(Courtesy of E&E News) The scientific community has warned that the Paris Agreement would not go far enough to limit global warming. U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is now using that criticism to help justify President Trump’s decision to exit the international climate accord. Speaking to the media Friday and over the weekend, Pruitt …
Trump Announces Plan to Privatize FAA’s Air Traffic Control System
President Trump unveiled his three-year plan on Monday to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system through privatization. Trump believes an overhaul of the Federal Aviation Administration is long overdue. Airline executives have advocated this position for some time. Under the plan, a private, non-profit organization would be developed to operate the nation’s air traffic …
The GOP Shift From Debating Climate Policy to Opposing It was Fueled by Big Money — and Galvanized by Barack Obama’s Executive Orders
(Courtesy of The New York Times) WASHINGTON — The campaign ad appeared during the presidential contest of 2008. Rapid-fire images of belching smokestacks and melting ice sheets were followed by a soothing narrator who praised a candidate who had stood up to President George W. Bush and “sounded the alarm on global warming.” It …
President Trump Voices His Conscience, Withdraws from Paris Climate Accord
Following President Trump’s withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Accord on Thursday, it’s evident that the man who occupies the executive branch has merely acted on his longstanding belief that climate change was a false concept, according to a recent article published by Peter Baker of The New York Times. “Global warming …
Ethanol Plant Blast Kills One, Injures More than a Dozen Others in Wisconsin
An explosion at an ethanol plant in Wisconsin late Wednesday left one worker dead and nearly a dozen others injured. It happened at the Didion Milling plant near the town of Cambria which is located northeast of Madison. The blast left the main building in ruins. Sixteen workers were in the structure at the time, …
OKC Still Hurting in Oil and Gas Industry Employment
Despite the rebound from the oil and gas downturn of a few years ago, some counties in Oklahoma that were once strong areas of energy employment are still hurting. The latest figures from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission show Stephens County in southern Oklahoma, where Duncan is the county seat and home to big Halliburton …
DEQ Wonders How Budget Cuts Will Affect Its Abilities
Like the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality finds itself wondering how the latest budget cut will affect its operations. “It will take some time to determine the best way to address these cuts in funding,” said Erin E. Hatfield, Communications Director at DEQ. “What I can say, at this point, is …
Sen. Inhofe “Elated” at Trump’s Decision to Pull Out of Paris Climate Accord
“I’m elated.” It’s the response from Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe on Wednesday to word that President Trump would soon announce the nation’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Inhofe’s response came just a week after he took to the Senate floor and said, “If we remain in the agreement, we are putting ourselves at …
Paris Pullout is What Pruitt Wanted
A day after EPA chief Scott Pruitt met with President Trump at the White House, reports indicated the administration had pulled the trigger and decided to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed their meeting on Tuesday. “Ultimately he wants a fair deal for the American people and he …
Corporation Commission Dealing with $500,000 Budget Cut
It’s apparently too soon for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to determine the impact of the latest cut by the legislature in the 2018 budget. “Still assessing,” was the email response from Matt Skinner, a spokesman for the agency when asked by OK Energy Today about the impact of the loss of nearly $500,000. When the State …