Author's posts
Nation’s First Study of Fracking Wells Emissions Completed in Colorado
In a study that will be the first of its kind nationwide, Colorado researchers plan to assess new data on air pollution from fracking wells in their state and use it to determine whether the emissions are harmful to human health. New data was released this week after a three-year study at Colorado State University measured …
New Weekly Record for Ethanol Production in U.S.
A new weekly record for ethanol production is reported by the Energy Information Administration. Ethanol produced increased 7,000 barrels a day from last week, hitting 1.013 million barrels a day or 42.55 million gallons daily. The four week average stood at 981,000 barrels a day for an annualized rate of 15.04 billion gallons. As of …
Old Continental Resources Battle Before DC Circuit Court
An appeal by Oklahoma City-based Continental Resources Inc. to a 2013 ruling by the U.S. Department of Interior forcing the energy giant to pay nearly $2 million more in natural gas royalties is being heard by the D.C. Circuit in Washington. This week, the Interior Department argued the company waited too long to lodge a …
Williams and ETE Continue Their Squabble Over Shotgun Marriage
Some say the proposed contentious merger between Tulsa’s Williams Companies and Energy Transfer Equity of Dallas is more like a shotgun marriage. Williams wants to force the deal by suing ETE while ETE wants to dump Williams on the altar. Now days before a lawsuit by Williams Companies against Energy Transfer Equity goes to trial …
Report Claims 40 Counties in Oklahoma at High Cancer Risk from Oil and Gas Industry Fumes
Oklahoma is considered among a handful of states with the greatest cancer risk to oil and gas workers from methane and air toxics emissions in the industry, according to a new report from the Clean Air Task Force. The study found that areas with the greatest health risk are generally located in states with the …
Former Corporation Commissioner Lands $250,000 State Job
As the old Frank Sinatra song goes, “Nice work if you can get it, you can get it if you try.” It’s what some state legislators are saying about the $250,000 job just landed by former Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Patrice Douglas. She was named the new Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment …
Scientists Worry Massive West Texas Sinkholes Will Grow
A new study by geophysicists at Southern Methodist University in Dallas shows two giant sinkholes near the small West Texas towns of Wink and Kermit have grown unstable and could increase in size. The sinkholes are a mile apart and satellite radar indicates they appear to be expanding and according to the researchers, …
Supreme Court Won’t Consider States’ Challenge to Mercury Rule
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and State Attorney General Scott Pruitt have not commented about a U.S. Supreme Court decision this week to review the D.C. Circuit’s decision not to vacate the EPA’s air quality rule challenged by Oklahoma and nearly two dozen other states. Oklahoma was among 25 states and state agencies that …
Chesapeake Energy Carries Out Court Battle in New York
Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. was back in a New York federal court this week fighting with bond trustee Bank of New York Mellon Corp. over hundreds of millions of dollars in contract damages stemming from what was described as a botched bond buyback. The fight is over a reversed May 2013 order by Manhattan …
Rep. Russell and Others on House Committee Demand More Keystone Documents from Secretary of State
Oklahoma congressman Steve Russell and other members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform await a response from Secretary of State John Kerry after issuing a second subpoena against his Department in its probe of the Keystone XL pipeline issue. The GOP-controlled Committee issued the subpoena last week to force the …