As the U.S. and other countries report a growing demand for natural gas to run their power plants and meeting the booming requirements of data centers, crude oil producers in the Permian Basin are taking notice. And making changes. And they’re starting to focus on natural gas production and not just king oil. …
Category: Oil & Gas
Energy briefs
** President Donald Trump named David Rosner as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he has served since mid-2025 as a commissioner, the agency said ** In 2024, the United States exported about 30% of its domestic primary energy production. Nearly all of the exports were fossil fuels destined for other countries in North America, Europe, or Asia. The United States …
Regulators approve Fort Cobb Fuel Authority’s ’23 gas purchases, now reviewing ’24’s
By Mike W. Ray Southwest Ledger OKLAHOMA CITY – State regulators examined Fort Cobb Fuel Authority’s natural-gas procurement policies and purchase costs in 2023 and deemed them to be “prudent, fair, just and reasonable” – with a caveat about its line leaks. Also on Aug. 7 the Corporation Commission established a schedule for …
Electricity rates nationwide increase by average 25%, outpacing inflation
By Mike W. Ray Southwest Ledger Oklahomans complaining about soaring electricity rates are supported by news that electricity price inflation is rising dramatically. In fact, it is outpacing the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI), according to a July report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On an annualized basis, electricity price inflation …
EIA expects the price of crude oil to fall to below $60 per barrel by the end of the year and average near $50 per barrel through 2026
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects a significant decline in the price of oil as growth in the global supply of oil vastly surpasses growth in demand for petroleum products. In its August Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA expects the Brent crude oil spot price to average less than $60 per barrel in the fourth …
SB998 constitutional or not?
Questions have been raised about the constitutionality of a bill taking some powers from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and forcing regulators to act on utility requests at a faster rate than is the current law. SB998 was passed by the state legislature and allowed to become law without the signature of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin …
Crude oil prices fall again
After only a one day reprieve from nearly a week of struggles, crude oil prices on Tuesday dropped again. But on a highlight, Oklahoma energy stocks finished with gains. The dip came as traders waited to read from the U.S. Energy Information Administration had to report as well as when there will be …
Legislators challenge yet another Corporation Commission rate hike
State Reps. Tom Gann and Kevin West have filed yet another State Supreme Court challenge of an Corporation Commission approval of a utility rate hike because it involved votes by Commissioner Todd Hiett. It was their sixth such appeal of Hiett’s participation in rate hike approvals. In a filing on Monday, August 11, …
AI drives natural gas boom in Appalachia and Expand Energy is part of it
Oklahoma’s Expand Energy is among the nation’s top gas producers who are benefitting from a data center construction boom in the Appalachia basin. As more and more data centers are being constructed in such states as Virginia and Pennsylvania, it’s also driving the need for more natural gas—just what Expand Energy and …
$10 billion rate hike over next four years? It’s for real
Customers of Florida’s biggest utility company, Florida Power & Ligght Company are probably still picking themselves up off the floor after hearing what the firm is proposing for a rate hike. FPL wants a nearly $10 billion rate hike for electricity over the next four years. If it comes about, it would be …