OIL AND GAS
Okla. county loses court bid to restrict energy development
The Oklahoma Supreme Court sided with the oil industry in a lawsuit challenging a rural county's restrictions on energy development.
Mike is an Energywire reporter based in Dallas-Fort Worth. Since joining E&E News in 2013, he has written extensively about energy regulation and the impact of oil and gas development on communities, including hydraulic fracturing, air and water pollution, pipeline construction, traffic problems, and landowner disputes. He also covers state politics, business news and environmental issues. Before joining E&E News he was an energy reporter for Bloomberg News and wrote for several Texas newspapers including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court sided with the oil industry in a lawsuit challenging a rural county's restrictions on energy development.
The blue wave that changed the direction of Washington politics had less of an impact in the nation's statehouses, which could give Republicans the upper hand in regulatory and environmental battles.
The Trump administration is forgoing billions of dollars in health and environmental benefits in its quest to roll back regulations on oil and gas production, according to Resources for the Future.
Colorado voters chose a progressive Democrat as governor but rejected a ballot proposition that would have cut down on oil and gas drilling in the state.
The surge in early voting among women, young people, African-Americans and Hispanics could wind up affecting governors' races and legislative seasons in oil- and gas-producing states.