First Natural Gas Price Lawsuits Filed
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a pair of lawsuits Wednesday against natural gas pipeline firms, alleging the companies helped bid up the price of natural gas to the highest levels in history during a winter storm in February 2021, as Paul Monies reported.
There will probably be more litigation, although the lawsuits have been slow to launch. The lawsuits filed this week are on behalf of the Grand River Dam Authority, not consumers, who are on the hook to pay off billions over the next decade or two.
Several lawsuits filed by utility companies over the price spike were settled, but none benefitted ratepayers.
Whether any of the lawsuits contemplated by the state have the potential to reduce the consumer burden is unclear.
More worth reading:
Wyatt Flores: Oklahoma’s Next Big Thing
The 22-year-old singer and songwriter makes music that touches listeners deeply. But his own trauma — coupled with his rapid rise — has thrown some bumps in the road. [NYT]
How ‘The Outsiders’ Invented the YA Novel
Oklahoma’s S.E. Hinton was just 17 when she published her classic story about rival gangs. More than half a century later, teenage readers still devour it. [WSJ]
Hemp Could Face More Regulations
Legislation intended to give the state a handle on intoxicating hemp-derived products sold in vape shops, gas stations and convenience stores advanced a step at the Capitol on Wednesday. [Tulsa World]
Happy birthday to Vince Gill, born on this day in Norman in 1957.
Ciao for now,
Ted Streuli
Executive Director, Oklahoma Watch
tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org
