The same week Oklahoma State Auditor Cyndi Byrd released a report that was highly critical of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, a bill designed to put more restrictions on OMES was passed in the legislature and sent to the Governor. House Bill 3057 is now in the hands of Gov. Kevin Stitt. …
April 2024 archive
Arkansas legislators consider stricter regulations of crypto mines
Crypto miners in Arkansas are being targeted by state legislators. The Arkansas Senate voted this week in support of two bills to regulate cryptocurrency mining operations in the state. One measure, SB78, would place noise limits on crypto mines. It would also prohibit them from being owned by foreign companies and let local governments …
Slumping residential solar power industry
Solar power in Oklahoma never seems to have made the kind of major steps or growth seen in the state’s wind industry. Some residential or rooftop solar efforts are reported but it doesn’t appear to be a widespread acceptance. There might be a good reason for it. Ask the people at Sunpower Corp. in …
Oklahoma and Tulsa get failing grades in newest State of the Air report from Lung Association
The American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report for 2024 claims 39% of Americans still live in places with failing grades for unhealthy air conditions and that includes residents of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Many might think the constant winds that sweep across the state would prevent much air pollution, but the …
Gov. Stitt joins other GOP state leaders telling Biden to lift his LNG freeze
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was among 25 Republican Governors who wrote the White House this week asking the President to remove his freeze on permits for LNG export projects. “As governors, we are very concerned by the Biden Administration’s move to pause approvals of new liquified natural gas (LNG) export projects, especially after Iran’s …
Notary Public bill sent to Governor
Legislation penalizing notaries public who fail to identify the person signing the document has been sent to the governor’s desk. Rep. Lonnie Sims, R-Jenks, passed Senate Bill 556 through the Oklahoma House of Representatives Wednesday morning. If signed into law, any notarial officer who fails to make a good faith effort to identify the person …
Permanent daylight saving time bill sent to Oklahoma governor
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, file) Gov. Kevin Stitt now has the decision to make whether Oklahoma should become a Daylight Saving Time state only. Senate Bill 1200 was approved this week in the State House. The measure’s author is Sen. Blake Cowboy Stephens, R-Tahlequah. “This legislation has come as a result of input from Oklahomans, lawmakers, …
Electricity prices dropped last year in Oklahoma
While utilities in Oklahoma are seeking rate hike approval from the Corporation Commission, a report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes that the average price per kilowatt hour in Oklahoma actually dropped from 2022 to 2023. The decline in Oklahoma put the state among only 17 states that experienced lower electricity rates last …
Energy briefs
** The Biden administration on Thursday finalized a highly anticipated suite of rules to cut hazardous, planet-warming pollution generated by power plants in one of its most significant environment and climate actions to-date. The Environmental Protection Agency’s new rules will compel coal and new natural gas power plants to either cut or capture 90% of their climate pollution by 2032. ** The …
Tensions ease in the Middle East and crude oil prices dropped on Wednesday
With no major outbreak in fighting in the Middle East, investors seem less concerned about any impact on the flow of oil out of the region. As a result, prices fell in Wednesday’s trading. At the same time, crude inventories across the U.S. tumbled and it stopped a further fall in oil prices. West Texas …
