Author's posts
EPA Proposes Another Rule Even as Pruitt Approaches Apparent Takeover
Another proposed rule by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the works, one that could target electricity companies in Oklahoma and across the nation. The EPA announced this week and in a notice published Wednesday in the Federal Register said the new rule will require chemical, petroleum products and electricity companies to prove they …
Most Protesters Arrested at North Dakota Pipeline Site are from Out-of-State
The protests led by Native Americans against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota hasn’t been costly just to the owner of the pipeline. And records show many of the protesters are out-of-staters and a large number have criminal records. Now the Morton County Sheriff’s office estimates that it has cost the state and …
Texas Confronts Big State Budget Challenge
The state of Oklahoma’s not alone in confronting a budget challenge caused in part by the oil slump. Oklahoma’s budget hole could be close to $900 million dollars but in Texas, it could be nearly $6 billion. One Republican legislator, Rep. Drew Darby said the state of Texas will need another $5 billion to $6 …
Russia Tried to Influence Battle Over Fracking in the U.S.
While most of the focus of the claimed Russian hacking has been on reported attempts to influence the U.S. Presidential election last year, slipping nearly unnoticed and under the headline was hacking attempts regarding energy….namely “fracking.” It’s buried deep in the recently-released declassified version of a report by the U.S. intelligence community. U.S. Sen. James Lankford …
Conservative Groups Lobby for Confirmation of Pruitt as EPA Director
Two conservative-based groups are working the political arena to get Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt confirmed as the new director of the EPA. America Rising Squared came out Wednesday with a memo showing the regulatory overreach of the EPA in West Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota and Pennsylvania. Those happen to be where …
Quality Jobs Program Adds 566 New Jobs in State
Oklahoma’s Quality Jobs Program is creating nearly 570 new jobs at four companies enrolled in the program run through the State Department of Commerce. Tulsa-based Summit ESP, LLC, a leading manufacturer of oil and gas field machinery equipment plans to add 148 workers with benefits totaling $3.1 million. D and M Employee Leading, LLC …
Halliburton Announces Plans to Hire 200 Workers in Permian Basin
With exploration expansion underway in the Permian Basin, Houston-based Halliburton says it will hire another 200 workers for its operations in the region. Hiring is underway in Odessa, Texas; Brownfield, Texas and Artesia, New Mexico. The company has about 50,000 employees worldwide, down from its 2014 peak of 85,000 employees. Halliburton said it’s looking for …
Gasoline Prices Increase to $2.16 average in Oklahoma
Higher gasoline prices are reported this week in Oklahoma with a new statewide average of $2.16 a gallon, according to a weekly release from AAA Oklahoma. Around the state, none of the cities checked by AAA Oklahoma have an average under $2 a gallon. Lawton is lowest with an average of $2.08 a gallon. Tulsa …
Chesapeake Reports Completions of 2-Year-Old Wells
Whether it was a strategy of waiting until oil prices rebounded of a lack of funds, Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy is just reporting the completion of 8 wells in northwest Oklahoma, wells that in some cases were drilled in 2014. The completion reports, as published on OK Energy Today showed six wells completed in Woods …
Bankruptcy Problems Possible for Dallas Energy Company
Problems in the Chapter 11 plan sought by Dallas-based Energy Future Holdings Corp. The company told senior secured noteholders this week it is pivoting from a proposed settlement in favor of a deal with unsecured noteholders. It could prompt the senior lenders to reject the Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a Delaware court. It was last …