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SEISMIC ACTIVITY
Seismic activity remained at the forefront of industry news in Oklahoma this week, starting with a press conference called by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) on Monday afternoon to update the directives the agency issued on the same day as the 5.8 magnitude quake in Pawnee, OK due to nearly discovered fault information following continued aftershocks in the area. Monday’s media advisory includes an updated map reflecting the new fault. Changes of note from the directives issued on September 3rd by OCC staff:
- The area affected by the updated directive grew from 725 square miles to 1,116 square miles
- The number of shut-in wells changed from 37 (in OCC jurisdiction) and 17 (in EPA jurisdiction) to 27 and 5 respectively for a total of 32 wells ordered to cease operations
- Additional action includes 35 other wells with volume reduction orders for a total reduction of 40,000 barrels a day (volume reduction is total under OCC jurisdiction only)
- Letters to operators indicated the order would be reviewed periodically, with the first review on or before March 11, 2017. Saturday’s media advisories indicated the order was indefinite
Jim Marlatt, with the Corporation Commission, said the most recent data indicated 75,000 barrels per day of wastewater was being injected into the wells. Charles Lord with the Commission said, “We are hoping to mitigate seismicity. We certainly do not want to see another earthquake of this magnitude occur in this area.” (eCapitol reports)
OK Energy Today points out, Monday’s restrictions represent the second time that the state regulatory agency has acted under emergency authority to make an order mandatory. Both instances were in response to the Pawnee earthquake after state lawmakers granted the power to the OCC during the last legislative session (under HB 3158).
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak sent a release this week to clarify the sometimes imposed moratoriums on acquiring earthquake insurance. “While touring earthquake damage in Pawnee, several residents said they didn’t think they could purchase earthquake coverage for six months,” said Doak. “That’s just not true. We reached out to the industry and couldn’t find one with a moratorium longer than 60 days right now. In fact, several companies are already selling new earthquake insurance policies. Staying in touch with your agent is the best way to get the most current information. Don’t rely on rumors.” Insurance Department staff have been quick to respond and correct inaccuracies in the press as it relates to earthquake insurance issues in Oklahoma. KOCO reports that the department received more than 100 calls about earthquake insurance in the last week.
eCapitol News shares an interesting report on efforts and ideas to control induced seismicity. Oklahoma's oil and gas statutes and the Corporation Commission's rules impose a variety of requirements, rules and regulations on energy producers, covering almost everything from where and how they can drill to how they go about storing and transporting their products. But one thing neither the Legislature nor the commission may be able to do, according to the head of the Oklahoma Geological Survey and the leader of the commission's oil and gas conservation division, is impose permanent regulations that will reduce earthquakes likely caused by wastewater injection. The problem, OGS Director Jeremy Boak and Corporation Commission Oil and Gas Conservation Division Director Tim Baker said Monday, is that it just is not possible to know where all the faults that ultimately cause the quakes are. “I think it would be challenging to regulate that,” said Boak. Baker added, “We don't know where all the faults are is the problem. We just simply don't have enough data to know where all the faults are in Oklahoma.”
Earthquakes occurring in a new area of the state were reported this week. The Chickasha area (Grady County) experienced three small earthquakes this week, ranging from 2.5 to 3.1 magnitude. (Fox 25, News9 report)
More and more groups in Oklahoma are taking an interest in the continued seismic activity. Next week the Central Oklahoma Association of Realtors are hosting a town hall-style meeting, on Wednesday, September 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Will Rogers Theater, located at 4322 N Western Ave, in Oklahoma City. Experts from geology, structural engineering, insurance and other fields will present information at the “What's Shaking Oklahoma?” forum. The event, geared toward people in commercial real estate and construction, also is open to the public. Registration is $70.
Water recycling companies again made claims of affordable solutions to Oklahoma’s wastewater disposal. KOCO reported Fairmont Brine Processing, a wastewater recycling company in West Virginia, had originally set their price at $4 a barrel. Within the last few days, however, they cut their price in half to $2 a barrel, in hopes that this price will be more affordable for oil companies in Oklahoma. “We’ve got hundreds of companies coming in, telling us they can turn this produced wastewater into perfectly pure distilled water,” said J.D. Strong, director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. “It’s a huge cost, mostly to be able to desalinate this water, so to take the high levels of salt water out is really the huge cost driver,” Strong said.
