Author's posts
Oklahoma Overcomes Iowa to Become Number 2 for Wind Power Production
Iowa is no longer the No. 2 wind power state in the U.S. The honor now belongs to Oklahoma, according to the American Wind Energy Association. The Association released figures this week showing Oklahoma had 7,495 megawatts of installed wind power capacity at the end of 2017 and trails only Texas where the capacity totals …
Selling What Oklahoma Offers for Potential Businesses
What’s there not to like about jet-powered drone-maker Kratos Defense moving operations to Oklahoma? In an editorial on Jan. 31, the Oklahoman writers said they “look forward to a day when the state’s workforce is such that the arrival of high-tech companies becomes the norm.” The writers noted that Congressman Steve Russell, who had early …
ExxonMobil to Triple Production in Permian Basin by 2025
ExxonMobil says it will triple total daily production in the coming years from its Permian Basin operations in West Texas and New Mexico. The Irving, Texas-based company says production will rise to more than 600,000 oil-equivalent barrels by 2025 while tight oil production from the Delaware and Midland basins will increase five-fold in the same …
Williams Subsidiary Announces $250 million Note Exchange
One of the subsidiaries of Williams Partners L.P. in Tulsa has announced it’s starting an offer to exchange $250 million in outstanding notes. Northwest Pipeline LLC is offering to exchange any and all of its $250 million in outstanding 4.000% Senior Notes due 2027 for an equal amount of its registered 4.000% Senior Notes due …
Oil Rebound Helps Increase Traffic at Ports in Oklahoma and Texas
As officials at the Port of Catoosa wonder what 2018 will bring in terms of cargo traffic on the McClellan Kerr Navigation System, one port is already reporting record numbers. Port Houston in Texas is reporting that 2017 was a record year. It reached the highest total tonnage in Port history of 38.3 million tons, …
Oklahoma DOT Boasts of Improvements in Bridge Safety
Leaders at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation are no doubt anxious as the 2018 session of the Oklahoma Legislature begins in a few days. That’s because they wonder if funding will be approved to allow the DOT to continue its rate of replacing unsafe bridges. In a release this week, the DOT indicated it has …
Environmental Group Targets Pruitt and His Administrators
Some of the environmental groups are pulling no punches in their attacks against former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, now the man in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency. Take the case of the Environmental Defense Fund which accuses him of leading the “Trump administration’s assault on public health.” Its website features a headline, “Pruitt’s …
400 Lose Their Jobs at Chesapeake Energy in Announced Layoffs
The workforce at Chesapeake Energy just took a 13 percent hit. The Oklahoma City-based energy company announced Tuesday morning it had laid off nearly 400 workers, most located on the Chesapeake campus. Doug Lawler, Chief Executive Officer for the company explained in a statement the layoffs were part of the firm’s strategy in recent years …
Sierra Club Has Jaded View of State Government When it Comes to Environment
The Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club is revving up its supporters about the coming legislative session by referring to the Fallin administration as the “ruling oligarchy.” In an email letter to supporters and Sierra Club members, Johnson Bridgwater told them,” The fun begins February 5 and your lobbyist has already been hitting the pavement …
OSHA Finds Anadarko and 3 Other Firms at Fault Over Deadly Tank Battery Blast in Colorado
With the Oklahoma drilling rig explosion that claimed the lives of five men last week near Quinton fresh in the minds of the oil and gas industry, the federal government has cited four oil and gas industry employers over a deadly 2017 blast in Colorado. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration …