Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Adopts 2026 Legislative Priorities Transportation priorities are among some of the major goals of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce for the 2026 legislature. The business group wants more investment in a modern transportation system that keeps pace with regional growth. It includes expanding roadway capacity, strengthening public transit options, and …
December 21, 2025 archive
Nation’s oil rig count plunged by 8 but Oklahoma saw an increase
When oil and gas drilling rigs aren’t active in the patch, they’re usually headed to storage yards and in the past week, the nation saw more of them transferred there. The nation’s total number of active oil and rigs plunged by 6 in the past week, falling to 542, according to the Baker …
Energy briefs
** The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, officials told Reuters on Sunday, in what would be the second such operation this weekend and the third in less than a week. ** A second oil tanker was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday off the coast of …
Judge fines poultry firms over Oklahoma pollution—orders remediation of lawsuit
A federal judge’s ruling in Oklahoma’s more than 20-year lawsuit against several poultry companies accused of polluting rivers and streams held the firms responsible for the pollution of the Illinois River in the eastern part of the state. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frizzell was against Tyson Foods, Simmons Foods, Cobb-Vantress, Cal-Maine …
Report—Coweta officials knew about data center proposal in ’24
A published report claims city officials in Coweta knew about a data center last year wanting to build in their city even as they told residents a request had been made but no discussions were held. The Broken Arrow Sentinel reported the leaders knew a year before the public announcement of the proposed data center. …
Nickel refinery operator backs out of deal in Lawton
Two years after breaking ground for a proposed nickel refinery in Lawton, Westwin Elements is backing out of the deal. It recently notified Lawton city leaders it will not be building a larger commercial plant after building a small-scale operation. The Lawton Constitution reported the Lawton Economic Development Authority approved a joint resolution …
Colorado’s super winds blow up political spat
The same windy conditions that raked Oklahoma last week were also responsible for 100 mile an hour winds in Colorado where they blew up some criticism from Xcel Energy’s leader for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, calling him “uninformed.” The utility’s move to be overly cautious to avoid a repeat of the deadly fires that destroyed …