** Global investment in renewable energy projects hit a fresh record this year but fell in the U.S., an analysis released this week shows. U.S. spending fell by $20.5 billion, or 36%, from the second half of 2024 in what the firm calls a response to the U.S. presidential election. It was the steepest drop …
Category: Solar Energy in Oklahoma
Energy briefs
** The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the U.S. Geological Survey, today released the draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals and a report that outlines a new model for assessing how potential supply chain disruptions could affect the U.S. economy. The draft list will guide federal strategy, investment, and permitting decisions designed to secure the …
Wind farm setbacks and biosolids fertilizer to be discussed in Senate Committee hearing
Just because the idea of wind and solar farm setbacks failed to become law in the recent Oklahoma legislative session doesn’t mean the issue has died for good. The same applies for another controversial item that didn’t become law—the application of Human Biosolids on farmland and other sites. Both topics will be raised …
Energy briefs
** California advocates worry Phillips 66 may shirk its responsibilities to clean up a “lake of hydrocarbons” that has accumulated under a Los Angeles-area refinery slated for closure later this year. ** Republican U.S. senators move to strip federal funding for the U.S. Postal Service’s transition to an EV fleet to save taxpayer money, though …
U.S. developers report half of new electric generating capacity will come from solar
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, June 2025 A new government report predicts the production of electricity from solar projects throughout the U.S. will increase markedly this year. What might factor into the growth is the impact of the Trump administration’s decision to stop government subsidies for solar farm construction. …
Energy briefs
** U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday accused India of profiteering from its sharply increased purchases of Russian oil during the war in Ukraine, saying Washington viewed the situation as unacceptable. Bessent told CNBC in an interview that Russian oil now accounted for 42% of India’s total oil purchases, up from under 1% before the …
Energy briefs
** The proposed Constitution pipeline that would carry natural gas from Pennsylvania to New York would not help lower energy prices in New England, despite claims made by U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a recent opinion piece. ** Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes sees its income rise amid falling prices and slowed drilling …
Data Centers want continued government subsidies
As the data center boom grows across the country, including in Oklahoma and adjacent states, the industry is pushing for more help from the government in order to ensure there is available electrical power. The industry’s group, called the Data Center Coalition, is asking Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to continue with rules covering …
Wind farm on public lands voted down by Oklahoma School Land Commission
With Woodward County Commissioners campaigning against the project, the Oklahoma Land Commission voted 2-1 to kill a possible wind farm on school land in Woodward County. The Land Commission is comprised of Gov. Kevin Stitt, Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, Byrd, Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and the President of the Board of Agriculture …
USDA to stop subsidies for solar projects that take up US farmland
In Tennessee this week, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made an announcement that could have far-reaching impact on the spread of solar farms, even in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Speaking after a Future Farmers of America breakfast in Lebanon, Rollins said there will be no more subsidies for solar energy panels that take …