A mystery in the Permian Basin. What is causing a growing number of abandoned oil and gas wells to erupt with saltwater. The Texas Railroad Commission has yet to find a cause of the eruptions of that increased in the past few years. It is still investigating. In one case, an eruption of …
June 2024 archive
Wind farms face growing restrictions in Iowa
Iowa may be one of the top three wind-power states in the country, but some of its counties want tighter restrictions on wind farm growth. Iowa’s second-most populated county took action this week to move ahead with an ordinance adding tighter regulations to utility-scale wind solar projects. One restriction would cover sound levels reported …
Enviros file suit to stop oil and gas drilling near National Grassland in Colorado
The environmental group, the Center for Biological Diversity, went to court this week against the federal government, accusing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of failing to protect shortgrass prairie in Colorado’s Pawnee National Grassland. The Grassland is in the northeast part of Colorado and located 35 miles east of Fort Colllins. It is …
Oklahoma tax collections on oil and gas rose in May
Gross production tax revenues on oil and gas for May in Oklahoma increased, according to a report from State Treasurer Todd Russ. “With the last month’s reporting increases, we see leveling across all tax divisions,” stated the treasurer in his report. May Gross Receipts reports an increase with totals equaling $1.3B, up $20.2M, or 1.6% when …
Devon loses federal court challenge of millions in government royalty payments
Devon Energy recently lost an 8-year legal fight with the Interior Department over increased royalty payments the Oklahoma City oil and gas company was to pay for gas production from federal lands in New Mexico. Devon challenged the 2016 order from the Interior Department’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue to pay $2,841,264.58 after the ONRR …
Energy briefs
** Bill Gates and his energy company are starting construction at their Wyoming site for a next-generation nuclear power plant he believes will “revolutionize” how power is generated. Gates was in the tiny community of Kemmerer Monday to break ground on the project. ** The Supreme Court solicited the Biden administration’s views on two lawsuits by the city of …
Monday resulted in a 3% hike for crude oil prices
Buoyed by hopes of rising fuel demand this summer, crude oil prices gained nearly 3% in Monday’s trading and Oklahoma energy stocks did the same. There are also growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will leave interest rates higher for a longer time. West Texas Intermediate crude went up $2.21 or 2.9% to settle …
Rain—the good and the bad in Oklahoma
After four months, the rainfall amounts in Oklahoma range from more than 30 inches in the southeast to slightly more than 2 inches in the Panhandle, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet. Just review the Oklahoma Mesonet map above showing how nearly a third of the state had rainfall amounts in the 20 and 30-inch …
Candidate focuses on Corporation Commission campaign and his health
In his first run for political office, former longtime energy journalist Russell Ray is trying make a connection with voters who are complaining more and more about high utility rates. He is also recovering from a heart attack and quadruple heart bypass surgery a week after he became a candidate. The Duncan Banner reported …
Slow recovery from February wildfires in northwest Oklahoma
More than three months after wildfires burned tens of thousands of acres in western Oklahoma, ranchers, farmers and livestock experts still believe it will take years to recover from the losses. Some are still attempting to replace fencing of their pastures. Others believe there has been a return of some grassland while others have …