Plans to ship Utah’s Uinta Basin crude oil on a rail line through Colorado and eventually to Oklahoma’s Cushing hub just got harder—if not impossible. The proposed Unita Basin Railway Project was fought by western Colorado Counties who feared train derailments could cause environmental catastrophes. This week, the U.S. Forest Seervice withdrew a federal …
Category: General
Sallisaw workers lose jobs in company sale to Chinese firm
The sale of a Sallisaw company, SLW Automotive, last August, led this week to a further announcement of the layoff of an estimated 150 employees on April 1. It was taken over by a Chinese company. Jeffrey P. Addison, VP GM North America and Europe gave a WARN notice to the Oklahoma Office of …
Storm response earns national award for OGE
The response and recovery efforts by OG&E crews to a June 2023 storm that caused widespread damage result in the Oklahoma utility receiving an Edison Electric Institute Emergency Response Award. Despite the severity of the storm, more than 4,000 personnel worked around the clock to get every customer’s power back up and running as …
OKC city council member named to national energy committee
Oklahoma City councilman Bradley Carter was named this week to the National League of Cities’ 2024 Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Federal Advocacy Committee. He will serve a one-year term and be part of the effort of cities across the U.S. advocating for solutions to energy and environmental issues. The Oklahoman reported that Carter, …
Fayetteville to add to its solar power projects
A report by Arkansas Business indicated the city of Fayetteville is in a rush to install a large solar power project by September so it can take advantage of a retail-rate credit for the excess power added to the grid. The new state rules on net metering will change on Oct. 1 and utility …
Decline reported in Cushing Hub’s crude oil stocks
Crude oil stocks across the U.S. and at the Cushing Hub in Oklahoma declined in the past week. The U.S. total fell by 2.5 million barrels, from 432.4 million barrels reported as of January 4, 2024 to 429.9 million barrels as of January 12 of this year. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, …
Another Biden renewable energy plan involves millions of acres of federal land
Under the Biden administration’s latest green energy effort, New Mexico and Colorado are among 11 western states where the government wants to locate solar energy projects on 22 million acres of federal lands. Along with Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah, those states were picked as the best sites for the projects. The Interior Department …
Energy quick reads
** Researchers at LexisNexis Risk Solutions found that when drivers switch from gasoline-powered cars to EVs, they tend to crash more. The frequency of insurance claims rises by about 14.3% while the severity of claims, or the amount that has to be paid out, increases by 14.5%, according to the data. ** The cold temperatures …
Tallgrass Energy Partners raising funds with $800 million note sale
Tallgrass Energy Partners, LP, the Kansas City-based company with pipelines extending to Oklahoma’s Cushing Hub, announced this week an $800 million offering of notes. Designed to raise money for the company, the offering was increased from the original $700 million to the new value of $800 million. It includes 7.375% senior unsecured notes due …
Pilot Travel Centers now owned 100% by Berkshire Hathaway
Those Pilot Travel Centers around Oklahoma are now totally owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Billionaire Warren Buffet’s company announced this week it acquired the remaining 20% in Pilot Travel Centers LLC across the nation. It means the 750 travel centers around the U.S. are 100% owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Eleven Pilot Travel centers are located …