The tax bill targeting Oklahoma’s renewable energy industry has yet to make it to the floor of the State House a week after Speaker Charles McCall proposed the measure in response to a lack of movement on the Right of First Refusal power for utilities. The House Impact study on fiscal impact of the …
Wildfire moves from Texas Panhandle to Oklahoma and burns a million acres and leaves one dead
A million acres have been burned in the Texas Panhandle wildfires after they crossed over into western Oklahoma this week. One elderly woman was killed in the fires in Texas. The Oklahoma Forestry Division stated Thursday that only 3% of the Smokehouse Road Fire in the two states had been contained and it burned …
Transportation expert predicts eastern Colorado passenger railway will fail
The efforts of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to promote a Front Range passenger rail service, one that could involve billions of dollars, are being criticized by one expert who says it will result in abject failure. The Front Range railway, an idea floated last year that recently received $500,000 in federal seed money, would …
Barrasso joins Oklahoma’s criticism of Biden’s LNG freeze
He could be on a short list to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell as the next Senate GOP leader. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso is known for his anti-energy mandates of President Biden and is a staunch defender of his state’s energy reputation. As an example, Barrasso, who is the ranking member of the Senate Committee …
BlackRock finances gas pipeline but remains banned in West Virginia
Oklahoma isn’t the only state that banned investment bank BlackRock from handling state government contracts because of its reported policies against oil and gas, yet it continues financing energy projects. As OK Energy Today has reported over the past month, BlackRock continues to have investments in major oil and gas companies in Oklahoma, yet …
Appeals Court moves Oklahoma’s lawsuit against EPA to D.C.
Oklahoma’s legal challenge of the EPA’s rejection last year of the state’s plan to adequately address its contributions to air-quality problems in downwind states, is headed to the D.C. Circuit Court of appeals. Attorney General Gentner Drummond along with Western Farmers Electric Cooperative, owner of a coal-fired electric generating plant in Hugo, filed an …
Texas RR Commission candidates suggest more transparency is needed in natural gas industry
Candidates for the Texas Railroad Commission answered questions this week about the need for more transparency in the state’s natural gas sector following the Jan. 8 hotel explosion in Fort Worth that left 21 injured. The blast at the Sandman Signature Hotel prompted questions about the safety of the Fort Worth natural gas …
AG’s opinions lead to resignation of Transportation Secretary
Legal rulings issued this week by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond led to the sudden resignation of Tim Gatz as Transportation secretary and director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. In response to a formal opinion request from Sen. Mary Boren, Drummond’s opinion holds that an individual may not simultaneously serve as the Secretary of Transportation, …
SEC sets date for climate disclosure vote
The proposed SEC rule to require American companies to report climate-related risks, one opposed by Oklahoma congressman Frank Lucas and others, will be decided in a week. The top regulator on Wall Street seet a March 6 date to decide whether to adopt rules proposed two years ago by the Biden administration in …
Energy quick reads
** Wall Street’s top regulator will vote on March 6 on whether to adopt rules requiring U.S.-listed companies to report climate-related risks, the agency said in a notice on Wednesday, in a potentially major overhaul of U.S. disclosure rules. ** Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) decision to step down as Senate GOP leader, which he …