Even former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici’s company, IX Power Clean Water, claim they have a solution scalable to treat water of up to 50,000 barrels per day, at 23-37 cents per barrel. Once again, those trying to sell their wares in Oklahoma don’t understand the amount of wastewater that is produced in the Mississippi Lime formation. Approximately 800,000 barrels of water a day are disposed of in the Arbuckle formation (down from over 2 million bpd in recent years due to OCC directives). Just like other companies that have made similar claims they can solve Oklahoma’s seismicity problem, they don’t appear to have the capacity to deal with the volume of the water that is produced in this part of the state nor the understand of the quality of the water.
In this Enid News & Eagle report, OGS and USGS differ on the amount of seismic activity measured in Oklahoma this year.
With the news surrounding the largest earthquake in Oklahoma recorded history, press outlets have been asking more questions. The KENS5 news station in San Antonio, TX asks, “Does Fracking Cause Earthquakes?” in the station’s #VerifyThis report this week. David Schechter with KENS asks Oklahoma Geological Survey seismologist Jefferson Chang, “Does fracking cause earthquakes?” “The absolute answer is yes, fracking does cause earthquakes. But earthquakes you will never feel,” Chang said. Earthquakes you will never feel, he said, because, he says, fracking only causes tiny earthquakes. But Oklahomans are certainly feeling some big ones. So, if it's not the fracking, what is it? “The new hypothesis is, it's not fracking. But waste water disposal,” Chang said. The conclusion of the #VerifyThis news report, “Texas might be waiting to see the science. But I think, sometimes, science is catching up with what’s actually happening in the world. So, instead of waiting on the science to catch up I think we should be doing something proactively,” Mesha Coleman, a marketing executive and mother of two from McKinney, TX said. “Can you walk out of here and say, it's verified, and fracking causes earthquakes?” Schechter asked Mesha. “I'll put my stamp on it David. Verified,” Mesha said. So, Mesha thinks waste water injection wells, part of the fracking process, are what’ s causing the earthquakes. Don’t take our word for it. Take hers.
The Financial Review in Australia also reports on Oklahoma earthquakes and shares why this news is important to Australians. There are two obvious reasons why Oklahoma's earthquake problems are relevant to Australian audiences. First, Australian global resources house, BHP Billiton, has at least two decades of American drilling, fracking and water management ahead of it, and the issue of water management now looms as long-term risk mitigation issue. And second, Australia has $60 billion of liquid natural gas processors that plan to draw on unconventional gas resources across central and south-western Queensland for the next 20 years and the evolving earthquake issue will almost certainly be used as a public affairs weapon by those determined to lock the gates on unconventional drilling in Australia.
Editorializing about management of Oklahoma’s earthquake issues continued this week. The Journal Record recaps past public frustration, especially when quakes were felt in more populated areas. The editorial stated, “Oklahomans are quick to clamor when elected officials are reluctant to respond. But when they act swiftly and decisively in the public’s interest, commendation is due. On Saturday, September 3rd, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Pawnee. It was the strongest ever recorded in Oklahoma. Within a few hours, the Corporation Commission had a list of operators in the area and ordered a gradual shutdown of their disposal wells. By Tuesday, the EPA had announced its intention to mirror the Corporation Commission’s action. The Corporation Commission was able to do that, in part, because of the $400,000 software upgrade the agency secured with some Rainy Day Fund money Gov. Mary Fallin sent their way. Few things create a sense of urgency like bricks falling off the fireplace. Elected officials are charged with protecting the interests of all Oklahomans, homeowners as well as businesses. And this time, they did it right.” A Kansas City Star columnist relates Oklahoma earthquake experience with what is to come in politics and the future regulation of the industry. In a letter to the Houston Chronicle, a Texan takes issue with the idea that “Texas can learn from Sooner State on quakes” and offers his own solutions, which show he doesn’t understand the produced water issues Oklahoma has in certain areas. In addressing Texas seismic activity, Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton writes in the Dallas News, “Calls to halt Texas injection wells because of earthquake are premature.”
Additionally, the 60 Minutes episode highlighting earthquakes in Oklahoma re-aired (Sunday) evening. (The segment first aired on Mother’s Day/night of Thunder playoff game/pre-empted by severe tornadic weather in the state.) No changes on the broadcast show, except for the footnote of the Pawnee quake on Saturday, September 3, being the largest in Oklahoma history at 5.8M. 60 Minutes Overtime had no new information, except showed a lot of footage of natural, damaging and life-threatening quakes (similar to video of tornado damage we see in Oklahoma) and commented, ‘what makes the quakes in Oklahoma so shocking, is that they are man-made; and you never know when the ‘big one’ will hit.’
