** National NAACP leaders tell local and state chapters to not accept money from utilities that put up barriers to clean energy policies. ** A Missouri lawmaker proposes a bill that would allow companies to add the cost of new nuclear or renewable generation to customer rates while the projects are under construction. ** The Trump administration’s plan to remove climate change considerations from …
Suncor to restart Colorado refinery
Suncor Energy plans to restart equipment this week at its oil refinery in Commerce City, Colorado following an incident last week where the plant spewed smoke and ash and released a clay-like substance. A statement by Suncor on its Facebook page said it expects the process of restarting the fluidized catalytic cracker unit to take …
Perry rejoins Energy Transfer’s board of directors
Weeks after resigning as Secretary of Energy, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has rejoined the board of directors overseeing the Dallas pipeline company Energy Transfer. In a Friday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Energy Transfer reported that Perry had joined the board of directors for LE GP LLC, a company that owns and oversees …
Energy news in brief
** Murphy Oil Corporation based in El Dorado, Arkansas will host a conference call and webcast beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, January 30, 2020 to discuss fourth quarter 2019 earnings and review year-end 2019 results. The Company plans to release its financial and operating results before the market opens that morning. ** A new …
Pilots organize to solve drone mystery in NE Colorado
The mystery of dozens of drones making night-time flights over rural northeast Colorado and Southwest Nebraska has prompted some Colorado pilots and industry experts to set up camp in an effort to determine who’s behind the puzzle. Groups of drones, reportedly flying in coordinated grid patterns at night, have gripped small communities on the eastern …
Oklahoma jobless rates inched upward in November
Jobless rates in Oklahoma moved up slightly in November, a reflection of what’s happened in the oil and gas industry. Unemployment rates increased in 75 counties, dropped in one county and were unchanged in one county, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. Of the three major metropolitan sites, Oklahoma City has seen the largest …
Oklahoma bottling company expands investments
Refresco US, Inc. has announced plans to add 75 new jobs and invest nearly $12 million at its operation in Fort Gibson, Okla. The company says investments in facility and equipment upgrades will increase production capacity, modernize operations and increase efficiency. Refresco is the largest private employer in Fort Gibson and the third largest manufacturer in …
Chesapeake executives finished 2019 with acquisition of shares
Four executives of Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy filed reports with the SEC showing their acquisition of hundreds of thousands of shares in the company. The acquisitions were made December 31, 2019 according to the filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CEO Robert D. Lawler acquired 718,723 shares, each valued at $0.8256. The acquisition had …
Drilling activity declines in Oklahoma and the US
Oil and gas drilling rig counts dropped across the U.S. and in Oklahoma in the past week according to Baker Hughes Co. Oklahoma’s count slipped by one to 51 working rigs in the state compared to the 140 active a year ago. Nationally, the count dropped 9 to 796. The number of oil rigs fell …
Drilling advancements were North Dakota’s gain
North Dakota benefited from drilling advancements in the past 10 years. As the Bismarck Tribune reported, the development of the Bakken shale play came just as the recession of 2008 left many Americans unemployed or in debt. The promise of high-wage jobs drew tens of thousands of people to western North Dakota. Click here to read …