** President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on Indian imports to 50% as part of an ongoing row with New Delhi over its purchase of Russian oil, Forbes reported. The move came the same day that special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. ** Fallout from the One Big Beautiful Bill will curb rooftop solar …
Category: Wind Energy
Report shows drop in energy employment in July in Oklahoma and nearby states
A new report from the Energy Workforce & Technology Council for July showed another slight drop in energy employoment in Oklahoma as well as other states in the region. A cooling in the U.S. labor market? It’s what the council suggests as it explained total jobs in the sector declined slightly to 633,938, a month-over-month …
Energy briefs
** Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Curtis (R-Utah) place holds on three Treasury Department nominees, escalating their fight against the Trump administration’s clampdown on wind and solar tax credit use. ** A Mississippi mayor confirms Elon Musk’s xAI company has purchased a defunct Duke Energy gas-fired power plant to provide energy to the company’s …
Data Centers to demand more power from PSO’s parent company American Electric Power
Weeks after Public Service Company of Oklahoma won approval for its $730 million acquisition of the Green Country Power Plant in Jenks, a move based on anticipated growth in power demands, PSO’s parent company is out with a projection of connecting to 24 GW of new load by 2030. That’s a 15% …
Energy briefs
** U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum orders agencies to factor in proposed solar or wind projects’ per-acre energy generating capacity relative to fossil fuels during permitting — a move that could halt new renewables development on federal lands. ** Colorado Gov. Jared Polis orders state agencies to streamline and accelerate clean energy permitting to allow …
New Mexico Senator demands explanation over cancellation of loan to Grain Belt Express project
The Trump administration’s recent decision to cancel a nearly $5 billion federal loan guarantee for the Grain Belt Express transmission project from Kansas to Indiana caught the attention of one Democrat in the U.S. Senate. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources …
Energy briefs
** The Trump administration moves to defund the Chemical Safety Board, which environmental and community advocates worry will leave a regulatory gap in the oversight of hundreds of petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast. ** Ford’s vehicle sales rose 14% to more than 612,000 in the last quarter, according to earnings that bested analysts’ expectations. …
Energy briefs
** The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued an emergency order under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to address potential reliability concerns in the Mid-Atlantic power grid. The order was requested by PJM Interconnection (PJM) to allow the Wagner Generating Station in Maryland to operate beyond its normal limits if necessary. ** A Senate committee …
SWEPCO wants a 27% monthly rate hike in Arkansas
Customers of Southwestern Electric Power Company in Arkansas are getting a shock as the firm is asking approval for a more than 27% increase in monthly residential charges. The filing with the Arkansas Public Service Commission indicated it wants to increase residential rates for customers who use 857 kilowatt hours to $30.46 per …
Interior Department targets wind industry
The nation’s wind industry is in the bulls eye of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who announced new policy measures this week. Among them, an ending of special treatament for what the Department labeled as “unreliable energy sources” and included wind as one of them. The Department might stop some onshore wind development on some federal …