Officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas have told lawmakers in that state the demand for power could double by the end of the decade. Now, energy demand is about 85 gigawatts in the Lone Star State, but ERCOT says that could reach 150 gigawatts before 2030. The expanding crypto mining sector in the …
June 2024 archive
Clean energy advocates concerned about proliferation of data centers
Some clean energy advocates are expressing concerns about the proliferation of data centers because they put a stress on the grid. That need for electricity can prolong the life for coal-powered plants and lead to the development of new natural gas plants. Although the latest worries are focused on the Upper Midwest plans by Microsoft, …
Oklahoma Senate will have to choose new leader for next session
Voters have “thrown a wrench” into Oklahoma Senate plans for Republican Senator Greg McCortney to be its next President Pro Tem. The incumbent McCortney lost to Jonathan Wingard in Tuesday’s primary in Senate District 13. The relatively close race was decided by about 250 votes. At the end of the regular legislative session the Senate …
Lucas-chaired committee sends bill supporting first responders to President
The House Science & Technology Committee chaired by Oklahoma Republican Frank Lucas has send the Fire Grants and Safety Act of 2023 to President Biden for his signature. The bill is aimed at supporting and advancing firefighter and first responder services nationwide. It reauthorizes for the next five years the US Fire Administration, the Assistance …
Saturday is last day for hundreds of workers at former Dollar Tree distribution center
The paychecks stop Saturday for the hundreds of people who used to work at the Dollar Tree distribution center in Marietta, Oklahoma. The large facility was destroyed by the EF-4 tornado that left a path of destruction across southern Oklahoma April 27th. No injuries were reported among the 456 people who worked at the distribution …
A look back at Corporation Commission race—Mitchell talks Energy with Jerry Bohnen
Of all the primary election day races in Oklahoma, only one was for a statewide office. It was the Republican nomination race for Corporation Commission and drew the interest of Scott Mitchell Talks Energy. Click below for their latest podcast on the subject.
Brian Bingman lost only one of Oklahoma’s 77 counties in Tuesday’s primary
When former state Senator Brian Bingman won this week’s primary election race for the Republican nomination for Oklahoma Corporation Commission, he did so by capturing every county in the state but one. Bingman failed to make it a statewide sweep of every county after Justin Hornback won Jefferson County where voters in the county …
Taxpayer credits totaled $1 billion to help push EV sales
It’s no secret the Biden administration resorted to subsidies of all kinds in an effort to convince Americans to dump fossil fuel vehicles and switch to electric vehicles. Just how much? The administration admitted this week it had handed out more than $1 billion to EV buyers since starting those point-of-sale rebates in January. …
Rainfall records shattered in Oklahoma Panhandle
Oklahoma Panhandle residents must be thinking it’s Christmas in June as rain, so much that it shattered records, began falling Tuesday night. Farmers and ranchers were left puzzled about those small lakes in their fields and pastures. By Wednesday morning, the Oklahoma Mesonet’s Climatologist Gary McManus reported Goodwell had recorded 7.52 inches. “Goodwell’s highest …
Same kind of OGE rate hike fight being played out in SE Colorado
The proposed OG&E rate hike that originally would have raised residential customers bills by another $20 a month is similar to a situation being played out in southeast Colorado, just across the state line in the Oklahoma Panhandle. There, Black Hills Energy wants a nearly $37 million rate hike and like OG&E’s original request, …