** Lawyers for Chevron, Texaco, and Exxon Mobil argue before the U.S. Supreme Court that localities’ lawsuits against oil companies over climate change and rising seas should be heard in federal and not state courts after a jury awarded two Louisiana parish governments $744.6 million in damages from Chevron. ** The Trump administration violated the …
January 14, 2026 archive
Opposed data center approved near Fort Worth
As the controversies over proposed data centers at several sites in Oklahoma have caught even the attention of the Washington Post this week, such disputes are spreading across Kansas and now to Texas. This week, Hood County Commissioners just southwest of Fort Worth gave conditional approval to a 2,600-acre data center complex. Approval came …
Data center debate grows in Kansas where a county adopted a moratorium
The fight over the progress of data centers spread this week to Kansas where one county adopted a moratorium on the construction of the data centers through the end of 2028 and another county heard debate over a proposed project. Harvey County, where Newton is located 29 miles north of Wichita, adopted a moratorium on …
EIA—Data Centers fuel strongest 4-year growth in US electricity demand
EIA forecasts strongest four-year growth in U.S. electricity demand since 2000, fueled by data centers A new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts electricity use will grow this year and next year showing such gains for the first time in 18 years. The EIA made the prediction in its its first energy-sector …
Data center non-disclosure agreements target of legislator’s transparency bill
He is known for his stance against wind farm takeovers of land in the state and green-energy projects and now Chandler Republican Rep. Jim Shaw wants more transparency from the agencies that decide the fate of such projects. While his bill makes no mention of data centers, the goal of his bill is obvious. He announced …
AG reaches poultry pollution settlement with Arkansas chicken company
Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced the State of Oklahoma has reached a settlement agreement with George’s, Inc., resolving claims related to poultry litter pollution in the Illinois River Watershed. “This settlement demonstrates that fair, good-faith negotiations can produce outcomes that serve everyone’s interests—protecting Oklahoma’s water resources while respecting the economic realities facing our agricultural partners,” …
AARP survey shows Americans want data centers to pay their way
The Oklahoma AARP says Oklahomans complain of high utility bills and they don’t want to be hit with higher rates because of data center construction. The state chapter says it has a national AARP survey to back up its claims and supports the efforts of one state legislator who filed a measure to …
New Director at OCC no stranger to Oklahoma state government
The man chosen to replace Oklahoma Corporation Commission Director of Administration Brandy Wreath is familiar with the operations of state government agencies. Jim Marshall worked previously in executive levels at three state departments before he was appointed by Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners in December 2025 to serve as the Director of Administration and the agency’s Appointing Authority. As …
Why Harold Hamm’s Continental Resources drills in Argentina
Drilling for oil in the western reaches of Argentina, the play known as Vaca Muerta, looks much like drilling in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. The terrain is flat and dry but it is also a host for major deposits of shale oil and shale gas. Vaca Muerta is Spanish for dead …
Oklahoma DOT Launches $76M I-40 Clinton Interchange Project
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) opened the new year with multiple major construction efforts underway, including a $76 million interchange improvement project on Interstate 40 in Clinton. Transportation Commissioners recently received an update on the Clinton project, which ODOT is delivering through a partnership with the City of Clinton and will stretch over the …
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