Public Service Company of Oklahoma received its best-ever scores on the 2021 J.D. Power Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction SurveySM. Overall, PSO customer satisfaction rose by 10 points in a period when the average score for most utilities dropped by three points. The survey results mark the second consecutive year PSO has topped all previous …
Embezzling sinner awaits sentencing
An accountant who embezzled $830,000 from a Norman oil and gas exploration company reportedly wanted to use some of the money to create a church for the “Perpetual Sinner.” But Ronald David Kirkpatrick II, 51 also used some of the money he stole from West Star Operating Co. to make car purchases and fund …
Texas energy firms indicted over California oil spill
California prosecutors say Houston-based Amplify Energy Corp. and two subsidiaries have been indicted for a crude oil spill and left Southern California waters and beaches polluted in October. The indictments alledge the spill was caused because workers failed to properly act when alarms repeatedly alerted them to a pipeline rupture. Click here for ABC News.
Oklahoma in federal coal fight
Oklahoma is resisting efforts by the Biden administration to surrender its authority over coal mine clean up efforts to the federal government or Indian tribes. This week, the government filed a request with a federal court stating that Oklahoma should turn over cleanup oversight because tribal lands are overseen by the tribes or federal …
Cushing makes slow recovery in crude oil storage
The Cushing hub continues to see a slight weekly gain in the amount of crude oil in storage. With a working storage of about 76 million barrels across at least 15 terminals, Cushing’s latest amount on hand was 32.2 million barrels as of Dec. 10, 2021 reported the U.S. Energy Information Administration, That’s an …
Canoo to ramp up production with Oklahoma and Arkansas plants
Electric vehicle startup Canoo Inc, the Arkansas-based company building a car-manufacturing plant in northeast Oklahoma said this week it was accelerating its production plans in the United States while ending its deal for VDL Nedcar in Netherlands to serve as its contract manufacturer in Europe. Canoo said starting production at its plant near Pryor …
Federal Reserve action results in crude oil price gains
A turnaround for crude oil futures on Wednesday came after action by the Federal Reserve in an attempt to solve the nation’s growing inflation rate. Oklahoma energy stocks also saw gains for the day. As U.S. benchmark stock indexes rose following the Reserve’s decision to speed up tapering of asset purchases and increase the …
Corporation Commissioners face criticism for not protecting consumers from utility rate hikes
A coalition representing consumers in Oklahoma contends the Oklahoma Corporation Commission has failed in protecting consumers after the historic February winter storm left utilities with out-of-sight gas bills. Writing in the Wednesday edition of The Oklahoman, representatives of VOICE made the point that regulators have been more concerned about getting funds to utilities …
EV map and Build Back Better
In unveiling a massive multi-billion electric vehicle charging map this week, the Biden Administration said it planned on a network of 500,000 EV chargers in the U.S. and that includes efforts in Oklahoma. The pro-union announcement by Vice President Harris stated that under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Oklahoma would receive $66 million …
Kansas county bans commercial wind farms
A ban on commercial wind development in all zoned areas of Reno County, Kansas was adopted this week by county commissioners. The vote came as a countywide moratorium on commercial wind development remains in place for the next few months reported the Hutchinson News. Click here for Hutchinson News.