Can electric vehicles continue to get federal aid in a capital dominated by President Donald Trump? We’ll find out. A partisan battle is shaping up as part of the massive highway-policy bill that is rewritten every few years. The last cycle started in 2021 with the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law under …
Category: Oil & Gas
$15 billion in federal energy revenue returned to states
The Department of the Interior’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue announced the disbursement of $14.61 billion in revenues generated in fiscal year 2025 from energy production on federal and tribal onshore lands, and federal offshore areas. New Mexico received the most of any state with more than $2.7 billion in payments. The disbursements …
Energy briefs
** El Paso, Texas’ municipal electric utility seeks a rate increase from state regulators to pay off $1.55 billion in capital investments, while gas and water utilities also seek rate hikes that could lead to city residents paying an additional $45 in monthly utility bills. ** Washington state regulators fine BP $3.8 million over a …
EPA now in charge of large SW Colorado gasoline spill
Nearly a year after a 97,000 gasoline pipeline spill polluted areas of southwestern Colorado, the U.S. EPA joined the cleanup effort and took control of operations. The December 2024 spill happened on the Southern Ute Reservation near Durango and became the largest such spill on record in Colorado. It even threatened …
Nation’s oil/gas rig numbers take big drop
The latest Baker Hughes Co. Rig Count showed a slight decline of numbers in Oklahoma but a much larger drop nationally over the past week. The U.S. total fell by 10 rigs, leaving 544 still active in the oil and gas plays. The biggest decline was a loss of 12 oil rigs, leaving …
Crude oil prices—what will their response be to OPEC+ meeting
Sunday’s OPEC+ meeting was one of the reasons crude oil prices fell in Friday’s trading. Plus, there was the consideration of oil’s geopolitical risk amid the drawn-out Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Oil prices finished the week up about 1% for the week, but both Brent crude and WTI were down for the fourth consecutive month …
Expectations grow over first lithium production in Arkansas
Standard Lithium recently got support in the race to become the first company to produce lithium in Arkansas. It’s in a race with Exxon Mobil to make it first in the state known for its Smackover formation which is filled with brine or saltwater. Standard recently got support from the U.S. Department of Energy and …
Xcel customers face 9% rate hike in Colorado
Xcel Energy customers in Colorado are facing a potential 9% rate hike as the company is asking for a $356 million rate increase from utility regulators. If approved, it would mean a $10 a month jump in average utility bills. The utility filed the rate request last week with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, …
New Mexico wants more protection for Chaco Canyon
U.S. Senators and Representatives from New Mexico joined Pueblo leaders in urging the Department of Interior to continue protecting the Chaco Culture National historical Park from oil and gas drilling. Their call came after the Bureau of Land Management in October started a process to revoke protections for 10 miles around the national parks …
Gasoline prices show slight gain in Oklahoma in past week
As drivers prepare to hit the road for Thanksgiving in record numbers, gas prices are relatively steady compared to last week. The national average is $3.06, down a penny from a week ago and the same price as a month ago, reported AAA. Oklahoma’s average rose one cent to $2.50 per gallon, which is still …