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EPA Wants Increase in Renewable Fuels Standards for 2017
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to boost renewable fuels standards for 2017, increasing the amount of corn-based ethanol and biofuels that fuel producers will have to mix into diesel and gasoline. Under the standards announced this week, the EPA wants 18.8 billion gallons to be blended into the nation’s fuel supply next year which …
Aeronautics Commission Education Program Deadline May 31
Oklahoma’s Aeronautics Commission is preparing to wrap up its application acceptance for FY 17 Aviation Education Program. Sandra Shelton with the Commission says the deadline for teachers and others to apply is May 31. The funding is part of more than $200,000 provided by the agency in the coming 12 months to programs statewide aimed …
Man Pleads Guilty in 5-State Cooking Oil Theft Ring
It was a southwest Missouri case involving the theft of oil, but not the kind of oil that comes out of the ground. The last of the men arrested in a more than $5 million cooking oil theft ring has pleaded guilty in Joplin, Missouri, admitting he stole used cooking oil from restaurants and sold …
Ethanol Production in the U.S. Drops Again
Another down week for ethanol production in the U.S. as the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports production was down 14,000 barrels a day from the previous week. The production ending May 13 averaged 948,000 barrels a day or 39.82 million gallons. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 940,000 barrels a day which translates …
Inhofe’s Senate Committee Passes Bipartisan Nuclear Modernization Bill
Coming out of Sen. Jim Inhofe’s Senate Environment and Public Works Committee—a bipartisan Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act. The measure will create a new licensing framework for advanced reactors at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Sen. Inhofe, chairman of the Committee, was jointed by Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mike Crap (R-ID) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in …
New Drone Bill Signed into Law by Gov. Fallin
Oklahoma Gov.Mary Fallin signed a drone bill into law this week, one defining the prohibition of flights over certain critical infrastructure facilities. She signed House Bill 2599 into law on Wednesday, the only measure to be made law that day. It will be effective Nov. 1, 2016. The unmanned aircraft bill, as it was …
Samson Resources Files Amended Chapter 11 Bankruptcy….saying It Allows for a New Start
Continuing low natural gas prices forced Tulsa-based Samson Resources Corp. to file an amendment to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan it filed last fall. Company management says the new plan will allow the firm to operate on a go-forward basis with significantly less long-term debt and lower annual interest payments. The company blamed the decline …
3,300 Barrels-a-day Well Hit by Continental Resources in Blaine County
Oklahoma City-based Continental Resources, Inc. says it has struck a huge well in Blaine County, one producing more than 3,300 barrels of oil equivalent a day. Drilled in the STACK, the well is an industry record well, according to the announcement by Continental Resources. The Verona well flowed at an initial 24-hour test rate of …
Clean Power Plan Fight to be Heard in September by D.C. Court of Appeals
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has decided the full panel of active circuit judges will hear the case of the Clean Power Plant as challenged by Oklahoma and a few dozen other states. The hearing was postponed until Sept. 27, a move considered unusual. The Washington Post indicated the decision by …
Report Claims Legislators are Protecting Oil and Gas from Tax Hikes
While legislators shout and bicker over where to raise new revenue to offset a $1.3 billion budget hole, their actions to protect the oil and gas industry from taking a hit are being noticed by others. A report by Reuters paints the picture of legislators protecting the industry from being hurt by reduced tax credits …