Author's posts
Oklahoma Gasoline Prices Reach New Low for the Year
Gasoline prices in Oklahoma have fallen to a new low for the year as of this week, tumbling to a new level of $1.95 a gallon, according to a weekly report from AAA Oklahoma. The new-weekly average puts Oklahoma with the second lowest price in the nation behind only South Carolina where the average …
Inhofe’s Influence on National Energy Policies Grows
Oklahoma U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford voted this week to confirm Kristine Svinicki to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. And there remains the possibility that yet another former Inhofe staffer could be in line to influence energy policies in the Trump administration. Svinicki was confirmed on a vote of 88-9 to a five-year term. …
Oklahoma Roads and Bridges Still in Bad Shape Despite Claims of State Leaders
While Governor Mary Fallin and State Transportation Department leaders have pointed to what they consider to be major improvements in highways and bridges, a new national report shows Oklahoma’s roads and bridges remain in need of major improvements. TRIP, a national non-profit transportation research group is out with a report Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities …
Car Dealers Cry Foul Over New Tax Law
Another lawsuit has been filed in a constitutional challenge to one of the new tax laws created in the recent legislative session in Oklahoma. It was filed by the Oklahoma Automobile Dealers Association along with Battison Honda in Oklahoma City and a Ponca City woman who contend the new 1.25 percent sales tax on Oklahoma …
Pruitt Heads Back to Congress for Funding
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt goes before a U.S. Senate subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee today. Only he and senior adviser Holly Greaves will answer questions from the subcommittee chaired by Sen. Lisa Murkowski. The hearing by the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee focuses on the FY 2018 budget request for the EPA. The …
Former Power Plant Operator Gets Prison Time
For embezzling $1.5 million from the South Texas power plant he led, former CEO John David Upchurch has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. He was a CEO of Chase Power Development and pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy and wire fraud. He has repaid the stolen money. Prosecutors say he submitted fake …
Wyoming Tracks Bad Energy Operators
In Wyoming, the state has decided it wants to monitor failed oil and company operators who try to restart business with a new firm or shrug their legal responsibilities. The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission says it wants to keep track on those connected to what it labels as bad operations. A spokeswoman for …
DEQ Public Meeting Tuesday on Mercury Levels in Fish
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s public meeting on mercury levels in fish taken from 14 lakes will be held Tuesday in Oklahoma City. The agency’s added the lakes since its last advisory was issued in 2016 regarding elevated levels of mercury found in some of the fish. The advisories came as a result of …
Pruitt’s Secrecy Earns Him “Golden Padlock” Award from Journalism Group
The “Golden Padlock” award has been given to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt for his record on transparency. With tongue in cheek, the journalism group Investigative Reporters and Editors recognized Pruitt over the weekend during its annual conference held in Phoenix, Arizona. The group did so as a means of emphasizing Pruitt’s record on keeping public …
Economic Group Scores Oklahoma Legislators and Their Votes
At least 23 members of the Oklahoma legislature got a perfect score from the Research Institute for Economic Development for their votes on economic development and business issues. RIED is a non-partisan organization founded in 1997 and issues an annual report in which legislators are graded on their votes. Eleven members of the state senate …