Broadband—serving the “dark” areas of Oklahoma

  As the state moves forward on nearly a half-billion dollars in projects to expand broadband coverage to remote rural areas of Oklahoma, the man in charge says it’s something of a repeat of the rural electrification effort nearly 90 years ago. Writing in The Oklahoman over the weekend, Mike Sanders, executive director of the …

Continue reading »

Project begins to make sure Interstate doesn’t collapse into abandoned coal mine

    While Oklahoma’s Department of Environmental Quality has major projects, probably none are anything like the $10.5 million project in Wyoming where its DEQ is pumping cement into an old abandoned coal mine under Interstate 80 to make sure the Interstate doesn’t collapse. The project is near Rock Springs, Wyoming where underground mines are …

Continue reading »

Study contends State’s Energy Discrimination Elimination Act hurts Oklahoma

A new study by the Oklahoma Rural Association claims the two-year old law created by the legislature to target financial firms that discriminate against the state’s oil and gas industry is far more harmful than beneficial to the state’s economy. The Association is a group that promotes rural Oklahoma as well as business and industry …

Continue reading »

OGE observes Earth Day with planting of hundreds of trees

  In honor of Earth Day and the company’s commitment to bettering the environment in the communities it serves, Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) recently teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 250 full-size trees and distribute 900 seedlings to five communities throughout the state. OG&E volunteers also shared with Oklahomans the importance …

Continue reading »

Interior Secretary bans new mining and oil and gas exploration on some New Mexico land

  By signing a document during a recent ceremony, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland just banned mining and oil and gas drilling on more than 4,200 acres of land in New Mexico. The land in question is just northwest of the city of Albuquerque and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management in an area …

Continue reading »

Nation’s largest pipe manufacturer to expand operations in Arkansas

    The country’s largest steel pipe and tube manufacturer, Zekelman Industries of Chicago plans to invest up to $120 million to expand its manufacturing plant in northeast Arkansas. The move means an increase to more than 300 employees at its Atlas Tube plant in Blytheville. The company, in its announcement, stated it will also …

Continue reading »

US and Oklahoma rig counts made gains in the past week

  The nation saw a gain of active oil and gas rigs over the past week as the rig count grew by two to reach 619, according to the Baker Hughes rig count released Friday. The gain included 5 oil rigs to reach a total of 511 while the number of gas-drilling rigs fell by …

Continue reading »

ONEOK dividend declared by directors

  A dividend of 99 cents per share has been declared by the board of directors of ONEOK, Inc. The amount is the same as last quarter, according to ONEOK’s announcement of the dividend. The new dividend will result in an annualized dividend of $3.96 a share. It will be payable May 15 of this …

Continue reading »

Energy briefs

** The Biden administration is restricting drilling on millions of acres of government-owned lands in Alaska — and taking the penultimate step toward blocking a mining access road in the same state. The administration announced Friday it would block off oil and gas drilling on 13 million acres in the Western Arctic that are part of an …

Continue reading »

AG Drummond loads still another round in his fight against the EPA

    A new day. A new challenge by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to yet another controversial rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This one is a challenge to the Biden administration’s use of the EPA to force American motorists to buy electric vehicles by enforcing new environmental regulations against gas powered cars. …

Continue reading »