Author's posts
Law Firms Across the Nation Hail the Judge’s Decision on Fracking in Wyoming
Law firms across the U.S. are hailing a Wyoming federal judge’s ruling that struck down the Obama administration’s fracturing rules as a huge win for the oil and gas industry. The U.S. District judge ruled the U.S. Department of the Interior had no legal authority to involve itself in creating fracking control rules on federal …
Oklahoma and the U.S. Drop Rig Counts
Rig counts for the U.S. and Oklahoma fell over the past week with Oklahoma losing four and the national count dropping by three, according to data released by Baker Hughes Company of Houston, Texas. Oklahoma’s count slipped to 54 compared to the 105 oil and gas rigs the state had one year ago this week. …
Senator Inhofe and Others to Hold EPA Accountable on Enforcement of Rules
Coming this week in Washington, D.C.—–a hearing by a U.S. Senate subcommittee into the EPA’s enforcement and compliance programs. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S,.D.) will chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight hearing on June 29. The official hearing is called “Oversight of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency …
Senators Fear Loss of Biofuel Production to Overseas Operations
No Oklahoma Senators are among them, but 39 U.S. Senators have sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy urging her agency to ensure the final 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard rule promotes growth in the U.S. rather than overseas. The 2017 proposal calls on refiners to blend 14.8 billion gallons of …
Ruling Expected Soon in Williams and ETE Fight
A Delaware judge overseeing the legal fight between Williams Cos. of Tulsa and Energy Transfer Equity promises to have a ruling by Friday. The commitment came earlier this week from Judge Sam Glascock who’s been hearing arguments in the conflicts between the two companies that proposed a $38 billion merger last fall. The suit was …
Inhofe and Cole Applaud Judge’s Ruling on Fracking Regulations
“I’m glad to see energy production put back into the hands of hard-working Americans.” Rep. Tom Cole The Wyoming judge who ruled against the Obama administration’s fracking regulations gets strong support from two Oklahoma congressmen. ‘I applaud the federal judge who stood by the law and struck down this unnecessary, politically-motivated power grab,” …
Tulsa Driller Files Suit over Earthquake Insurance Coverage
Facing five lawsuits and being accused of causing earthquakes in the state, Tulsa-based New Dominion LLC has gone to court against underwriters Lloyd’s of London. The company filed suit in Tulsa County District court claiming the company and Mark Tedford and his firm, Tedford & Associates LLC misled the firm about earthquake damage and whether …
Chicago Residents Say Koch Industries Settlement Not Enough
A few months after Wichita-based Koch Industries agreed to a tentative settlement in a 2013 class action lawsuit over its storage of oil refining byproducts in Chicago, homeowners are asking a federal judge to turn down the $1.4 million in settlements. In a filing this week, 20 of the plaintiffs who live in neighborhoods on …
White House calls Judge’s Fracking Ruling a “temporary setback”
The Obama administration is not happy after a Wyoming federal judge ruled against hydraulic fracturing rules created by the Bureau of Land Management covering oil and gas drilling on federal and Indian lands. A spokeswoman defended what she called “modernized fracking requirements” and said they “are aimed at ensuring adequate well control, preventing groundwater contamination …
Drought Not Quite Exists in the State
The latest Drought Monitor shows Oklahoma has yet to return to a drought but 17 percent of the state is listed as “abnormally dry.” The abnormally dry areas are in north central, north east and east central Oklahoma. “But the rainfall statistics over the last 60 days probably warrant drought designation justification,” said Gary McManus, …