Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas praised the Trump Administration’s action to withdraw the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. “I applaud the Trump administration for moving to repeal the Waters of the U.S. rule,” said Congressman Lucas. “This Obama-era regulation sought to expand federal control over landowners and has …
Will Monsanto’s Roundup Herbicide Carry California Cancer Warning Label?
California became the first state in the nation on Monday to require a cancer warning label on Monsanto Company’s Roundup chemical herbicide weed & grass killer. State regulatory officials will require Roundup’s main ingredient – glyphosate – to be published on a list of potentially cancerous chemicals effective July 7, according to a report by …
Inhofe Commends U.S. EPA Repeal of WOTUS Rule
Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe lauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that it will roll back the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. With the new proposed rule issued Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. EPA would return to a system in place …
Police Chiefs Gather to Talk Oil Pipeline Security and Other Topics
Oil pipeline safety and security is one of several topics to be discussed this week at the annual conference of the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police and the Oklahoma Police Chiefs Training Foundation. The conference got underway Monday in Ardmore. The pipeline security topic is one of several training items to be discussed in …
Court Date Set in Montana in Fight Against Keystone XL Pipeline
The date of Aug. 31 is when a Montana federal judge will hear arguments whether legal challenges should move ahead to the Keystone XL pipeline. The challenges are being fought by the government. It concerns two lawsuits filed against the Trump administration in March by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, the Centr …
Hunter Joins Other GOP Attorneys General in Defending Exxon Mobil
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter joined other Republican attorneys general in recently coming to the defense of Exxon Mobil Corp. in its fight with some Democratic attorneys general. Hunter was one of a dozen attorneys general who made arguments against climate scientists who blame energy companies in part of the rising level of carbon dioxide. …
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 …
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 …