Some not necessarily new theories but different theories about the cause of earthquakes are appearing online again this week. The Christian Science Monitor, among others, reported on a study about how phases of the moon can affect seismic activity.
OKOGA COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE
The Pawnee quake also influenced an attempt by Logan County Commissioner Marven Goodman to consider a resolution officially asking the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to temporarily suspend all saltwater disposal injection well operations in Logan County until a proper in-depth geological survey and seismic study can be conducted. The resolution did not advance on Thursday. (KOCO, Guthrie News Leader reports)
Logan County was one of the first areas that the Oklahoma Corporation Commission addressed via directives. After wastewater disposal volumes were reduced, the amount of seismic activity has decreased dramatically in the area. However, County Commissioner Goodman said he was concerned about potential damage to Guthrie’s historic buildings should a quake, such as the one that struck Pawnee, hit. “We’ve got some historic buildings in Guthrie that's been there since Oklahoma was a state and a five and above earthquake in that vicinity would be devastating to our community,” Goodman said. An owner of one of the county’s disposal wells rebutted the idea of shutting down wells, and sent a statement to KFOR that read “The oil field can't operate without any saltwater disposals. Wells would have to be shut in, trucking companies would have major layoffs, roustabouts with no wells to service, well service companies, on and on, the list is endless. My seismic data is on file, the geologist reports and references to the fault line are on file at the OCC. There is nothing to evaluate or address that hasn't already been addressed and is public information at the Oklahoma Corporation Commissions Office, this would be redundant.”
OKOGA released a statement reiterating why such decisions should be handled by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which has the research and data to make these important decisions. “Logan County was one of the very first areas addressed by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to reduce disposal of produced water,” Warmington said in the statement. “The continued action of the OCC has led to the desired results of significantly reducing seismic activity in and near Logan County. Prohibiting disposal of produced water will not only limit the amount of oil and natural gas that can be produced in Logan County, but will negatively impact local tax revenues and deny mineral owners their property rights to access their minerals. The denial of the resolution was the right move by the majority of the Board of Commissioners in Logan County.”
KFOR also reported on the Logan County decision, interviewing a business owner who has concerns. “If there was one that big centered here [referring to Pawnee 5.8], I’m afraid it would do a lot of damage,” said Linda Rice, owner of Guthrie’s Heritage Collection. “I believe all the injection wells that are causing the issues have been shut down,” said Board Chairman Michael Pearson. “I believe the Corporation Commission has a very good handle on it. Plus, I wonder about the impact that this may have on the citizens in our county who rely on gas and oil production.” Rice worries about that impact, too. “I depend on sales in my store and, when you shut down the oil wells, you are going to affect the economy. The economy affects my business,” she said. “I don’t want to lose my building, of course. But, I also don’t want to go out of business, because I don’t have business, because the economy is bad.”
You can watch OKOGA President Chad Warmington on News 9’s (KWTV-OKC) Hot Seat with Scott Mitchell this Saturday, at 7:50 a.m., to discuss earthquakes in Oklahoma.
Warmington continues to respond to multiple media requests about the recent large earthquake even those beyond Oklahoma felt. Warmington responded to questions following the OCC press conference on Monday. NewsOK reports, Warmington said he was pleased to see EPA follow the Corporation Commission's lead in reacting to the Pawnee earthquakes. “I think it's a good thing they are following OCC's lead,” Warmington said. “As Boak correctly pointed out, we've made really good progress in reducing seismicity in Oklahoma. This was an anomaly and needed to be addressed, but it's pretty clear the results are showing we are making a difference.” Boak said researchers can't rule out additional earthquakes in the broader area of interest outlined by Oklahoma regulators. “We see continued possibility of equal or larger earthquakes in the entire earthquake area of interest,” Boak said. “My general feeling is the rate of earthquakes is declining. I'm more concerned about whether there's another one of these faults out there that is cued up and ready to go.”
The Associated Press also reported on the updated action by OCC and asked Warmington about the impact on industry. “Forcing oil and gas operators to stop injecting wastewater or reduce the amount they can inject means they can't produce as much oil and natural gas, which can cause a serious financial hardship,” said Warmington. “These are multimillion-dollar wells in some cases that you can't operate any more, period. If you take away your disposal activity, there's nothing else you can do with that water.” Still, Warmington said the industry also is concerned about the quakes and is working with regulators to try and stop them. “As long as we're making decisions based on good data and good science, we'll live with it,” Warmington said.
