Author's posts
Natural Gas Inventories Grow—–Prices Hold Steady
With record setting high temperatures this week in Oklahoma, prices of propane for winter heating purposes aren’t doing much. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Thursday that residential heating oil and propane prices started the winter heating season at levels similar to last winter’s levels. “Inventories of both fuels are near or above five-year …
OSU Inks Contract for New Airplane Transportation System
A contract was scheduled to be signed Thursday in Stillwater paving the way for research and development that could lead to a working prototype of an automated system for handling landed aircraft. The contract is between the New Product Development Center at Oklahoma State University and Airplane Transporting Systems. The ATS is what the University …
Texas Official Agrees—-Wastewater Injection Wells Can Cause Earthquakes
A statement by Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton that oil and gas wastewater injection wells are possibly causing earthquakes in Texas is getting some attention in the industry. “I take the issue of induced seismicity very seriously,” said Sitton in announcing his collaboration with the Bureau of Economic Geology Center for Integrated Seismicity Research. “The …
BNSF Considers Covers for Coal Cars as part of Settlement with Environmental Groups
Covers might be seen soon on BNSF Railway cars carrying coal in the northwestern part of the U.S. It’s part of a tentative agreement reached this week between the rail company that rolls through Oklahoma with environmental groups who alleged the coal spilled from the trains has polluted waterways in Washington state. BNSF has denied …
Continental’s Blaine County Density Tests Result in Big Production
Continental Resources and its density unit tests in Blaine County are coming through for the company’s STACK exploration with results now known for 8 wells from its density tests. The Oklahoma City company, founded and operated by billionaire Harold Hamm filed six more completion reports this week for its LUDWIG density testing with five showing production …
Devon Energy Settles With Feds Over Lost Oil and Gas Leases in Montana
The U.S. Interior Department announced a settlement this week with Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy over the cancellation of 15 leases the company had to drill for oil and gas on Montana land considered sacred by the Blackfeet Tribe. The company’s leases covered parts of the Badger-Two Medicine area of the Lewis and Clark National Forest …
Non-Controversial Pipeline Under Construction in South Texas
While a North Dakota oil pipeline is the focus of hundreds of protesters, another pipeline under construction is moving ahead with little public notice. It’s the $353 million Nueva Era Pipeline and Howard Midstream Energy Partners, LLC of San Antonio just closed on project financing. The project, a nearly 200-mile natural gas pipeline will connect …
USGS Out With Largest Oil Assessment Ever in Permian Basin
The STACK and the SCOOP might have the interests of energy companies in Oklahoma, and they have certainly attracted some Texas firms in exploring for new shale oil, but the Permian Basin in West Texas remains the nation’s big oil zone. This week, the U.S. Geological Survey announced a new estimate of oil in place …
Tinker Becomes Maintenance Center for Air Force Global Hawk Drones
Tinker Air Force Base just became home as another maintenance center, this one for some of the huge Global Hawk drones that fly around the world. Partnering with Rolls-Royce, Tinker formally dedicated its operation to carry out the maintenance and overhaul work of the F137 engines that power the drones up to 60,000 feet. The …
Oklahoma Among States With Highest Water Violations in U.S. in 2015
A recently new report from the firm FluksAqua claimed Oklahoma is among the top 8 states that had the highest water contamination problems reported in 2015. Oklahoma experienced health-based water system violations that affected 19.1% of the state’s population including 69 instances of coliform contamination and 640 instances of disinfection byproducts, according to the report. …