Author's posts
40th anniversary of Houston’s Deadly Anhydrous Ammonia Crash Observed
Wednesday was the 40th anniversary of a deadly anhydrous ammonia spill that left seven dead and nearly 200 injured in Houston, Texas. It happened May 11, 1976 when an 18-wheeler carrying 7,000 gallons of the ammonia fell from a freeway ramp, according to the Houston Chronicle. The fumes proved deadly for those too close to …
Kansas Joins Oklahoma in Suspending Work Toward Challenged EPA Rules
With his signature on a bill, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has suspended his state’s work on a plan to comply with the controversial efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce carbon emissions using the Clean Power Plan. The law signed by Brownback suspends the state’s work and makes Kansas the third state to take such …
Pruitt Sides with TransCanada in Arguing President Unlawfully Blocked Keystone XL Pipeline
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has been joined by attorneys general from five other states in supporting the lawsuit filed by TransCanada challenging President Obama’s blocking of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas joined Oklahoma in filing the Amicus Brief. It argues the President does not have the …
Canadian City Saved from Wildfire——Oil Sand Production Cut 1 Million Barrels a Day
Government leaders in Canada declare they have saved most of the city of Fort McMurray from the devastating wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes in Canada’s oil sands city. An estimated 2,400 homes were destroyed but according to the Associated Press, another 25,000 others were saved including the city’s hospital, municipal buildings and …
Newfield Exploration Shutting Down Tulsa Offices
Short and to the point—-Newfield Exploration’s announcement this week that 50 of its employees in Oklahoma would be laid off and nearly 150 others would be transferred from the Tulsa offices back to the firm’s headquarters in Houston, Texas. Blame the oil and gas downturn and Newfield’s loss of millions in the first quarter of …
Chaparral Energy is Latest Oklahoma Energy Firm to File Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Oklahoma City-based Chaparral Energy has become the latest Oklahoma oil and gas producer to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The firm filed Monday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Delaware. “This action will facilitate the restructuring of our balance sheet as we continue to work through negotiations of a debt to equity exchange with our bondholders …
USGS Studies Show Water Contamination from Wastewater Disposal Site
The U.S. Geological Survey has released studies that for the first time show water-quality impacts directly due to what it called an unconventional oil and gas wastewater deep well injection disposal site. Two recent studies were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Missouri and Duke University. They indicated the presence of …
EPA Director Says Her Agency Will Prevail in Clean Power Plan Fight
While Oklahoma and dozens of other states are fighting the Environmental Protection Agency over its war against coal-fired electric-generating power plants, EPA Director Gina McCarthy is professing the legal fight will not delay the country’s accelerating shift to cleaner sources of energy. The Associated Press reports it’s what McCarthy said over the weekend at …
One Oil Leader Says it’s Time Industry Surrendered All Tax Credits to Help the State
Oklahoma oilman Mike Cantrell is surprising some energy leaders with a call for them to support an end to tax credits for the state’s oil and gas industry. “The state of Oklahoma is in dire financial straits, in large part because the states oil and gas industry is in a depression, due to low prices,” …
Key Energy Reports Losses
Houston-based Key Energy, a firm that’s expanded its holdings over the years by making acquisitions of a handful of Oklahoma energy operations reported first quarter loss of nearly $82 million. The company said the loss translated to $0.51 per share, despite consolidated revenues of $111.1 million. The fourth quarter 2015 consolidated revenues had totaled $150.2 …
