Supreme Court justices gave a strong indication this week they might allow fuel producers to move forward with suing California over its strict vehicle emission rules. Conservative and liberal justices suggested the companies should have legal standing to sue the state. Some even went so far as to suggest a federal appeals court in Washington, …
April 2025 archive
Corporation Commissioners tried to sway legislator over his energy legislation
A recent disclosure of a non-public meeting held by Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners shows they attempted to reach out to Rep. Trey Caldwell before voting this week against his proposed energy bills, HB2747 and SB998. Both are similar in nature and focus on an attempt to force the regulators to approve electric-generating projects that rely …
Bank report finds drop in manufacturing in region
A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City says its April Manufacturing survey of the district that includes Oklahoma showed a modest decline. The Tenth District includes Oklahoma, western third of Missouri; all of Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming; and the northern half of New Mexico. “Regional factory activity continued to …
Judge orders US government to pay $28 million over Dakota Access protests
Nine years after the Dakota Access Pipeline protests were staged in North Dakota, a federal judge has ruled the U.S. government should pay $28 million to North Dakota. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by North Dakota in 2019 in which it sought $38 million in damages for policingand cleanup following the demonstrations …
Energy briefs
** The U.S. Interior Department plans to dramatically speed up permitting for oil and gas, uranium, coal, biofuel, geothermal, hydropower, and critical mineral projects on federal lands, accelerating environmental reviews to 14 days and impact statements to 28. ** An Interior Department document suggests the Trump administration is considering shrinking national monuments in Arizona, California, …
Groundbreaking in Tulsa on $252 million highway project
Sen. James Lankford joined the City of Tulsa and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to break ground on the next phase of the I-44/US-75 interchange improvement project on Wednesday, April 23. The long-anticipated project will complete the interchange dubbed “Traffic Henge” or “Tulsa Stonehenge” by area residents. “The I-44/US-75 interchange in Tulsa is …
Turnpike Authority warns of text scam
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is advising consumers to be wary of the pervasive smishing text scam plaguing Oklahomans this week. Scam text messages have been targeting tolling authorities nationwide for the past year. Oklahomans are seeing a significant increase in these texts after bad actors in other countries have mimicked OTA’s pikepass.com website and messaging. …
Slight gain in nation’s crude oil stocks
Crude oil stocks across the U.S. grew slightly in the most recent reporting period from the U.S. Energy Information Administration while the total in Cushing slipped. The U.S. total as of April 18 was 443.1 million barrels up from the 442.9 million barrels recorded at the end of April 11. It represented a gain of …
Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl remembered by legislators
By Mike W. Ray The Oklahoma Senate commemorated the 90th anniversary of “Black Sunday” on April 14 via the appropriately numbered Senate Resolution 14 by Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle). “WHEREAS, the Dust Bowl of the 1930s was the worst natural disaster of its time in the United States, having a profound impact …
Expand Energy’s 1Q earnings to be released next week
Just a few months after increasing its 2025 expected annual synergy target by $175 million, Expand Energy of Oklahoma City prepares to release its first quarter 2025 earnings report. The company had $382 million in net cash from operating activities and a $399 million net loss in the fourth quarter. Investors will learn …