New Company Plans To Build Lithium Refinery In Oklahoma
A new company is looking to develop a lithium refinery in Oklahoma.
The Connecticut based company Startdust Energy told News9 the refinery would be built in two phases at an industrial park in Tulsa.
Roshan Pujari is the company’s CEO. He says his company would address a shortage of refineries in the United States to process readily available raw materials.
Once in operation, Stardust Energy intends to refine lithium from wastewater from the oil and gas industry and to ship out battery-grade lithium, potentially producing up to 50,000 metric tons annually.
Pujari says the refining process for lithium would be powered by solar and wind energy and that the chemical processes would create very low emissions and zero liquid discharge.
The project would be supported by state and municipal incentives.
State Question On Raising Minimum Wage Faces Legal Challenges
A state question to raise Oklahoma's minimum wage is facing some legal challenges.
State Question 832 would raise Oklahoma's minimum wage to $15 dollars-an-hour by the year 2029.
Oklahoma Voice reports the State Chamber and Farm Bureau are both challenging the effort.
In legal filings in opposition to the state question, the business and agriculture interest groups say they dislike tying the state’s minimum wage to cost of living hikes when living costs in Oklahoma are typically low compared to other states.
Advocates for the state question say they aren't surprised by the challenge.
The current minimum wage in the state matches the federal $7.25 an hour.
Capitol Insider: Looking Ahead To The 2024 Elections
With just under one year before the 2024 General Election, Oklahoma’s chief election official Paul Ziriax told KGOU in this week’s Capitol Insider that he doesn’t see any significant changes in party loyalties when it comes to the state’s registration tallies.
“As of Oct. 31, which is our most recent month end totals, we have a total of 2,288,500 registered voters in Oklahoma," said. Ziriax. "Of those, around 51.7% are Republicans, 28.6% are Democrats, 18.7% are Independents and just under 1% are Libertarians. So, that decades long trend of a shift towards Republicans and Independents has continued this year.”
You can hear the entire discussion on the latest episode of KGOU’s Capitol Insider podcast at KGOU.org, or look for it where you get podcasts.
Choctaw Nation Clinic Expansion
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is expanding its specialty medical clinics -- and therefore much-needed access to emergency room services for citizens.
In the 1990s about 200,000 patients visited the Choctaw Nation's hospital. Today, more than 1 million people visit the tribal nation's medical facilities for emergency room services and other care that requires a visit to the hospital. And Choctaw officials say that number is growing.
That's why they've invested more than $8 million dollars to update their specialty clinics. The expansion will include ten more exam rooms, four new treatment rooms and decreased wait times for patients at the nation's Talihina facility.
That health care center and specialty residence clinic has become a central spot for Choctaw Nation to attract and train the next generation of rural doctors.
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