Term-limited state Rep. Richard Morrissette (D-Oklahoma City) announced on Wednesday that he is withdrawing as a candidate for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The south Oklahoma City legislator and lawyer indicated his father’s recent death “had a bigger effect on my life than I thought it would,” according to an email statement issued by his campaign. …
President Signs First Major Environmental Reform in More than 25 Years
Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe calls the Toxic Substance Control Act long overdue and also the first major environmental reform to be enacted in over a quarter century. It is the Frank Lautenberg act nursed through committee by the Senator and others and was signed into law Wednesday by President Obama. It was January 9, 2015 when …
Oklahoma’s Hot Weather is Nothing Compared to 2011—–Remember?
The weather’s been brutal over the past few weeks in Oklahoma but we apparently have short memories. Just ask Gary McManus, State Climatologist with the Oklahoma Mesonet. He notes that Kingfisher leads the way so far in the past month with four days of 100-degree weather or higher. And most of that heat has been …
Fracking Rules of Obama Administration Struck Down by Wyoming Federal Judge
The same federal judge in Wyoming who last year blocked implementation of President Obama’s first attempts at controlling fracking on federal and Indian lands has now struck down those regulations. “The issue before this Court is not whether hydraulic fracturing is good or bad for the environment or the citizens of the United States,” …
Senators Accuse Agency of Violating Law in Giving up US Oversight of the Internet
U.S. Sen. James Lankford and two others want some answers from the Obama administration over its possible violation of federal law in using federal funds to relinquish the U.S. oversight of the Internet. He joined Texas Sen. ted Cruz and Utah Senator Mike Lee in sending a letter to National Telecommunications and Information Administration …
National Water Firm Expands Holdings in Branson
In Branson, Missouri, the Woodland Manor water system has been purchased by Missouri American Water. The purchase involves only 170 customers but they will be incorporated into Missouri American Water’s Tri Lakes Operation which serves 6,500 customers in the Branson area, Warsaw, White Branch, Sedalia and Laurie, Missouri. The acquisition was approved by the Missouri …
Democratic Legislators Accuse Governor of Revenge in Lack of Water Board Appointment
“The governor is screwing rural southeastern Oklahoma again.” Governor Mary Fallin’s failure to appoint a southeastern Oklahoman to the Region 9 seat on the Oklahoma Water Resources Board prompted four legislators to ask for an Attorney General’s opinion this week. The four Democrats also accuse the Republican governor of seeking revenge over a …
10th Circuit Declares Environmental Fight Over 2 Coal Companies is “Moot”
The Denver Federal Appeals Court has ruled against challenges that claimed the U.S. Department of the Interior wrongly gave permission to two Colorado coal mines to expand their operations. Instead, the 10th U.S. District Court of Appeals found the challenges were “moot” because the federal agency had completed an environmental assessment and vacated the original …
ETE’s Warren Got Cold Feet 3 Months After Announcing Merger with Williams Cos.
While Williams Companies is urging its shareholders to approve the $38 billion merger with Energy Transfer Equity of Dallas, ETE’s CEO Kelcy Warren has second thoughts about the deal announced last fall. And testimony in a Delaware trial of one of the lawsuits filed by Williams against ETE indicated Warren had those thoughts within a …
Williams Board Members Urge Shareholder Approval of Merger with ETE
Less than one week before shareholders of Tulsa’s Williams Cos. decide on a controversial merger with Energy Transfer Equity of Dallas, Williams says three out of four of the leading proxy advisory firms recommend they vote for the proposed transaction. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the three are …