** Florida’s 7,759 total megawatts of solar power on its electric grid puts the state well ahead of North Carolina’s 7,457 megawatts. The Tar Heel State had ranked second in the nation for total solar capacity as recently as early 2020. ** The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it plans to fine the owners of the …
Category: EPA
Landmark McGirt Decision May Soon Impact State’s Environmental Regulatory Authority
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to withdraw and reconsider the agency’s decision from October 1, 2020, granting the State of Oklahoma’s request to extend its EPA-approved environmental regulatory programs into certain areas of Indian country within Oklahoma. The State’s request had come on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McGirt v. …
Thursday energy news headlines
** A pair of New York businessmen filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court seeking to block Mexico’s state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) from taking control of a Texas refinery, claiming the sale would raise U.S. gasoline prices. ** The United States has enough reserves of lithium, copper and other metals to build millions of its …
Wednesday headlines of other energy stories
** Presidio Petroleum LLC is in advanced talks to acquire around 5,000 shale gas wells from U.S. oil producer Exxon Mobil Corp, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. Exxon’s XTO Energy unit has been seeking buyers for its holdings in the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas, part of the company’s drive to raise …
Senators introduce bill to stop Biden’s attack on marginal wells
Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Roger Marshall, M.D, (R-KS) led a group of colleagues in introducing the Marginal Well Protection Act to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from levying excessive methane emission fees for wells that produce less than 15 barrels of oil and less than 90 Mcf (90,000 cubic feet) of natural gas per day. …
Other energy headlines for Tuesday
** Denver-based SM Energy Co. on Dec. 20 set new emissions reduction targets and unveiled plans to eliminate routine flaring by 2023. The new environmental targets set by SM Energy, whose operations are focused in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford shale plays, were largely driven by the company’s shareholders. ** The White House on Sunday ripped …
EPA’s latest Superfund list
The EPA plans to spend $1 billion on cleaning 49 previously unfunded Superfund sites. A review of the list shows the majority are in the eastern half of the U.S. and Oklahoma is not among any new sites for cleanup. Click here for CBS news report.
Other energy news headlines for Monday
** A new federal regulation requires higher safety standards for pipelines carrying oil and other hazardous liquids through the Great Lakes region, marine coastal waters and beaches, officials said. ** The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Thursday that domestic supplies of natural gas fell by 88 billion cubic feet for the week ended Dec. 10. That …
Friday’s other energy news headlines
** About half of U.S. oil pipeline space is sitting unused, heating up competition for barrels in higher-output areas like the Permian Basin in Texas. Reuters reports that overall U.S. pipeline capacity utilization is at around 50%, compared with a range of 60% to 70% headed into early 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic hit, according to …
Other energy headlines for Thursday
** Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Tuesday that the Biden administration will not ban crude oil exports, despite a push from some Democrats to do so. Speaking before the National Petroleum Council – an advisory board made up of oil industry figures – Granholm said, “We are not considering reinstating the ban on exports.” ** Construction has started on a roughly …