Data source: Bloomberg L.P. Note: Annualized percentage, a widely used trading measure of price volatility, is the standard deviation for the previous quarter of daily changes in the Henry Hub front-month futures price multiplied by the square root of 252 (number of trading days in a year) multiplied by 100. Percentages are averages for that period. 1Q25=first quarter of …
UP and Norfolk Southern hold talks about possible merger
Union Pacific confirms it is in merger talks with Norfolk Southern Corporation. The U-P serves Oklahoma and 22 other states and issued a recent statement confirming it is engaged in advanced discussions regarding a potential business combination. The statement indicated, “There can be no assurances as to whether an agreement for a transaction will …
Green energy lobbyists spent millions in a futile attempt to save tax credits
Records show energy lobbyists spent nearly $4 million in a recent attempt to save some of the green energy priorities adopted by the Biden administration before Congress and President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful bill into law. As one news outlet put it, “they didn’t get much bang for their buck.” E&E News …
New Assistant Attorneys General to represent Corporation Commission in lawsuit
The recent departure of Oklahoma Deputy Attorney General Chase Snodgrass resulted in a change of state attorneys representing the Corporation Commission in the lawsuit filed by three state legislators challenging the votes of Commissioner Todd Hiett. Snodgrass resigned to take a position with an Oklahoma City law firm and his departure was explained …
Increased manufacturing activity in Oklahoma and surrounding states reports KC Federal Reserve Bank
Tenth District manufacturing activity edged up slightly, and expectations for future activity remained expansionary. Price growth cooled slightly for both raw materials and finished products. Oklahoma is one of the states that makes up the Tenth District of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. The month-over-month composite index was 1 in July, up slightly …
Rig count held steady in Oklahoma but dropped nationwide
After a large jump in oil and rigs last week across the U.S. the industry saw a decline this week, according to the latest Baker Hughes rig count released on Friday. The U.S. total fell by two to 542 rigs while Oklahoma’s count was unchanged. The nation’s decline included a drop of 7 …
Regional power grid wins FERC accreditation
Southwest Power Pool announced a milestone in its commitment to securing a reliable energy future for the region: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved SPP’s performance-based accreditation (PBA) and effective load carrying capability (ELCC) methodologies and its innovative Expedited Resource Adequacy Study (ERAS) process. These FERC orders represent a bold leap …
Air Force refuses access to New Mexico environmental officials to investigate forever chemicals at Cannon Air Base
New Mexico Environment Department Sec. James Kenney and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez asked a state court to order Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis to comply with state law and let inspectors collect on-site samples of toxic PFAS. The motion follows Cannon officials’ refusal to allow NMED inspectors to conduct environmental sampling during …
Energy briefs
** Wyoming lawmakers are wrestling with whether to green light potentially numerous nuclear waste sites throughout the state. Some say it’s good for the economy, while others say it’s not worth the risk. ** Nebraska regulators discuss the possibility of building small modular nuclear reactors in a small city, largely because of its electric transmission …
Corporation Commission’s ONG rate hike approval doesn’t create another increase on top of one that took effect in June
As a point of clarification to our article this week about Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners approving a more than $41 million rate hike for Oklahoma Natural Gas Company, the impact on consumers won’t mean another increase in bills following one in late June. As the Commission pointed out, the actual increase of $1.69 a …
