Category: Wind Energy

Gov. Stitt explores “unplugging” from Southwest Power Pool

  Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says he is ready to stand up in defense of Oklahoma landowners opposed to regional transmission line development by the Southwest Power Pool. He’s ready to take on the SPP and suggested he won’t allow the power grid to control Oklahoma. He might explore “unplugging” from the SPP. Interviewed by …

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Iowa farmers want regulations covering destroyed wind turbines

  In a case reminiscent of the abandoned wind turbines in the Oklahoma Panhandle last year, some Iowa farmers are pushing for new regulations to cover the cleanup of damaged turbines on their land. In Iowa, a family was left with a hole in the ground after the company used exposives to remove a turbine …

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Energy briefs

** On Tuesday the U.S. House passed bipartisan ‘Good Samaritan’ abandoned mine cleanup legislation by voice vote. The bill passed the U.S. Senate unanimously in July, and President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law. ** Texas researchers investigate a spike in seismic activity in the Permian Basin and its connection to the injection of roughly 50 billion barrels …

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Energy briefs

** Kentucky U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, a longtime defender of the state’s coal industry, is selected to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee, beating out Ohio Rep. Bob Latta. ** The Biden administration schedules an oil and gas lease sale for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge offering 400,000 acres — the minimum allowed by a 2017 …

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Energy sector sees employment rebound

  The Energy Workforce & Technology Council’s monthly jobs report released this week highlighted a rebound in employment across the U.S. energy services sector. Total jobs in the sector reported at 655,630 in November 2024, reflecting an increase of 1,890 positions from October, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and …

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Energy briefs

** The state of Oregon has advanced its sustainability efforts by approving the Sunstone Solar project, which will span about 10,000 acres in Morrow County. Set to be the largest of its kind in the U.S., the project will use nearly 4 million solar panels to generate 1,200 megawatts of power—enough to provide clean, emission-free electricity to …

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Energy briefs

** The Biden administration has made a precedent-setting arrest related to anti-climate change activities this fiscal year, highlighted in a new report that shows a ramped-up enforcement effort against environmental offenses. The AIM Act led to the arrest of Michael Hart, of San Diego, in March on charges related to “smuggling potent greenhouse gases,” highlighted in …

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Energy briefs

** President-elect Donald Trump has selected Jared Isaacman, entrepreneur, pilot, and all-around space enthusiast, as the next NASA administrator, marking a major shift in the space agency’s leadership. ** A Chinese hacking campaign that has spied on the texts and calls of U.S. citizens by hacking telecommunications companies is significantly larger than previously known to the …

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Senate leader makes appointments including energy-related committee chairs

  Oklahoma Senate Pro Tem-Elect Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, announced the appointments of chairs and vice chairs of Senate committees for the upcoming Legislative Session including those committee dealing with Oklahoma’s energy industry. “We have put together a strong group of Senators who will collectively help move our state forward,” Pro Tem-Elect Paxton said. “Each individual …

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Anti-wind fight could go before Oklahoma legislators

    A newly-elected State Representative who believes he unseated a veteran legislator largely because of an anti-wind industry sentiment in Lincoln County says he intends to file anti-wind legislation. The promise was made by Rep. Jim Shaw, of Chandler, who beat incumbent Rep. Kevin Wallace of Wellston and became the sitting legislator in House …

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