it discovered and repaired the leak in …
Winter securitization impact explored by KFOR TV
The securitization OK Energy Today has been reporting about for the past 2 years and the controversial impact on consumer utility bills caught the attention this week of KFOR News. The Oklahoma City TV station carried a special report entitled “What Securitization has done to your energy bills?” Reporters put more questions to state …
Governor’s Secretary of Science to leave cabinet
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is losing his Secretary of Science and Innovation. Elizabeth Pollard, who was named to the position in 2020 turned in her resignation this week to become president of OSU Cowboy Technologies. Click here for McCarville Report
Oklahoma Attorney General indicates second thoughts about storm costs
In a brief confirmation, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office said it was finally looking into the billions of dollars added to consumers’ costs of gas and electric bills because of the 2021 winter storm. It raises the question if the AG changed his mind whether to look into the high gas costs. A spokesman …
Enviros upset how Colorado still depends heavily on coal for electrical power
New information from the federal government left Colorado environmentalists in a frenzy. It shows their state is not keeping pace with neighboring states toward a renewable energy economy and allowing coal to be its remaining dominant source of electricity generation. The conclusion by the Center for Biological Diversity was based on data from the …
New Mexico marches along with plugging of abandoned oil wells
Using federal money from the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the state of New Mexico launched its plugging of abandoned wells in September of last year. Since then it managed to plug 23 orphan wells according to the Carlsbad Current-Argus. The paper reported that in the past five years, New Mexico’s Energy, …
Regulated utilities and the money they spend on Corporation Commission candidates
A bill in the Kansas legislature would make Corporation Commissioners be elected statewide and no longer be appointed by the governor. It would follow what Oklahoma has done for decades—force candidates to gather money and run for the office. But the Senate Bill 88, the one considered in Kansas would also include a proposed …