Oil and gas companies drilling on state land in New Mexico, including the Permian Basin, will have to pay higher royalties after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently signed a bill into law. The new law raises the previous oil an gas royalty rate cap from 20% to 25% on State Trust land in …
Category: General
Gloves come off in dispute between Treasurer and AG
Nearly half a year after Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ and Attorney General Gentner Drummond were at odds over a lawsuit challenging Oklahoma’s Anti-Energy Discrimination Elimination Act, their differences are displayed again in another dispute. This time, Russ is accusing Drummond of “political interference.” Recall, Drummond stepped in and fired the attorney hired by the …
Transmission line land fight echoes Oklahoma dispute
Nearly six months after lawsuits were filed when a Garfield County farm couple refused to allow surveyors onto their land for the Cimarron Link transmission line across northern Oklahoma, a similar story is being played out on the other end of the U.S. More than 100 property owners in Central Maryland have done the …
Residents fight tax abatement for NextEra solar farm
NextEra Energy faces a fight in one Arkansas county where it is seeking a tax abatement on a proposed 2,000-acre solar farm. Residents of Little River County, adjacent to Oklahoma’s McCurtain County, recently voiced their opposition to the 65% tax abatement being considered by county leaders. Click here for KSLA news
Arkansas legislature approves more restrictions on wind industry
Just as some Oklahoma legislators have targeted the wind industry for more restrictions this year, in Arkansas, the legislature just approved a bill doing the same. It’s a bill that wind farm supporters contend will cripple the industry. Still, it’s on its way to the governor’s desk to become law. They also claim …
Energy briefs
** The Trump administration issued an order Wednesday to stop construction on a major offshore wind project to power more than 500,000 New York homes, the latest in a series of moves targeting the industry. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said it needs further review because it appears the Biden administration rushed the approval. ** The U.S. Army Corps …
Car group says EVs break down more than gas powered cars
Thinking of buying an electric car? The Automobile Association is out with a warning that EVs break down more often that the gas-powered car you’re driving. The organization says EVs tend to have a host of problems such as jammed charging cables and technical glitches and they are even prone to punctures and flat …
Regulators advised—don’t rush to make utility pole changes
After months of study, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is being advised it should take little action when it comes to a call to require stronger wooden poles used by utilities in the state. The recommendation comes from the Commission’s Public Utilities Division which reached its conclusions following a Notice of Inquiry launched last …
Senator hails FERC decision
The recent decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to stop a proposed hydroelectric project on the Kiamichi River in Pushmataha County was supported by one southeast Oklahoma Senator. Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard called it a “tremendous victory” for southeast Oklahoma. “The Kiamichi River is a cultural landmark, and a treasured natural resource …
Scott Mitchell talks energy with Jerry Bohnen—recalling the OKC bombing and another lawsuit against Todd Hiett
Scott Mitchell talks energy with Jerry Bohnen and the two have their own memories of the Oklahoma City bombing, plus discussion about a legislator’s latest attempt to stop Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett from voting in some rate cases.