Author's posts
Why the Oklahoma Broadband Office restarted its statewide plan
An Attorney General’s cautionary observation might have led to the Oklahoma Broadband Office to start all over in its proposed distribution of nearly $400 million to private companies for an expand of high-speed internet to rural Oklahoma. Fox 25 News reported the Attorney General’s office had informed the Broadband Office that its tiered system …
How a rural Oklahoma school keeps up with technology in the classroom
One western Oklahoma school district appears to be ahead of the game when it comes to technology in the classroom. Merritt Public School district near Elk City has taken advantage of grants and other help to put an iPad in every students hands and fill the school buildings with 3D printers, full tech labs …
Northwest Colorado pushes to replace coal train with passenger train
As coal-fired power plants are being put out of operation in northwest Colorado, the railway that carried coal to the plants might be turned into passenger rail service. At least, it’s the idea around Steamboat Springs. Two legislators recently asked the Colorado Department of Transportation to approve a regional passenger rail service. They propose …
Wind and solar slumps left ERCOT at edge of emergency in Texas
Now it is being admitted—the electric grid in Texas came oh so close to emergency action because of solar and wind power issues in the month of August. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas confirmed this week it encountered multiple tight supply periods during the month because solar output dropped at night when the …
South Dakota rejects proposed CO2 pipeline project
Regulators in South Dakota, another state where Oklahoma oil and gas operators have extensive operations, rejected a construction permit this week for a carbon dioxide pipeline project. It came a month after North Dakota regulators did the same thing on a project offered by the same company. Navigator CO2 Ventures proposed a 1,300-mile pipeline …
Energy briefs
** The Biden administration on Wednesday confirmed it will nix seven Alaskan oil and gas drilling leases issued under the Trump administration and suspended for review shortly after Biden took office. The area in question in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge had previously been leased to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. ** Nearly 1 in …
Crude oil made more gains while Oklahoma energy stocks retreated
Crude oil prices rose again on Wednesday but Oklahoma energy stocks recorded losses for the day. Oil rose as traders remained nervous over further draws on U.S. crude oil inventory. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 85 cents to finish at $87.54 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose 56 cents …
Crews made quick work in restoring electric power following Tuesday storms
Strong thunderstorms that knocked down power lines and damaged some buildings Tuesday evening left more than 6,700 electric customers without power as of Wednesday morning. The affected areas were from Davis in the south to Oklahoma City and up to Jay in the northeast. By the afternoon, the outages were down to more than …
Standard Lithium expects production in 3 years in Arkansas
Canada’s Standard Lithium Ltd. released positive results this week from a feasibility study that will allow the company to move ahead with a $365 million battery-grade lithium plant outside El Dorado, Arkansas. The Vancouver-based company has been producing battery-quality lithium carbonate at a demonstration facility at the Lanxess South plant near El Dorado for three …
Wednesday’s Oklahoma weather was cooler but resulted in an air quality advisory
The weather might have been cooler Wednesday in Oklahoma, but it also brought increased potentially dangerous air conditions in the northern part of the state. The Department of Environmental Qualilty issued an air quality health advisory covering 29 counties stretching from Beaver in the Panhandle eastward to Bartlesville, Tulsa and Miami. The only clean …