Two bills will be considered Thursday morning when the Oklahoma Senate Energy Committee meets and both focus on monitoring and protecting the amount of water used in agricultural purposes. SB259, a bill focusing on water and water rights will be considered. Authored by Senator Brent Howard, R-Altus, it would require holders of water permits to …
March 4, 2026 archive
Senate committee approval for bill expanding Open Meeting Act
While a state House committee recently approved a bill to allow the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to keep certain of its files “confidential” and exempt from the state’s Open Records Act, another effort in the legislature is going the opposite direction. Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, has won the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee for …
ONEOK plans annual shareholder meeting
The date for ONEOK’s annual shareholders meeting date was announced this week. ONEOK, Inc. said the 2026 annual meeting will be a virtual one to be held on May 20 at 9 a.m. Central Time. The meeting will only involve “shareholders of record” as of March 23, 2026. They will receive notice of and vote …
Data Centers targeted by Iranian drones
Data centers targeted in Oklahoma and other states by residents who oppose them face different targeting in the Middle East—drone attacks by Iran. At least three Amazon Web Services operations in the Middle East were hit by Iranian drone strikes which highlights the rapid growth of data centers in the region, as well as the …
Challenges made to FERC decision in support of Williams Cos.
Williams Cos. faces another environmental challenge over the federal government’s recent decision authorizing the company’s extension of a natural gas pipeline in North Carolina and other states. The Southern Environmental Law center along with the Sierra Club filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reconsider their January decision authorizing a pipeline that would begin in …
Eminent domain bill wins Senate committee support
The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed legislation from Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, that would make property owners aware of their rights and the value of their land ahead of eminent domain proceedings. Senate Bill 1945 mandates that a bona fide good-faith effort by the state to acquire an individual’s property through eminent domain shall include …
Shaw’s foreign ownership bill killed in House Committee
The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran touched an Oklahoma House Committee this week as one legislator argued a proposed foreign ownership bill would weaken state law and give more leeway to terrorists he says are in Oklahoma. Rep. Chris Kannady, (R-OKC), a Marine Corps veteran, led the fight against Rep. Jim Shaw’s HB1453, arguing …
Energy briefs
** Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright and challenger Bo French will head to a runoff election, unofficial election results showed Tuesday, as neither could break through the required majority to secure the nomination. The winner will face a Democrat in November. ** On Tuesday, five organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s approval of an …
Fuel price increases from the war also hit truckers
Some of the busiest people around the U.S. this week might be the workers who have to use long poles to change their advertised prices of gasoline and diesel fuel at service station signs. That’s because prices are almost changing by the minute due to the increased bombing and missile attacks on Iran …