The only nuclear power plant in Arkansas turns half a century old this month. Known as Arkansas Nuclear One, the plant is located near Russellville and its first reactor started operating in 1974. The second reactor became operational in 1980. Click here for The Sentinel-Record
Energy related appointments made to House Committees
House Speaker-Elect Kyle Hilbert announced a change to the House committee structure that will allow for more time and deliberation of bills at their initial consideration. At the same time, he also named leaders of committees, including those dealing with Oklahoma’s energy issues. House committees will now have a two-tiered structure with committees and oversight …
Kansas drill core library is about to get larger
Already one of the largest public core depositories in the U.S., the Kansas Geological Society’s drill core library is about to get bigger. Construction to expand the library, which already has more than 73,000 boxes of rock, is set to begin early in 2025 at the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, Kansas. …
Researchers contend EPA’s electric vehicle range estimates are wrong
Those EPA figures the agency has been telling American motorists about EV range might be incorrect and the public is being misled….not intentionally but by mistake. So say some scientists and researchers at Stanford where the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center is located. They contend the EPA’s methodology for testing battery range and degradation for electric …
Record holiday travel expected in Oklahoma
According to AAA, more than 1.1 million Oklahomans will take a trip of 50 miles or more for the coming Christmas and New Year’s holiday period and most of the holiday travelers will be going by road. The agency called it “record-setting travel volume” from Dec. 21 through Jan. 1, 2025. Here’s a quick look …
Energy briefs
** An Enbridge pipeline leaked 70,000 gallons of oil last month in southeastern Wisconsin, the worst oil spill in the state’s history. ** Sources say the U.S. EPA plans to allow California to implement stronger-than-federal auto emissions rules and to enforce its ban on new gasoline car sales by 2035, but the U.S. Supreme Court voted to consider an …
After Friday’s strong trading, crude oil dropped on Monday
Monday produced another decline in crude oil prices, largely because of weakness in consumer spending in China, the largest oil importer in the world. Investors also paused buying as they await the interest rate decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The U.S. standard, West Texas Intermediate, fell 58 cents or 0.8% to settle …
Some in Congress are angry about Monarch Butterflies being considered threatened species
Those monarch butterflies that wing their way through Oklahoma every spring and fall are poised to be considered as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. But the act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service angered some members of the Congressional Western Caucus. Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse of Washington, Senate Western Caucus …
Energy Department makes formal announcement to cancel Oklahoma transmission line project
The U.S. Energy Department formally announced Monday its intentions not to move forward with the regional transmission line across northern Oklahoma that drew strong opposition not just from landowners who feared the use of eminent domain but by state leaders. However, one regional project was approved that will still reach across part of far …
Kansas transmission corridor also cancelled by Energy Department
The controversial transmission corridor across Oklahoma wasn’t the only such regional project cancelled by the U.S. Department of Energy. A similar one in Kansas, the Midwest-Plains and Plains-Southwest National Interest Electrc Transmission Corridors (NIETCK) in Kansas was also shelved, according to an announcement made Monday by Kansas U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and U.S. Senators …