This week’s U.S. Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 includes funding for several water projects in Oklahoma. The House had passed the measure earlier in December and with this week’s98-1 vote in the Senate, the WRDA heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. Oklahoma U.S. Sen. …
December 2024 archive
Oklahoma leaders tout economic progress in NYC meeting with credit rating agencies
State Treasurer Todd Russ alongside a delegation of Oklahoma leaders, recently traveled to New York City to meet with the nation’s leading credit rating agencies—S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings. These strategic meetings highlighted Oklahoma’s improving economic outlook and the state’s efforts to strengthen its bond ratings. “Oklahoma is thriving, and we are telling our …
Oklahoma joins fight to save Dakota Access Pipeline
Oklahoma and 12 other Republican-led states were allowed by a federal judge this week to intervene in a new lawsuit brought by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the Army Corps of Engineers in its continuing fight to close the Dakota Access Pipeline. Iowa, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, …
Oklahoma Freedom Caucus celebrates stopping of land grab by Feds
The Oklahoma Freedom Caucus (OKFC) celebrates the groundswell of grassroots opposition to the federal takeover of Oklahoma lands for a transmission line. “We’ve seen growing concern of infringements by the feds under this Biden-Harris regime,” said Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, who serves as OKFC vice chair. “In this latest move, they planned on confiscating hundreds …
Grain Belt transmission line moves ahead
When the Biden administration’s Department of Energy announced this week the cancellation of controversial transmission corridors in Oklahoma and Kansas, it also removed the proposed Grain Belt Express from the federal program offering assistance for power infrastructure projects. The Grain Belt Express, another Invenergy project, is aimed at connecting four states across 800 …
Energy briefs
** Kinder Morgan (KMI) reached a final investment decision (FID) Dec. 19 for its $1.4 billion Mississippi Crossing Project (MSX), as the company pushes forward with plans to move more natural gas to the Southeast. MSX will be a 206-mile, 42- and 36-inch pipeline with an initial capacity of up to 1.5 Bcf/d of natural gas, reported …
Crude oil prices rose Wednesday on fed reserve rate cut and drop in crude inventories
A dip in U.S. crude inventories sent crude oil prices up on Wednesday. Prices also rose following an interest rate cut by the U.S.Federal Reserve. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 50 cents or 0.71T to $70.58 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global standard Brent crude managed a 20 cent or 0.27% …
While the US crude oil supplies slipped, Cushing made a gain
The nation’s crude oil supplies made a tumble in the most recent reporting period cited by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But the Cushing Hub recorded an increase. Stocks totaled 814.1 million barrels of crude oil as of the week of Dec. 13, down from 814.5 million barrels reported the previous week of …
SWEPCO’s Oklahoma wind farm won’t be operational for another year
Even as a major wind farm project is under construction in northern Oklahoma by Southwestern Electric Power Co. of Shreveport, Louisiana, the utility is seeking regulatory approval for an expansion of other projects in Texas. With customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, SWEPCO says it will be another year before its renewable energy …
New second in command at Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority has a new Deputy Director. Joni Seymour, formerly the Chief Innovation Officer for the Oklahoma Transportation Cabinet where she worked to promote innovation that streamlined organizational and technological processes, was promoted by the Turnpike Authority. Seymour will oversee IT, Customer Service and Human Resources for the Authority. In addition to …