Corporation Commissioners in Oklahoma will meet Wednesday to handle their normal signing agendas but some rulemaking changes as well. In the 1:30 p.m. meeting, the three commissioners will take votes on their daily signing agenda and their 24-hour signing agenda cases. The rulemaking changes will deal with Gas & Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety, Motor Carriers, …
Category: EPA
Key permit obtained by Muskogee lithium refinery operator
Stardust Power Secures Key Air Permit for Muskogee Lithium Refinery More than a year after breaking ground in Muskogee, Stardust Power Inc. has cleared a major regulatory hurdle for its planned lithium refinery with approval from state environmental regulators. The Connecticut-based developer of battery-grade lithium carbonate announced it has received an air quality construction permit …
Poison saltwater still leaking four months later in Caddo County
Four months after a salt water leak led to the deaths of more than two dozen head of cattle on a Caddo County farm, the leak is still discharging the poisoned water and the Corporation Commission is spending funds to resolve the issue. The company that managed the poorly plugged century-old well located a mile …
Energy briefs
** U.S. refining companies like Valero Energy and Marathon Petroleum are set to benefit even more from a potential Venezuelan oil resurgence than drillers, as they have the equipment to process the country’s viscous crude. ** Valero Refining Company will begin laying off hundreds of workers at its Benicia refinery this spring in California. In a regulatory …
Poultry growers unhappy with AG’s poultry pollution lawsuit efforts
The version Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office portrayed of his recent meeting with poultry growers in Oklahoma over Illinois water pollution was far different from what one newspaper described. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette headline declared, “Oklahoma AG gets cool reception in meeting with poultry growers.” The article reported Drummond expressed confidence that poultry …
AG meets with poultry producers to discuss pollution lawsuit
Amid a recent federal ruling on Oklahoma’s 20-plus-year lawsuit over poultry litter pollution of the Illinois River Watershed, Attorney General Gentner Drummond met Thursday with a large group of poultry producers for a candid conversation about the case. The gathering coordinated by state Rep. David Hardin was held in Westville’s Baron Community Center. “I very …
Energy briefs
** A federal judge rules the Trump administration acted illegally when it canceled $7.6 billion in federal grants for clean energy projects in 16 Democratic-leaning states, including Colorado, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. ** Rival carrier T-Mobile piled on as Verizon struggled through a massive nationwide outage on Wednesday, telling customers its own network …
Governor criticizes AG’s poultry pollution lawsuit settlement
Oklahoma’s Governor used the settlement by Attorney General with one of the firms sued over the poultry litter pollution of the Illinois Water Shed to suggest the AG should have done it years ago. “I am glad to see Attorney General Drummond’s first settlement reflects the guardrails I put in my letter to him on …
Coal ash still in dispute from coal-fired power plants
EPA Move Reignites Coal Ash Disposal Controversy While Oklahoma’s Department of Environmental Quality is in charge of coal ash from the state’s coal-fired power plants, the Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to let 11 coal plants around the U.S. dump toxic coal ash into unlined pits for the next five years. The EPA decision …
AG reaches poultry pollution settlement with Arkansas chicken company
Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced the State of Oklahoma has reached a settlement agreement with George’s, Inc., resolving claims related to poultry litter pollution in the Illinois River Watershed. “This settlement demonstrates that fair, good-faith negotiations can produce outcomes that serve everyone’s interests—protecting Oklahoma’s water resources while respecting the economic realities facing our agricultural partners,” …