Author's posts
Democrats Out for Blood at EPA
Former SpiritBank leader Albert Kelly wasn’t the only top EPA official to resign this week amidst growing ethics investigation at the agency led by former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. And it’s clear Democrats on Capitol Hill are out for blood. So did Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, a former Secret Service agency who was head of …
HollyFrontier reports Huge Jump in Earnings from One Year Ago
With a refinery in Tulsa and another in El Dorado, Kansas, HollyFrontier Corporation based in Dallas, Texas is reporting first quarter net income of more than $268 million. It translates into a $1.50 per diluted share for stockholders. The $268.1 million compares with the net loss of $45.5 million reported one year ago. The company …
Devon Reports 1,700 Barrel a day Oil Well near Hitchcock
One of the latest large wells to be completed in Oklahoma’s STACK was drilled by Devon Energy in Blaine County, one of the three main counties making up the oil play. Devon recently filed a completion report on the Sonoyta 23_2-17N-10W2HX, a well that produced 1,702 barrels a day on its initial testing in mid-February. …
States Sue to Prevent EPA Rollback of Car Emissions Rules
Seventeen states have banded together to file a lawsuit challenging the EPA for reversing car emissions rules. Oklahoma is not one of them. The suit was filed over the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent decision to drop clean car emissions standards for model years between 2022 and 2025. It accuses the EPA of failing to follow …
Right-Hand Man to Scott Pruitt Quits EPA
Scott Pruitt’s lost one of his right-hand men he took with him from Oklahoma to run the Environmental Protection Agency. On Tuesday, Albert “Kell” Kelly, a former Tulsa banker who was named by Pruitt to run the Superfund cleanup program resigned. He had held the position for a year after the FDIC banned him for …
NARO’s Oklahoma Convention Begins Thursday in OKC
From mineral management and lease negotiations to estate planning, they are among the topics planned at this week’s 2018 Oklahoma NARO convention to be held in Oklahoma City. Activities actually begin Wednesday with a bus tour of Oklahoma City’s adventure district followed by a tour of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. A barbecue …
How the State Senate Voted on Anti-Wind Bill
Political observers at the Oklahoma State Capitol predict the anti-wind effort of some state legislators will not go away, just because the Senate on Monday voted down an effort to eliminate refundability of tax credits for wind farms. Still to be decided are two remaining bills that could also target the capping of credits. As …
Report Shows Oklahoma’s Economic Growth is Slow but Steady
The Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for a nine-state region stretching from Arkansas to North Dakota, declined, but remained in a healthy range for May, according the latest monthly survey results. Oklahoma’s May Business Conditions Index remained above the growth neutral threshold for a fifth straight month though it declined to …
Frac Sand Haulers Now Exempt from Federal Rules on Hourly Limits
A move by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor carrier Safety Administration to allow an oil field service exemption to “frac” sand drivers drew thanks from Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and Rep. Markwayne Mullin. And no doubt, oil field operators in Oklahoma will applaud the decision. The two had campaigned to …
State Boasts of Job Growth in First Quarter 2018
A new report by the Oklahoma Commerce Department shows 19 major announcements about new and expanding businesses locating in the state were made state wide in the first quarter of 2018. The growth and expansions amounted to $1 billion in investment in the state. Six of the companies were new to the state. The 19 …