Warmington made similar comments to Enid News & Eagle in their continuing series, “Who’s at fault?” “Actions taken to address seismicity in Oklahoma are putting a burden on oil producers in the Mississippi Lime formation,” Warmington said. “With the [disposal] caps that are in place, it makes it extremely difficult for there to be an increase in production in the Mississippi Lime because of the inability to dispose of the water.” Warmington said it’s one of the really negative impacts of the caps in place, and it makes it “extremely difficult” to encourage investment in the Mississippi Lime. He also talked about how oil and gas investment is shifting to the SCOOP and STACK, which don’t have the same water volume issues. The plays just do not have the same limitations the Mississippi Lime play has, Warmington said. He also brought up the idea of possibly incentivizing production in the Mississippi Lime due to the added expense of finding alternative ways to dispose of produced water. “The limitations that are there for the (Mississippi) are going to be tough, and I think that’s where the state needs to continue to step in because you look at incentives to deal with the higher cost of production in the Mississippi Lime. I think there’s definitely an advantage to incentivizing that production, but it’s just going to be more expensive to produce there than it is in other places,” he said. “If there (are) companies that are willing to do it, I think the state ought to consider what can it do to help maximize the production in the Mississippi Lime, but at the same time keep a limit on the number of seismicity events that are correlated with it.”
Smithsonian.com pontificates that Oklahoma may experience more large quakes. The publication took its own slant on industry operations, describing hydraulic fracturing as a process that “pumps a controversial cocktail of water and chemicals into geologic formations to crack the shale rock”. Warmington told Smithsonian.com that the oil and gas industry is working closely with regulators and geologists to help prevent manmade quakes. “I’m pretty pleased with the outcome,” he says. “We’ve made a very honest effort to really figure out what is going on and what we can do to impact the seismicity outbreak in the state.” He says that association members have borne the brunt of the regulatory cleanup, providing proprietary data to geologists and cutting back production. “The restrictions have done exactly what they wanted them to do,” said Warmington. “It’s reduced earthquakes, it’s reduced production and it’s driven the oil and gas industry elsewhere. The water has to go somewhere,” counters Warmington. “Until they come up with a way to dispose of it that’s cheaper, it’s going to be a severely limiting factor.” Angela Spotts, formerly of Stillwater, was also interviewed for the article, which reported she now owns and operates a small hotel in Colorado.
INDUSTRY NEWS
In expanding the market for Oklahoma natural gas, FedEx Freight has converted its Oklahoma City service center to run on compressed natural gas, buying more than 100 CNG trucks and installing a large on-site CNG fueling station.
This week BP released its annual economic impact report. The report notes that in Oklahoma alone, BP supports 1,500 jobs and spent over $195 million in capital and operating costs. Click here to download the full report.
Late last Friday, CNBC was in Oklahoma City at the recently opened GE Global Oil & Gas Research Center. They filmed a series of interviews about issues facing oil and gas operators in Oklahoma:
ECONOMIC NEWS
The Oklahoman reported on a recently released Moody’s Investors Service Report that says low oil prices and the oil industry slowdown continue to create financial challenges in Oklahoma and nine other oil-dependent states. More can and should be done next year to improve the state's financial position, Preston L. Doerflinger, Oklahoma's secretary of finance, administration and information technology said. “That's going to be the governor's focus, and I as her budget negotiator will try to cause more advances in addressing structural deficiencies and continue the conversation about new reoccurring revenue,” he said. While Oklahoma and other oil-producing states have seen revenue drops along with oil prices over the past two years, Oklahoma's gross production tax collections were flat even when the drilling ballooned in 2013 and 2014. “The state has offered generous incentives including a 1 percent tax rate for qualified horizontal wells during the initial years of production, though the rate was recently revised to 2 percent for the first three years, after which the production rate rapidly declines,” the report stated. “While states like Texas and North Dakota saw a dramatic increase in oil and gas tax revenue, Oklahoma's revenues were essentially flat while prices were high and output significantly increased between 2011 and 2014.”
