** The U.S. House Appropriations Committee releases proposed legislation that would slash funding for the Department of Energy’s office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 46% and shift money toward nuclear, critical minerals, and fossil fuels. ** Texas industry associations and energy experts say Trump’s budget bill is “pulling the rug out” from under …
July 2025 archive
Former Deputy Attorney General joins OGE as Regulatory Attorney
After getting experience as the Attorney General’s top attorney in charge of regulatory affairs at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Chase Snodgrass has gone to work for Oklahoma Gas and Electric. As OK Energy Today reported in early July, Snodgrass, who joined the Attorney General’s office in February of 2023 and became a Deputy AG, …
Grain Belt Express fight heats up
The immense Grain Belt Express project, the one designed to carry wind-powered electricity from southwest Kansas to Indiana, faces a rocky road. In one of the latest developments, project developer Invenergy, is urging Energy Secretary Chris Wright to continue with the $4.9 billion conditional loan guarantee originally promised by the Biden administration. But Missouri …
OBBB—good or bad for Oklahoma?
In OK Energy Today’s recent interview with Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford, he not only stated how the state’s oil and gas industry saw an immediate impact from the President’s One Big Beautiful Bill, but also explained the wind and solar industries are not being punished. “There’s not an opposition to wind and …
Power Grid issues “resource advisory” for Oklahoma and other member states
SPP is issuing a Resource Advisory for its entire Balancing Authority effective Monday, July 14, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. CT until an anticipated end time of 9:00 p.m. CT. Resource Advisories do not require the public to conserve energy, but are issued to raise awareness of potential threats to reliability among entities responsible for operating …
Falling EV sales prompts Panasonic to delay production at its $4 billion Kansas battery plant, the one Oklahoma lost
Just as Panasonic prepares to hold a grand opening Monday on the $4 billion battery plant built outside of Kansas City, Kansas, the company has decided to delay full production because of falling electric car sales. Plus, there is the factor of U.S. government policies that do not support EVs. Word of the delay …
What Senators say about EPA’s Jet Plane contrails website
The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent creation of a website to address conspiracy theories about jet plane contrails and their impact on the weather prompted Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin to suggest there are more important things to worry about. He and Sen. James Lankford responded to the move by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. Mullin’s …
5,000-acre solar farm okayed for upper Texas Panhandle
Another major solar farm in the region has been approved, this one 5,000 acres in size in the Texas Panhandle north of Amarillo. While Oklahomans are fighting a proposed 5,000 acre solar farm by NextEra Energy near the town of Porter, quick approval has come for one just south of the Oklahoma …
OGE hands out hundreds of fans to elderly and poor to beat the heat
Summer is here, and to help keep residents safe and cool in the heat, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (OG&E) recently donated fans to seniors and families with low-income in the Oklahoma City area. Dozens of OG&E volunteers handed out 465 fans in the Oklahoma City area to those who may be at higher …
Nation’s oil and gas rig count fell for the 11th straight week and Oklahoma was part of it
For the 11th consecutive week, the nation’s number of active oil and gas drilling rigs declined in the past week, reaching the lowest total since October 2021. The U.S. rig count fell by two to 537, reported Baker Hughes Co. on Friday. The decline included one oil rig, leaving 424 in service while …