** Top oil executives and ministers descend on Houston this week for one of the world’s biggest energy conferences emboldened by blockbuster mergers, stable oil prices and less pressure for a large scale move to clean fuels. ** As U.S. sales of gas-electric hybrid vehicles surge and electric-vehicle sales cool, automakers and suppliers are betting …
Oklahoma House votes in support of bill to allow behind the scenes discussions by Corporation Commissioners
It would appear the transparency that Oklahoma legislators have emphasized in recent years might be on its way to being a victim of efficiency. The Oklahoma House voted Thursday in support of Ardmore Rep. Tammy Townley’s HB2367, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Efficiency Act. The vote was 54-32 to grant the Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners exemptions …
AG leads fight against EPA rule attacking oil and gas industry
Attorney General Gentner Drummond is leading a group of 24 state attorneys general and one state legislature in challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new methane emissions rule. The coalition has filed a petition in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to block the rule. “The Biden Administration’s methane …
New Mexico Gas Co. fails to get regulatory approval for new LNG storage facility
A plan by New Mexico Gas Company to build a LNG storage facility outside Rio Rancho, New Mexico was recently denied by the state’s Public Regulation Commission. The project had been opposed by residents and environmentalists and the PRC decided the cost was its main objection. “It just doesn’t seem to me that …
70,000 solar panels will be completed on Tesla’s Austin factory
Tesla’s 10-million-square-foot factory in East Austin, Texas is installing an estimated 70,000 solar panels to help provide electrical power to the EV manufacturing plant. At the same time, the EV maker has shifted more of its battery cell production from a German factory to Gigfactory Texas according to Electrek. As a result, the first …
US drilling rig numbers grew in past week while Oklahoma’s count slipped by one
The number of active oil and gas rigs in Oklahoma fell by one to 44 in the past week, while nationally, there was a gain of seven to reach a total of 629 reported Baker Hughes Co. on Friday. Oklahoma’s count of 44 compares to the 62 rigs reported one year ago. The U.S. …
Crude oil finished the week with a 3% gain while natural gas continued its slump
Despite a slight dip in crude oil prices on Friday, they still finished the week more than 3% higher because of rising demand from US refiners completing planned overhauls. Once again, natural gas prices slipped in Friday’s trading. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 17 cents or 0.21% to close trading at $81.09 a barrel on …
Oklahoma tribes to get $4 million to fight climate change
Nearly $1 million in federal funds aimed at helping Native American tribes with what are called climate resilience projects is going to four tribes in Oklahoma. It’s part of $120 million in funding for 146 Indian projects across the U.S., according to an announcement by the Interior Department. The Chickasaw Nation will receive …
Report says US government has underestimated methane emissions from oil and gas operations
A new report contends oil and gas wells, pipelines and compressors across the U.S. are emitting three times the amount of methane into the atmosphere as the government claims. The lead author of a study in journal Nature says it’s cost more than $9 billion a year in climate damage. The author also suggests more …
Entergy Arkansas on the hook for $135 million—not ratepayers
A federal judge recently ruled Entergy Arkansas is on the hook for a $135 million refund ordered by federal regulators. And it won’t be ratepayers who’ll be coughing up the money. The ruling stems from a system agreement that Entergy Arkansas had to operate as a pool with Entergy Texas, Louisiana, New Orleans, …