A bill that is still considered a “live round” in the Oklahoma legislature would give per diem expenses and reimbursement for mileage to certain statewide election officers, many who are paid more than $100,000 a year. Senate Bill 1388 was authored by Sen. Jessica Garvin of Duncan. “This was a request bill. This came …
March 2024 archive
Energy quick reads
** After coming under attack from both environmentalists and investors in the first half of his seven-year tenure at the helm of Exxon Mobil Corp., Darren Woods is on the offensive. ** Sacramento has taken proactive steps to accelerate the phasing out of dirty-fuel-powered vehicles in the city, announcing a plan to ban new gas stations. That …
Contained—Texas wildfires— as attorney claims damages could top $1 billion
After three weeks, the Texas Panhandle wildfires that killed three persons and left dead thousands of livestock, are completely contained. The largest of the fires, the SmokeHouse Creek fire which swept into western Oklahoma, is reported totally under control. It was Saturday when Texas A&M Forest Service announced the fire was 100% contained after …
Tribe plans 4,000 acre solar farm in southwest Colorado
Four-thousand acres. It’s the size of a solar farm proposed by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe based in Towaoc, Colorado. Located in the very southwest corner of Colorado, the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation wants to feature 2.2 million solar panels in the more than $1 billion project. It will be eight miles long and one …
Large law firms hired by Enel Green Power in fight to save wind turbines in Osage County
Ever since a Tulsa federal judge ruled against Enel Green Power and ordered it to remove 84 wind turbines built several years ago in Osage County, Enel has been racking up the legal bills. According to energy and political writer Robert Bryce, the wind energy company is fighting the judge’s order, a ruling that …
More criminal charges against contractor
The Office of the Attorney General added four more counts of embezzlement against Oklahoma contractor Benjamin Moore in Pottawatomie County District Court. Moore was charged in October with nine counts of felony embezzlement and a pattern of criminal offenses following an investigation by Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s Consumer Protection Unit. Initially, Moore was accused of …
Vital Energy ups notes offering to $800 million
A day after Tulsa’s Vital Energy announced a $575 billion senior note offering, the company increased it to $800 million. The newest offering involves 7.875% senior notes due 2032 at 100% of par and is expected to close March 28. Vital intends to use the net proceeds of the offering, if completed, together with …
Energy quick reads
** Top oil executives and ministers descend on Houston this week for one of the world’s biggest energy conferences emboldened by blockbuster mergers, stable oil prices and less pressure for a large scale move to clean fuels. ** As U.S. sales of gas-electric hybrid vehicles surge and electric-vehicle sales cool, automakers and suppliers are betting …
Oklahoma House votes in support of bill to allow behind the scenes discussions by Corporation Commissioners
It would appear the transparency that Oklahoma legislators have emphasized in recent years might be on its way to being a victim of efficiency. The Oklahoma House voted Thursday in support of Ardmore Rep. Tammy Townley’s HB2367, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Efficiency Act. The vote was 54-32 to grant the Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners exemptions …
AG leads fight against EPA rule attacking oil and gas industry
Attorney General Gentner Drummond is leading a group of 24 state attorneys general and one state legislature in challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new methane emissions rule. The coalition has filed a petition in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to block the rule. “The Biden Administration’s methane …
