September 17, 2024 archive

Crude oil prices made more gains on Tuesday

Tuesday brought another gain of increased crude oil prices as they gained from 1% to 2% because of increased supply disruptions. Reuters indicated that traders also bet demand might increase if the Fed lowers borrowing costs this week. The news group reported more than 12% of crude output from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was offline …

Continue reading »

Ponca City state Representative chosen to head legislative energy council

Rep. Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City, was recently elected to serve as the chairman of the Center for Legislative Energy and Environmental Research (CLEER). The election came at the Energy Council’s annual Global Energy and Environmental Issues Conference held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “It’s an exciting time to be part of the Center for Legislative Energy and …

Continue reading »

What PSO’s $730 million gas plant purchase means to customers

    Documents filed this week with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission show the Jenks gas plant purchased by Public Service Company of Oklahoma was sold in a $730 million deal that will result in higher bills for customers. It will also mean another PSO rate hike request is coming in 2025. First, the acquisition will …

Continue reading »

AARP hopes to block endless stream of utility rate hikes

  So many utility rate hikes are hitting Oklahoma ratepayers, it’s like a game of whack-a-mole, Sean Voskuhl, AARP Oklahoma State Director, said during a Tuesday town hall meeting where hundreds of millions of dollars in new requests were discussed. “They say it’s only $2 to $3 more a month but when you add these …

Continue reading »

Opposition grows to proposed SE Oklahoma hydroelectric project

    A proposed hydroelectric project along the Kiamichi River in southeast Oklahoma’s Pushmataha County pushed along quietly until residents finally learned of the company’s plans filed with the federal regulators. Mike Ray of the Southwest Ledger has written extensively about the growing opposition and what the developer proposed. For the next several days, we …

Continue reading »

Energy briefs

** Members of an Arizona tribe are trying to persuade a federal judge to extend a temporary ban on exploratory drilling for a lithium project near lands they have used for religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries. Leaders of the Hualapai Tribe and others are scheduled to testify in U.S. District Court before the judge who issued …

Continue reading »

Carl Icahn walks away with court victory in claims against his Icahn Enterprises

    Billionaire activist Carl Icahn came away with a court victory this week after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that had accused him of defrauding shareholders of his investment company Icahn Enterprises so he could obtain large personal loans. Icahn, a major holder of Oklahoma oil and gas operations SandRidge Energy and the …

Continue reading »

New OKC Transportation and Parking Director named

    Oklahoma City Manager Craig Freeman has named Jesse Rush administrator of the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA) and Director of the City of Oklahoma City’s Public Transportation and Parking Department. Rush replaces Jason Ferbrache, who has served in a dual role as an Assistant City Manager and the Public Transportation and …

Continue reading »

Attorney General Drummond wants EPA to continue with block on California’s EV mandate

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said this week he joined a host of other state attorneys general in a fight to have the Environmental Protection maintain a federal legal block on California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. The regulation in question, according to Drummond, “illegally” attempts to impose an electric-truck mandate on fleet owners, operators, and …

Continue reading »

PSO’s planned purchase of natural gas plant in Jenks could mean higher rates for customers

  Public Service Company of Oklahoma filed for Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) approval to purchase a natural gas combined-cycle generation plant located in Jenks, Oklahoma. But it will also mean higher rates for PSO customers. The company, in making the announcement explained the purchase will meet customers’ projected power needs using an existing local facility while …

Continue reading »