The gross production tax rate is an example of the delicate balance between the state and its industries, Doerflinger said. “We did work with industry and try to come up with a new plan on gross production tax,” he said. “At the end of the day, there's any amount of Monday morning quarterbacking. We know this industry is important to the state. The agreement that was ultimately reached, if we look long term, will hopefully prove beneficial to the state, but I understand the people who think the gross production tax could have been more.”
Unfortunately, some of the points don’t seem to consider all the facts surrounding gross production and the related tax on the industry. The new, increased gross production tax rate of 2 percent for the first 36 months (a reduction for the initial rate assessed for 48 months at the 1 percent rate) did not go into effect until July 1, 2015 for new wells drilled after that date. Due to delayed gross production tax reporting, the increased tax rate will only recently begin to be reflected which coincides with continued, depressed commodity prices. The reference to Oklahoma revenues being flat in 2011-14 also ignores the mix of production in the state at the time, with more natural gas being part of the mix and the price of natural gas bottomed out from a high of over $12.00 mcf in 2012 to nearly $2.00 per mcf shortly thereafter. The article did not include any comment from the oil and gas industry.
Guest columnist Arnold Hamilton once again in his Journal Record column blamed the industry’s tax rate for the state’s budget shortfall. The column discusses the influence of campaign contributions on policy. “There’s a simple reason that lawmakers have slashed $1 billion yearly in state income taxes, disproportionately benefiting the state’s wealthiest residents: Oklahoma has the nation’s lowest taxes on the oil and gas industry, costing the state treasury another $350 million annually. And that corporate welfare siphons more than $1 billion a year from state coffers, despite evidence some of the business tax breaks and incentives do nothing more than enhance profits and socialize losses.” Hamilton ignores the fact that the oil and natural gas industry pays more taxes to state and local governments combined more than any other industry in the state. The industry also pays a gross production tax on top of all the other taxes assessed other industries.
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, stepped up his opposition to the oil and natural gas industry in his latest press release announcing the agenda for his requested interim study on options for wastewater recycling. The agenda includes most of the same cast as past meetings Rep. Morrissette has hosted at the state capitol – Mekasi Horinek with the Ponca Nation, a tribe who is working to ban fracking in their territory; OSU Prof. Todd Halihan; Brian Kalt with Fairmont Brine, a past presenter with a technology that is unlikely to handle the volumes of wastewater the Mississippi Lime produces; Dr. Jeremy Boak with OGS; and Robert “Bob” Jackman, retired petroleum geologist. It should be noted again, Fairmont Brine has been under investigation by the Kentucky Attorney General for improperly disposing of radioactive waste in Kentucky. The interim study has been assigned to the House Energy Committee and is scheduled to be heard on October 25, at 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., in Room 412C, at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City.
Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, joined in on the calls for legislative action with a press release titled, “State Officials Need to do More to Curb Earthquakes Plaguing Oklahoma.” In the statement, Rep. Williams “called for a moratorium on all oilfield wastewater disposal wells in the previously identified high-risk area defined by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.” He also complained about the ‘closed-door’ workshop, only ‘reactive’ actions by the OCC; and ‘closed-door’ seismicity council meetings; saying, “I don’t object to oil and gas industry representatives participating in these seminars and councils,” Williams said. “But their activities should be conducted out in the open, not behind closed doors.” He ends the statement asserting, “Oklahoma has become the most seismically active region in the entire United States – surpassing even California and its notorious San Andreas Fault – yet our state’s leaders don’t have the backbone and intestinal fortitude to force the energy industry to act in a responsible manner.”
Rep. Williams fails to recognize a number of points researchers and regulators continue to make. Multiple seismic and geologic experts have said a moratorium on injection could actually trigger more seismic activity. The OCC is already working closely with OGS to identify faults and improve mapping of known faults. Earlier this year, the OCC issued various directives that were not tied to seismic events, but rather were an effort to strategically reduce disposal volumes near known faults. Complaints about closed door meetings neglect that state officials, regulators and researchers have been and are accessible by the public and have made themselves available to answer countless media inquiries at the OGS workshop last week, after hours, on weekends and at many other times in order to keep Oklahomans and the public informed.(KSWO also reports)
The Oklahoman reported on Williams’ proposal and Warmington responded, saying, “State regulators were on the right path and no moratorium was needed. He said any prohibition on wastewater disposal would not only lower production, but negatively affect local tax revenues and deny mineral owners their property rights to access oil and gas deposits.”
