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Chesapeake, SandRidge and Tom Ward Accused of Bid-Rigging in $30 million Kansas Lawsuit
More fallout for Chesapeake Energy and SandRidge Energy in light of the federal investigation that led to indictments a few months ago in Oklahoma City. Now the two companies are accused in a $30 million lawsuit filed in Kansas City of conspiring to defraud another company which sold its oil and gas leasehold interests. It’s …
Wichitas and Caddos Fight Over Construction Site and Environmental Claims
In a fight with the Caddo Nation over the construction of a history center near Anadarko, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes asked an Oklahoma City federal judge recently to throw out the Caddo Nation’s lawsuit challenging the site of the center. The Caddo Tribe contends the construction site holds sacred Caddo burial sites and filed …
Landfills Face New EPA Methane Gas Emissions Standards
Landfills nationwide now face new stands for methane gas emissions as set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As of last Friday, the final standards were released for new and modified municipal solid waste landfills and emission guidelines for existing ones. The EPA’s goal is to reduce methane emissions by about 334,000 tons a year …
Feds to Study High-Speed Rail Service in Oklahoma and Texas
The federal government and the state of Texas have announced a series of hearings to explore ways to improve passenger rail service from Oklahoma City to south Texas. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation have released 10 service and route options for new and improved conventional and …
Pineapples in Michigan? What That Has to do With Banning Fracking
One writer in Michigan is having fun with the attempts of environmentalists to ban fracking in their county when there are no producing gas wells in the county. Tom Shepstone, writing in Natural Gas Now puts it this way,” There is a name for the meaningless efforts of radicals to build a movement against natural …
Federal Judges Rule Against EPA’s Haze Plan Over Oklahoma and Texas
The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court has dealt a major blow to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its efforts to enforce Regional Haze rules covering the air over national lands in southern Oklahoma and Texas. The court stayed the EPA’s plan through pollution controls at certain power plants, siding with numerous power companies in Texas, …
Mother Road Going Green
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Route 66, a highway made famous for attracting gas-guzzling Chevrolet Bel Airs traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles, is turning green. The Mother Road is seeing a growing number of electric car charging stations along the 2,500-mile path, and some states even are pushing for solar panels and electric buses. Illinois …
Nation’s Rig Count Grew by 7 while Oklahoma Remained Steady
The U.S. oil and gas rig count grew by 7 in the past week while the number of working rigs in Oklahoma remained at 59. The national count increased to 447 with six additional oil rigs and one gas rig. The U.S. oil rig count stands at 357 while the number of working gas rigs …
Chesapeake Energy Records Three More Successful Wells in the STACK
Chesapeake Energy’s reporting some success in oil wells in the STACK in Kingfisher and Blaine Counties. Its largest well produced 1,224 barrels a day along with 2,564 Mcf of gas. The STARK well in Blaine county was spudded in mid-January with drilling finished at the end of January and completion made on May 19. The well’s …
Rep. Russell’s Software Savings Bill Headed to White House
Congressman Steve Russell’s bill called the “Making Electronic Government Accountable by Yielding Tangible Efficiencies Act” was passed by the Senate and sent to the President’s desk. It’s a measure that Rep. Russell contends will save American taxpayers more than $4 billion a year. He and Pennsylvania Congressman Matt Cartwright (D) introduced the measure in June …