Crude oil prices lipped on the last day of February after inflation data in the U.S. suggested a softening of the ecocnomy might weaken demand for crude. Plus, investors are worried that OPEC’s growing production might affect prices. In the US, West Texas Intermediate dropped 28 cents and settled at $78.26 a barrel on …
February 2024 archive
Compromised ROFR bill wins Oklahoma House Approval while opponents argued it means more power for utilities
The ROFR bill that Lawton Rep. Trey Caldwell said was not a ROFR bill won approval Thursday in the State….the measure giving an apparent compromised version of the right of first refusal in construction of major transmission lines. The measure finally hit the House floor where Caldwell spent time being peppered by questions from mostly …
Legislators have yet to hear how much a renewable energy tax would raise in Oklahoma
The tax bill targeting Oklahoma’s renewable energy industry has yet to make it to the floor of the State House a week after Speaker Charles McCall proposed the measure in response to a lack of movement on the Right of First Refusal power for utilities. The House Impact study on fiscal impact of the …
Wildfire moves from Texas Panhandle to Oklahoma and burns a million acres and leaves one dead
A million acres have been burned in the Texas Panhandle wildfires after they crossed over into western Oklahoma this week. One elderly woman was killed in the fires in Texas. The Oklahoma Forestry Division stated Thursday that only 3% of the Smokehouse Road Fire in the two states had been contained and it burned …
Transportation expert predicts eastern Colorado passenger railway will fail
The efforts of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to promote a Front Range passenger rail service, one that could involve billions of dollars, are being criticized by one expert who says it will result in abject failure. The Front Range railway, an idea floated last year that recently received $500,000 in federal seed money, would …
Barrasso joins Oklahoma’s criticism of Biden’s LNG freeze
He could be on a short list to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell as the next Senate GOP leader. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso is known for his anti-energy mandates of President Biden and is a staunch defender of his state’s energy reputation. As an example, Barrasso, who is the ranking member of the Senate Committee …
BlackRock finances gas pipeline but remains banned in West Virginia
Oklahoma isn’t the only state that banned investment bank BlackRock from handling state government contracts because of its reported policies against oil and gas, yet it continues financing energy projects. As OK Energy Today has reported over the past month, BlackRock continues to have investments in major oil and gas companies in Oklahoma, yet …
Appeals Court moves Oklahoma’s lawsuit against EPA to D.C.
Oklahoma’s legal challenge of the EPA’s rejection last year of the state’s plan to adequately address its contributions to air-quality problems in downwind states, is headed to the D.C. Circuit Court of appeals. Attorney General Gentner Drummond along with Western Farmers Electric Cooperative, owner of a coal-fired electric generating plant in Hugo, filed an …
Texas RR Commission candidates suggest more transparency is needed in natural gas industry
Candidates for the Texas Railroad Commission answered questions this week about the need for more transparency in the state’s natural gas sector following the Jan. 8 hotel explosion in Fort Worth that left 21 injured. The blast at the Sandman Signature Hotel prompted questions about the safety of the Fort Worth natural gas …
AG’s opinions lead to resignation of Transportation Secretary
Legal rulings issued this week by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond led to the sudden resignation of Tim Gatz as Transportation secretary and director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. In response to a formal opinion request from Sen. Mary Boren, Drummond’s opinion holds that an individual may not simultaneously serve as the Secretary of Transportation, …