The following House Interim studies impacting industry are scheduled for hearings:
- October 25: H 16-53 Study options for wastewater recycling (Morrissette), Assigned to House Energy, 9-12, Room 412C
- October 25: H 16-37 Study oil and gas; examining restrictions on the location of habitable structures and the owner of the habitable structure's property rights (Kouplen), Assigned to House Energy, 1-3 p.m., Room 412C
House interim study meeting details shared in weekly Highlights thus far have resulted in no comments or obvious direct impact on the oil and gas industry. You can watch a brief recap of the House interim study meetings from this week, by clicking here. You can listen to recent recordings of the entire meetings on the House website, under New Recordings.
REGULATORY NEWS
OTC
Next week is the 2017 Oklahoma Tax Commission Business Personal Property (BPP) hearing, scheduled for Thursday, September 22, at 10:00 a.m., at the OTC offices, located at 3700 N Classen Blvd, Suite 200, in Oklahoma City. If you and your company have locally valued business personal property, you are encouraged to attend this hearing. At the hearing, the taxpayer is given a perfect opportunity to provide input and real world values for the 2017 OTC BPP schedule. Additionally, the taxpayer can provide information for the OTC to take into consideration in preparing the 2017 schedule.
ESA
Environmental groups rekindle battle over lesser prairie chicken. Associated Press. Four months after the federal government gave up a court fight to keep the lesser prairie chicken on the endangered species list, environmentalists say there’s new evidence that warrants listing the bird again. A coalition of environmental groups has filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, arguing that key populations are in danger of extinction as climate change exacerbates problems caused by energy development, farming and other infrastructure such as roads and power lines. The groups say emergency protections are needed for isolated populations along the Texas-New Mexico border, in Colorado and western Kansas.
OKOGA posted a blog in July about how the oil and gas industry, through conservation agreements, has done a better job of protecting the lesser prairie chicken than the federal government has.
A Constitution Day compromise? Enid News (Column). What is the best way to protect the environment in Oklahoma? Is it through local partnerships, where landowners, local industries, and state or local government work together? Or should we surrender power to Washington, D.C., letting people who may have never set foot in Oklahoma tell us what to do? The recent flap over the lesser prairie chicken is a good example. Faced with declining populations of the bird, local leaders in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Colorado developed a conservation plan covering millions of acres of habitat and spending millions of dollars. It worked, and bird populations have been increasing for several years. Yet it took a lawsuit to stop Washington, D.C., from stepping in to take control anyway.
FEDERAL REGISTER
EPA: National Emission Standards: Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources; Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers. The Environmental Protection Agency reconsidered certain aspects of the February 1, 2013, final amendments to the ‘‘National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers’’. The EPA is amending three reconsidered provisions regarding: The alternative particulate matter standard for new oil-fired boilers; performance testing for PM for certain boilers based on their initial compliance test; and fuel sampling for mercury for certain coal-fired boilers based on their initial compliance demonstration, consistent with the alternative provisions for which comment was solicited in the January 2015 proposal. The EPA is making minor changes to the proposed definitions of startup and shutdown based on comments received. This final rule is effective on September 14, 2016.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please join honorary hosts U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, U.S. Senator James Lankford and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Larry Nichols, Harold Hamm Alliance Coal PAC, Continental Resources PAC, Devon Energy PAC and others for a breakfast supporting Congressman Todd Young’s campaign for U.S. Senate in Indiana. Congressman Young is currently a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and is the Republican challenger to U.S. Senator Evan Bayh. This U.S. Senate seat is one of the top three Senate races in the nation. The breakfast is on Tuesday, September 20, at 8:00 to 9:00 a.m., at Vast, located in the Devon Tower, on the 50th floor, in the Summit Room. Please click here for details and RSVP information.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Wall Street Journal: Earthquake ‘Magnitude’ Misses the Mark
OilPrice.com: SCOOP And STACK Under Fire, Are We About To See Tighter Regulation?
FuelFix: Can a huge new oil field and famous artesian spring get along?
NewsOK: Sam Noble Museum of Natural History in Norman explores science of earthquakes
The Hill: Obama eyes big finish on climate
NewsOK: Regulatory response about earthquakes, SandRidge bankruptcy top monthly Energy Chat
Insurance Journal: Oklahoma Quake Insured Costs Uncertain; Swiss Re Suggests New Products Needed
FiveThirtyEight: How The Oil And Gas Industry Awakened Oklahoma’s Sleeping Fault Lines
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