Tulsa just approved a nine-month moratorium on the construction of any more new data centers. It was a unanimous decision on Wednesday after District 4 Councilor Laura Bellis asked for a one-year moratorium. The Tulsa Flyer reports she agreed to amend it to nine months. “Nine months was a reasonable compromise,” Bellis told the …
Permitting reforms—can Armstrong really make them happen?
U.S. Sen. Alan Armstrong is the first person to tell you that the U.S. Senate won’t be the place to accomplish reforms of the nation’s energy permitting. After being sworn in this week to replace Markwayne Mullin, who became the new Director of Homeland Security, Armstrong was linked strongly to perhaps accomplishing permitting reform in …
State House supports bill to stop data center non-disclosure agreements
A bill aimed at non-disclosure agreements used by some city officials in Oklahoma in quietly holding talks with data center developers won major support this week in the State House of Representatives. The Oklahoma House voted 82-0 in support of HB299, a bill authored by Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene and Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher. …
Two to leave ONEOK’s Board of Directors
ONEOK Board Members to Retire in May 2026 ONEOK says two of its board of directors members plan to retire this spring at the end of their current terms. In an announcement this week, the company said Gerald B. Smith and Pattye L. Moore plan to leave the board when their current terms end May …
Peace talks with Iran sent crude oil prices falling 2%
Two factors caused a 2% drop Wednesday in crude oil prices. The war against Iran and the near shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz through which most of the oil in the Middle East must past are the main factors. The Trump White House sent a 15-point peace plan to Iran but the country, …
Lawsuit could stop a data center near Sand Springs
The proposed data center by Google near Sand Springs led to a lawsuit filed this week claiming the land in question cannot be used for industrial development. The conservation group, Land Legacy, filed suit in Osage County District court contending the 800-acre proposed development site has a conservation easement. Legacy’s Executive Director Michael Patton says …
Carbon capture pipeline stalled by another court decision
A North Dakota judge handed another major setback for Summit Carbon Solutions, the company supported by Oklahoma oilman Harold Hamm, in its pursuit of establishing a carbon pipeline storage network over several states. The recent decision by South Central Judicial District Judge Jackson Lofgren was the second time in the past four months that a …
Permitting reform schedule is tight for new Sen. Armstrong
If Alan Armstrong, Oklahoma’s new U.S. Senator is to fulfill his goal of energy permitting reform in the seven months he will hold the office, he will, as the saying goes, “hit the ground running.” On the day he was sworn in as a replacement for Markwayne Mullin who resigned to become the nation’s new …
Energy briefs
** Oil prices sank about 4% after reports the US had sent Iran a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, raising prospects of a ceasefire that could ease supply disruptions in the region. ** Brent slipped back under $100 as Iran signaled it may let some non‑combatant ships through the Strait of Hormuz. ** …
Unlikely support for nationwide data center moratorium
Oklahoma opponents of data centers will want to know they have support from two unlikely sources—Democrats Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Sen. Sanders, Vermont and Rep. Ocasio-Cortz, New York, planned to introduce legislation this week to block the construction of any more new data centers across the nation until lawmakers enact regulations on AI. …