The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has a week to respond to Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s subpoena for communications from Oklahoma Corporation Commission staff during the 2021 winter storm and the months that followed. It is part of his ongoing investigation into alleged market manipulation of natural gas prices during the storm. He issued the …
State approves plan to use Michelin payroll taxes to promote soon-to-be closed plant
An Oklahoma state agency has approved a plan to use the next two years of payroll taxes from the Michelin tire manufacturing plant in a move to perhaps convince another firm to replace Michelin. It was three weeks ago when Michelin announced it planned to close the tire plant in 2025. The Oklahoma Development …
Buc-ees to offer EV charging stations
Buc-ees announced it is partnering with Mercedes-Benz HPC North America to bring a network of premium charging stations for electric vehicles to some of its travel centers. With most Buc-ee’s centers located in Texas, the offering will be seen there. The company said it plans to open its EV offering at key markets by …
Oklahoma judicial nominee stumbles over questions during Senate hearing
Democrats joked about an Oklahoma judicial nominee who stumbled in providing answers to Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. John Kennedy during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Sara Hill, a former Cherokee Nation Attorney General who could become the first Native American woman to be a federal judge in Oklahoma, didn’t fare well in being questioned …
Texas state power grid up against a wall this winter
Ercot, the Texas electricity grid is facing a potentially serious problem this winter—not enough electrical power to deal with severe storms. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas didn’t receive enough offers in its effort to procure up to 3,000 megawatts for December through February. It only received 11.1 megawatts of offers from consumers who …
Headlines of other stories
** The Biden administration has proposed limiting environmental reviews surrounding power lines, large-scale batteries and solar farms as part of a larger effort to develop more renewable energy. The Energy Department said it is proposing the changes “to promote the development of clean energy and supporting infrastructure.” ** Chevron Corporation (CVX) is in the initial stages of evaluating …
Crude oil made 4% gains on Friday
The question at the start of a new week of trading will be whether crude oil prices can maintain the 4% gains they recorded on Friday. Oklahoma energy stocks also recorded moderate gains to finish the week’s trading. Crude prices on Friday rebounded from a four-month low on Thursday, thanks to some extent to U.S. …
ONE Gas CFO to retire in December
ONE Gas, Inc. announced that after a 25-year career in finance and executive leadership, Caron A. Lawhorn has decided to retire as the company’s chief financial officer effective Dec. 31, 2023. The ONE Gas Board of Directors has elected Christopher P. Sighinolfi, vice president of corporate development, investor relations and sustainability, to succeed Lawhorn …
Crude oil plunged 5% in Thursday’s trading
Crude oil prices plunged nearly 5% in Thursday’s trading and Oklahoma energy stocks suffered with their own losses for the day. The crude oil prices fell to their lowest level in four months, largely because investors remained worried about global oil demand. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $3.76 or 4.9% to $72.90 on the New …
Phillips 66 empties part of office tower in Bartlesville
A few months after Phillips 66, the largest employer in Bartlesville, announced plans to release 100 employees, the company has started emptying 8 stories of its office building in the northeast Oklahoma city. The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reports the company is vacating floors 10 through 18 of the office tower and consolidating all employees to …