The state of New Mexico’s lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency stemming from the 2015 Gold King Mine spill is reported to be on hold. The state’s attorney general now says an agreement has been reached to settle New Mexico’s claims against the EPA reported the Farmington Daily Times. At the time of the …
Category: EPA
Witness warns Inhofe that Biden EPA plan is a recipe for disaster
A witness testifying before a Senate Committee hearing this week told Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe there’s no doubt that if the Biden administration denies small refinery exemptions from biofuels mandates, it will result in even higher gasoline costs. It’s what LeAnn Johnson Koch, Partner, Perkins Coie, LLP told the Senator during a hearing …
More energy headlines
** Republican U.S. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said on Wednesday he is blocking President Joe Biden’s nominees for environmental regulatory positions in a bid to win permission for his state to regulate storage of the primary gas blamed for climate change. It will prevent Senate floor votes on nominees at the Environmental Protection Agency. ** Colgate Energy, …
Rep. Lucas named a “Champion of Science”
Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas was recently honored by the nonprofit The Science Coalition when it named him a 2022 Champion of Science. Lucas is the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. The Science Coalition is a nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research institutions. The …
EPA’s Brownfields program gets support from Rep. Mullin
Oklahoma U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mulln reaffirmed his support this week for continued use of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields program for rural and Tribal communities. He did so during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate change hearing. Oklahoma is considered a national leader in the use of the Brownfields program. …
Headlines of other energy stories
** Duke Energy plans to work with BMW of North America, Ford Motor Co., General Motors and American Honda Motor Co. Inc. to recruit 200 electric vehicle owners for the pilot. ** US natural gas producer EQT says prices are surging due to lack of adequate pipeline structure. CEO Toby Rice suggested the fix to high natural gas …
Unhealthy air warning for SE Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality issued a health advisory Monday morning pointing to unhealthy air conditions in southeast Oklahoma. The DEQ identified Pittsburg County as having high levels of fine particular matter that could prove “unhealthy” for certain people. In particular, those with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, were encouraged to limit their …
Other energy news headlines
** U.S. consumption of coal fell from 11.3 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2019 to 9.2 quads in 2020, a 19% decrease. The electric power sector accounted for 90% of total consumption reported the U.S. Energy Information Administration. ** Toyota announces it will invest $73 million into a West Virginia factory to increase its ability to produce hybrid …
Oklahoma’s DEQ threatened with lawsuit
Oklahoma’s Department of Environmental Quality is being threatened with a lawsuit because for the second time, the agency has failed to meet a deadline to file pollution reduction plan under the Clean Water Act. The Sierra Club is among those environmental groups wanting to haul the agency into court reported News 9 TVin Oklahoma …
Senators urge EPA to delay WOTUS “land grab”
The names of Oklahoma U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford are among the 50 Senate Republicans who recently urged the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers against updating their definition of waters protected under the Clean Water Act. The Senators want the two bodies to pause until the U.S. Supreme Court …