New federal lobbying disclosure filings show Koch Industries Inc. spent more than $3 million lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill to push for the confirmation of Scott Pruitt to head the EPA. The first-quarter public filing shows Koch Industries spent $3.1, the most the company spent on lobbying since the end of 2015. Filings were posted …
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is being accused by Rhode Island Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of violating federal law by delivering a keynote address at a fundraiser set to be held next month by the Oklahoma Republican party. The Senator filed a complaint this week alleging Pruitt, the former Oklahoma Attorney General, of violating the …
Innovate, don’t regulate! It’s the message U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry recently delivered when he returned to Texas to speak before the first Responsible Shale Energy Extraction conference. He used Texas as an example, explaining how the state experienced an energy explosion when he was governor for 14 years all because the government did …
Guthrie State Rep. Jason Murphey says the state should avoid at all costs attempts to put a service tax on the information technology services sector. In a statement issued this week, the Republican legislator said other states have taxed IT and later repealed the tax. His statement came after Governor Fallin released a statement on …
A bill adding tribal governments to Oklahoma’s Clean Air Act was approved this week by the State House of Representatives. Senate Bill 492 won approval on a vote of 65-10. Representative Chuck Hoskin of Vinita explained the measure adds “tribal governments” to the list of those the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality will consult “in …
(Courtesy of Kingfisher Times and Free Press) The pipeline oil spill that occurred this week near the northwest Oklahoma town of Loyal wasn’t the first such incident involving equipment owned by Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline company. This is the same company that was indicted last year in California for a 2015 oil pipeline …
The first quarter of 2017 showed a drop of $148 million in revenue for Houston-based Baker Hughes Co. The company reported revenue for the quarter totaled $2.3 billion, a 6% drop from the previous quarter. Compared to the first quarter of last year, the revenue was down $408 million or 15% The company blamed the …
A published report indicates prosecutors in North Dakota have dropped nearly three dozen cases stemming from arrests of protesters against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Bismarck Tribune says the 33 misdemeanor cases were dropped by judges and prosecutors and another 14 were handled through guilty pleas. The majority of the cases involving criminal trespass charges. …
Two weeks after the legislature approved a move to cut-short tax credits for the wind industry, the State House has approved a move to extend by 8 years the tax credit for the aeronautical industry in Oklahoma. On a 69-18 vote on Monday, the House approved SB 120. Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee said his measure …
Mining safety regulations going back more than 100 years are finally being updated by the state legislature. The Oklahoma House on Monday voted 83-3 to support SB 479, a measure making changes in the regulations. “Some go back to 1910,” explained Rep. Bobby Cleveland of Lexington. He said the State Mining Department had asked for …