Oklahomans Helped House Condemn Carbon Tax

  All five Oklahomans in the U.S. House were among those who helped congress make clear its opposition last Friday to a national carbon tax and the President’s plan for a $10–a-barrel tax on crude oil. The House passed its condemnation on a 237-163 vote saying such a carbon tax proposal “would be detrimental to …

Continue reading »

Prices Force Delay in New Chemical Plant Along Texas Gulf Coast

Plans by German chemical giant BASF SE to build a massive plant along the Gulf Coast in Texas have been temporarily shelved because of volatile prices. It was nearly 15 months ago when the company announced plans for the largest single-plant investment with a planned annual production of 475,000 metric tons of propylene. But now …

Continue reading »

Solar Power to Run New Toyota North American Headquarters in Plano, Texas

    When Toyota completes its new North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, the electrical power provided to the operation will be 100 percent renewable energy. MP2 Energy, a full-service power company based in The Woodlands, Texas has been awarded a five-year retail electricity contract for the headquarters. The campus will be 2.1 million square feet …

Continue reading »

Legislator Wants Interim Study on Oil and Gas Wastewater and Possible Recycling

Oklahoma City legislator Richard Morrissette not only is sponsoring a public forum to be held at the State Capitol on wastewater and the injection wells thought to be causing Oklahoma’s earthquakes, he wants an interim legislative study on the issue. He filed the request last week on the day of the deadline for such requests. …

Continue reading »

Wastewater and Earthquake Forum to be held at State Capitol

    A state legislator who is running for an Oklahoma Corporation Commission seat and the Ponca Nation Council will hold an Oil and Gas Industry Forum Tuesday exploring a way to reduce wastewater injection and the number of earthquakes in the state. The forum will be held at the State Capitol and focus on …

Continue reading »

Senate Subcommittee Puts EPA in the Spotlight Again

  Some U.S. Senators plan to put the Environmental Protection Agency in the spotlight again Tuesday by holding a subcommittee hearing on recommendations from the Inspector general and the Government Accountability Office. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) will chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight on Tuesday at …

Continue reading »

Legislator Wants Interim Study of Oil and Gas Drilling Setback Requirements

State legislators could be making another study and examination of oil and gas drilling in relation to homes and businesses and the rights of those property owners. First, the State House Speaker has to approve the request for an interim study proposal that was made by Rep. Steve Kouplen, (D-Beggs) who submitted it prior to …

Continue reading »

Osage Nation Pays $74 million for Ted Turner’s Osage County Ranch

Media mogul Ted Turner has sold his 43,000 acre Bluestem Ranch in Osage County to the Osage Nation. It was a reported $74 million-purchase by the tribe, making the tribe one of the biggest landowners in the county. Turner, the man behind CNN and Turner Broadcasting bought the ranch in 2001 and raised buffalo. The …

Continue reading »

Colorado has 40 Times more Natural Gas Than First Believed?

  The U.S. Geological Survey now says Western Colorado has far, far more natural gas than previously thought…maybe 40 times more. It’s what government and industry experts recently said in Denver, explain the Mancos Shale formation in the state’s Piceance Basin holds an estimated 66.3 trillion cubic feet of gas. That’s a huge increase from …

Continue reading »

Small Mining Towns Challenged by Tax Credit Cut

Cut the tax credits to the Oklahoma coal-mining industry and you cut money from small communities in the state. It’s the message from not only coal industry officials but from Mary Ann Pritchard, director of the Oklahoma Mining Department. “People don’t realize the coal industry affects small communities,” she said recently in an interview with …

Continue reading »