AG Plans To Sue Natural Gas Sellers For Storm Price Hikes
Attorney General Gentner Drumond launched Tuesday what he describes as the most significant lawsuit in state history.
Drummond plans to take legal action against natural gas sellers that tacked billions of dollars onto Oklahoma gas bills due to Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Natural gas marketers buy gas and sell it to utility companies. Drummond says those middlemen applied a “short squeeze” just before Uri hit, artificially restricting the natural gas supply when Oklahomans needed it to heat their homes during sub-zero temperatures.
“After careful and diligent review of the conduct during winter storm Uri, it is clear to me that several companies reaped billions of dollars at the expense of Oklahoma families and businesses, and that's billions with a “B”,” Drummond said at a Tuesday news conference.
Drummond says he didn’t find any wrongdoing at Oklahoma’s natural gas utilities or at the state Corporation Commission, which approved rate hikes.
Drummond’s office is seeking proposals from outside law firms that want to work on the case. If the state is able to recover money, he said it will likely make its way back to ratepayers indirectly via Oklahoma Corporation Commission bonds for utility companies.
Legislature To Take Up Tribal Compacts Next Week
The fate of two compacts between Oklahoma and several tribal nations will be back in front of the legislature next week.
State senators are scheduled to come back to the Capitol next Monday to reconsider two veto override votes that failed last month.
If approved, the measures would extend tribal compacts - one related to tobacco taxes and another for motor vehicle licensing and registration.
Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed the compact extension bills in May, saying lawmakers were taking away his negotiating power.
In late June, the Oklahoma Senate failed to override one of the compact vetoes and didn’t take a vote on the other.
Tribal leaders have asked lawmakers to extend the compacts.
Stitt has urged lawmakers to let his vetoes stand, arguing they need to be renegotiated by him.
The compacts help generate millions of dollars for the state - which goes toward cancer research, mental health programs and more.
The special session is scheduled to close by the end of the month, but could be extended by lawmakers.
Route 66 Centennial Commission Gets Another Member
President Joe Biden appointed Oklahoma Historical Society executive director Trait Thompson to the Route 66 Centennial Commission late last week.
Congress established the commission to study and recommend ways to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026.
When it was established in 1926, Route 66 spanned eight states and was 2,400 miles long. More than 400 of those miles are still drivable in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz and Tulsa-based Route 66 historian Michael Wallis were appointed to the commission last year.
Oklahoma Universities Make National Annual Ranking List
U.S. News and World Report is touting its’ 2022-2023 ranking of the top universities in Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma took the top spot for Oklahoma institutions, with the University of Tulsa and Oklahoma State University rounding out the top three.
The list also included Oklahoma City University in fourth place and Rogers State University at Number 5.
The rankings took data and characteristics about majors, life on campus and affordability into consideration. Other factors include graduation and retention rates, academic reputation and success of Pell Grant recipients.
Of Oklahoma’s rankings, four schools landed on the national list: OU, TU and OSU all fell in the top 200 schools, while OCU placed at #234 of over 400 schools.
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