Author's posts
Sierra Club Fights for State Approval of Largest Wind Project in Nation
The Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club has launched an effort to get people to sign a petition urging the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to sign off on the largest wind energy project in the U.S. In an email message this week, Oklahoma Chapter Director Johnson Bridgwater said the Wind Catcher project proposed in the Panhandle …
Pruitt Disappointed Over Keystone Oil Leak
From the Keystone XL pipeline to the Paris Climate Agreement, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt offered his thoughts during a Wednesday interview on Fox Radio. He was disappointed over this week’s 200,000 gallon oil leak from the Keystone pipeline in South Dakota but also at the same time was excited over Nebraska’s approval of the Keystone …
Investment Partnership Will Result in Expansion of Grady County Gathering System
A midstream company that serves oil and gas producers in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas has gone into a strategic partnership with Morgan Stanley Energy Partners, in a move that will have a direct impact on one Oklahoma operation. The move was taken this week by Houston-based Durango Investment Holdings LLC. As part of the agreement, …
Shareholders Approve Merger of Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy
Shareholders of two Kansas electrical power companies voted this week for a merger. It’s planned between Westar Energy, Inc. and Great Plains Energy Incorporated which is the parent company of Kansas City Power and Light. More than 90 percent of the shares voted at each company approved the merger. “We are excited about today’s approval …
How to Spend VW’s Remediation Money
The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments is issuing a reminder that the state has started the process of developing a mitigation plan on the millions it will receive in the government’s lawsuit settlement with Volkswagen. The Beneficiary Mitigation Plan, under the agreement the government reached with Volkswagen is a draft of how the state will …
Oklahoma Gasoline Prices Average $2.31 per gallon
Gasoline prices averaging $2.31 a gallon are greeting Thanksgiving holiday travelers in Oklahoma. AAA Oklahoma says it compares to the national average of $2.54 a gallon which is two cents cheaper than a week ago. Oklahoma has the 6th cheapest average in the country behind Alabama and $2.25, Mississippi at $2.26, South Carolina at $2.27, Texas …
Senators At Odds With White House Over Funding for Climate Change Research
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee this week reversed President Trump’s plans to cut funding for climate change research at the Interior Department. Members included funding for several climate programs at the U.S. Geological Survey which is the Interior Department’s chief science agency. The White House intended to cut the budget but the funding was left …
Tribe Vows to Fight Keystone XL and Protect Its Land
At least one Native American tribe vows to be vigilant in its opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline that was approved this week by the Nebraska Public Service Commission. The pledge comes from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and its President William Kindle. “The land, water, tribal sovereignty, and governmental services were not ‘given’ to us …
Analysis Shows Tax Reform Bills Could Lead to Cuts in Federal Royalty Payments to States
If the U.S. Senate goes ahead and passes the tax reform bill approved last week in the House, H.R. 1, it might lead to the loss of more than a billion dollars in energy production royalty payments for some states. The Center for American Progress conducted an analysis of the bills passed by the House …
Shareholder Opposes SandRidge Acquistition—Calls it ‘reckless abandon’
SandRidge Energy’s recently-announced-plan to make a $746 million merger and takeover of Bonanza Creek Energy based in Denver, Colorado is being opposed by a stockholder in the Oklahoma City energy company. Fir Tree Partners of New York announced its opposition this week with a statement, “Put simply, the proposed acquisition of Bonanza makes no economic …