** The Trump administration says it will release 172 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — about 40% of its supply — in an attempt to curb rising prices. ** Climate advocates file a lawsuit accusing New Mexico energy regulators of endangering residents’ health by failing to address thousands of unplugged, …
Category: EPA
Residents worry about environmental impact of $billion aluminum smelter at Inola
(Local residents gather for a community meeting in Inola on Mar. 7, 2026 to discuss the aluminum smelter planned for their community. Thomas Harrington explains to the crowd gathered the air pollution levels, chemical make up and distance that can be expected from the plant. (Rip Stell/Oklahoma Watch) A year after Oklahoma entered into …
USA Rare Earth makes another acquisition
The President of USA Rare Earth, Inc. based in Stillwater says the company’s recent $73 million acquisition of Texas Mineral Resources Corp. will “secure our defense industry and our, frankly, the technology industry as well.” It’s what Barbara Humpton, CEO of USAR, explained Wednesday in an interview on Fox Business Channel’s Mornings with Maria. …
AG joins fight over old greenhouse gas emissions rule
Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed a motion to intervene with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in support of the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate radical regulations of carbon emissions. At issue is a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding — …
Energy Brief: SPR call, AES deal, Venezuela oil
Strategic Petroleum Reserve and gasoline price concerns ** Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Sunday called on President Trump to release oil from the national stockpile to counter soaring gasoline prices. Electric utility leadership change at AEP Texas ** American Electric Power named Adrian Rodriguez as president and chief operating officer of AEP Texas replacing …
Energy briefs
** President Donald Trump said he was not concerned about rising U.S. gas prices driven by the widening Iran conflict, telling Reuters in an exclusive interview that the U.S. military operation was his priority. “I don’t have any concern about it,” he said, when asked about the higher prices at the pump. “They’ll drop very rapidly …
Legislators kill bill targeting medical waste incincerators
A bill aimed at making sure facilities burning regulated medical waste are regulated failed to make it out of an Oklahoma House committee. Rep. Meloyde Blancett’s HB 4413 failed in the House Appropriations and Budget Committee. The Tulsa Democrat’s bill was designed to combat an initiative by ReWorld Tulsa to transform a 40+ year-old municipal …
Energy briefs
** Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright and challenger Bo French will head to a runoff election, unofficial election results showed Tuesday, as neither could break through the required majority to secure the nomination. The winner will face a Democrat in November. ** On Tuesday, five organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s approval of an …
Energy briefs
** Crude oil prices are at their highest levels since the military campaign against Iran after climbing again overnight and this morning. The Energy and Treasury Departments will begin rolling out new efforts today to address energy price increases from the Iran conflict, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. ** AES Corp.’s share price dropped …