Author's posts
Self-Driving Cars Subject of Congressional Hearing
Congressman Markwayne Mullin and others on a subcommittee of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce committee will explore those self-driving cars in a hearing today on capitol hill. He is a member of the Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection. The hearing entitled “Self-Driving Cars: Road to Deployment will begin at 9:15 a.m. Oklahoma …
Company Fined $1 million for Oil Pipeline Spill
A Casper, Wyoming-based pipeline company will have to cough up $1 million because of an oil pipeline spill that happened in 2015 in the state of Montana. Bridger Pipeline LLC will be forced to give $800,000 to environmental projects and another $200,000 to the state’s general fund according to an announcement by the Montana …
Texas and New Mexico Remain at Odds in Water Fight
In a water fight between Texas and New Mexico, a special master named by the U.S. Supreme Court says Texas might have a case in claiming New Mexico is overusing water government by a 1938 state water-sharing agreement. It means the dispute will continue in the courts. The Special Master issued a report recommending the …
Tulsa Federal Judge Rules Against Landowner in Fight with BIA in Osage County
A Tulsa Federal Judge has dismissed a lawsuit in a battle over hydraulic fracturing leases involving the Bureau of Indian Affairs and a company with oil and gas leases and permits on the Osage Nation’s reservation. Judge Claire V. Eagan ruled late last week against Lyman Gilbert Lenker, the trustee for the Virginia Lenker Irrevocable Trust. …
Chesapeake Fights $439 million Bond Ruling—-Heads to Supreme Court
Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. thinks the U.S. Supreme Court should have a say in a $439 million judgment that was issued against the company last fall in a dispute over a bond issuance. It was a fight in part that grew out of debt run up by the late Aubrey McClendon when he …
New $600 million Credit Announced by SandRidge Energy
Oklahoma City-based SandRidge Energy announced Monday it entered into a new $600 million reserve based credit facility with a $425 million borrowing base. The move was effective Feb. 10, 2017. The announcement indicated that the refinancing amended the terms of the previous credit facility and provides the company with an increased principal commitment to $600 …
Tribe and State Win Court Order Against Storing of Uranium Contamination at Gore
Plans by a firm to permanently store uranium contaminated sludge at the former Sequoyah Fuels facility near Gore in eastern Oklahoma are on temporary hold after the State and the Cherokee Nation went to federal court to win a temporary restraining order. The State and the Tribe fear possible contamination of the nearby Arkansas and …
Oklahoma’s Drilling Rig Numbers Hold Steady but Gain Nationally
Rig counts remained the same in Oklahoma in the past week while nationwide, they grew by 12 to reach 741, according to figures from the Baker Hughes Company in Houston, Texas. Of course, the count is only from Baker Hughes and does not include states where it does not operate such as Kansas. The Kansas …
Governor’s Infrastructure Wish List to Trump—-$1.3 billion in Projects
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin’s submitted $1.3 billion in transportation projects to the Trump administration as part of the new President’s plan to improve nationwide infrastructure. She proposed seven so-called “shove-ready” projects in Oklahoma. They are among 428 projects submitted from 49 states and territories to the White House National Trade Council. The submissions were made …
One Vote Scott Pruitt is Sure to Get in Confirmation to Run EPA
One vote that Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt will likely get during his confirmation vote in the U.S. will come from Alabama’s new U.S. Senator, Luther Strange. And there’s nothing strange about it either. That’s because Sen. Strange, the man appointed to take over when Sen. Jeff Sessions became U.S. Attorney General was Alabama’s former …