Author's posts
NextEra Considers Closing of Inefficient Power Plants While Expanding in Oklahoma and Elsewhere
NextEra, the Florida-based energy company with wind farms in western Oklahoma is hinting that its wind, solar and natural gas operations are doing so well economically, the company might shut down some of its inefficient power plants. John Ketchum, NextEra’s chief financial officer said the shutdown might include nuclear, oil and natural gas operations. He …
New Mexico Deals with Old Sinkhole near Carlsbad
Sink holes are nothing new around mining of energy exploration towns. Consider the sink holes in northeast Oklahoma due to mining. Or the salt mines near Hutchinson, Kansas. But the big sinkhole that developed eleven years ago near Carlsbad, New Mexico has the state in a fight over who’s footing the bill for the loss …
Protesters Heckle Pruitt in Dallas—-Call Him a “Monster”
“You’re a monster! You’re gutting the EPA!” Shouts aimed at Scott Pruitt as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency spoke recently in Dallas as part of the city’s Earth Day festivities. Protesters even disrupted his “fireside chat-style” conversation with Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton and a reception held when the discussion was moved to …
Pruitt Makes Promise to Consider Public Comments in Making EPA Rule Changes
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s promising his agency will consider thousands of public comments as it reviews regulations and whether to eliminate some. It’s what he told E and E News at an Earth Day event in Dallas. “Those comments are going to be taken very seriously because that’s our job,” said Pruitt, the former Oklahoma …
Seventy Seven Energy’s Merger is Complete With Houston Company
Houston-based Patterson-UTI Energy has wrapped up its merger with Oklahoma City’s Seventy Seven Energy Inc. The Texas company not only issued nearly 47.5 million shares pursuant to the merger, but repaid all of Seventy Seven Energy’s outstanding debt totaling $472 million. As part of the package, Patterson-UTI entered into an agreement with its lenders to …
Group Fighting Bribed Vote Has Plan to Divide $16 billion it Seeks
A consumer’s group urging the Oklahoma Supreme Court to overturn a more than 25-year old rate case approved in a bribed vote for then Southwestern Bell Telephone company has come up with a plan to divide the $16 billion dollars it wants. Oklahomans Against Bribery, made up of some of the six who have filed …
OKC Climate March to be Held Saturday
Oklahoma City will be the site this coming weekend as part of the national People’s Climate March. A coalition of groups will host the march Saturday, March 29 beginning at 1 p.m. at the Harkins Bricktown Plaza. The event will invclude music, petitions, and children’s activities followed at 2 p.m. with speakers sharing environmental concerns. …
Oklahoma’s Rig Count Slips While National Count Grows
For the first time in seven weeks, the oil and gas rig count in Oklahoma declined in the past week while the national count grew to reach 857 rigs. Baker Hughes Co. in Houston announced Oklahoma’s count dropped by one to reach 124. A year ago, the state’s rig count was 63. The increase is …
SCOOP Produces Massive Gas Well
It wasn’t just the nearly 900 barrels of oil equivalent a day that came out of a Grady county well that no doubt got the attention of the developers. It was the nearly 16,000 Mcf of natural gas being produced on a daily basis. The Lynda well in the SE Cana Field of the SCOOP …
Legislative Impact on Energy Industry?
With five weeks remaining in the Oklahoma legislative session, a lot could still happen regarding measures affecting energy in the state. House Speaker Charles McCall told reporters Thursday he still believes the house is ahead of schedule, despite the recent death of Broken Arrow Rep. David Brumbaugh. When asked about any changes or prospects for …