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In The Know is a daily synopsis of Oklahoma policy-related news and blogs. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
New research on earthquakes in Oklahoma explains why injection wells may cause quakes here and warns of the possibility for big ones. A national consultant said Oklahoma Gas & Electric could save as much as $3.3 billion if it included more wind and natural gas in its power portfolio, as the utility asks to spend $1.1 billion and hike rates 15- to 20-percent to fund upgrades to aging power plants. After the City of Duncan missed out on a round of drought relief grants from the state, city officials are looking for other ways to keep water flowing. Emergency personnel say a wildfire that charred 37 square miles in rural western Oklahoma and destroyed at least six structures is about 70 percent contained.
A new fact sheet from Oklahoma Policy Institute lays out seven options that lawmakers could use to close Oklahoma’s $611 million budget hole without calamitous cuts to public services. The executive director of the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma was fired Tuesday, after a prosecutor asked for an investigation into allegations of “official misconduct.” Oklahoma’s unemployment rate held steady in January — unchanged from December at 3.7 percent.
Tulsa World columnist Ginnie Graham made a case for replacing Andrew Jackson with Cherokee leader Wilma Mankiller. NewsOK examined a long history of racially offensive incidents at OU and OSU. A Walgreens report found Oklahoma was the top state and Oklahoma City the top metro in the nation for flu activity this season. OK Policy previously discussed why nearly all Oklahomans should get a flu shot.
Nonprofit news organization Oklahoma Watch will present a public forum on April 16 about challenges in low-income neighborhoods in south Oklahoma City. The Number of the Day is the percent of students who graduated from 4 year above colleges or universities in Oklahoma with student loan debt in 2012. In today’s Policy Note, the Los Angeles Times shares a Q&A on why Affordable Care Act costs continue to fall.
In The News
New study addresses surge of Oklahoma earthquakes, predicts major ones
Recently released research on earthquakes in Oklahoma explains why injection wells may cause quakes here and warns of the possibility for big ones. The report points toward unusually aligned faults underneath Oklahoma that have been reawakened, leading to the swarm of earthquakes in recent years that have scientists and others pointing toward injection wells and fracking as the culprits.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
More wind power, natural gas could save OG&E $3.3 billion, analyst says
Oklahoma Gas & Electric could save as much as $3.3 billion if it included more wind and natural gas in its power portfolio, a national utility consultant said. The utility asked Oklahoma Corporation Commission to preapprove about $1.1 billion in planned spending to comply with federal clean air rules and to upgrade an aging power plant. If the agency approves those costs, it could translate to a 15- to 20-percent rate hike for customers by the year 2019. Nearly all of the intervening groups said OG&E should include more wind power, which could lower utility bills overall.
Read more from The Journal Record.
Amid drought, Duncan seeks options as grant hopes dry up
With a possible water crisis looming, city officials in Duncan had pinned their hopes on state funding to help the town weather a multiyear drought. But after Duncan missed out on a round of drought relief grants awarded two weeks ago, city officials are looking for other ways to keep water flowing.
Woodward County Wildfire 70 Percent Contained
Emergency personnel say a wildfire that has charred 37 square miles in rural western Oklahoma and destroyed at least six structures is about 70 percent contained. Oklahoma Forestry Services spokeswoman Michelle Finch-Walker said Tuesday that a wind shift caused the fire to burn back into itself, allowing crews to make significant progress to extinguish the blaze.
Seven options to fix Oklahoma’s budget shortfall
State officials have projected that Oklahoma is facing a $611 million budget shortfall for next year. Years of budget cuts and flat funding have already resulted in larger class sizes, uncompetitive salaries for teachers and state employees, dangerously understaffed correctional facilities, and long waiting lists for critical services. A new OK Policy fact sheet presents seven feasible and responsible solutions to the budget shortfall that would help Oklahoma avoid more harmful cuts to public services.
Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma fires executive director
The executive director of the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma was fired Tuesday, less than two weeks after a prosecutor asked for an investigation into allegations of “official misconduct.” Gayle Ward had headed the association for almost nine years. She claims she has been the victim of false accusations and has not had the opportunity to respond to allegations.
Oklahoma Unemployment Rate Holds Steady At 3.7 Percent
Oklahoma’s unemployment rate held steady in January — unchanged from December at 3.7 percent. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission reported Tuesday that civilian labor force rose by 12,450 to nearly 1.8 million while the number of people with a job increased by 12,960 to stand at just more than 1.7 million.
$20 and change: Out with the $20 Jacksons and in with the Mankillers
It’s not radical to remove Andrew Jackson from the $20. The seventh president may have risen from poverty to power, but he did so waging war against indigenous people and making money through a plantation powered by the slave trade. He was a rabble-rouser who created the political spoils system and masterminded the greatest mass murder of American Indians in U.S. history.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
OU racist incident is not a first for college campuses
The racist chant heard around the world may be a flashpoint, but it’s not a first. Fraternities and others from Oklahoma’s two largest universities have been a source of racially-tinged incidents, a review of The Oklahoman archives showed.
Flu Season Hits Hardest in Oklahoma, Texas as Walgreens Flu Index Unveils Top Markets and States for Flu Activity for 2014-2015 Season
With flu activity winding down in the U.S., Walgreens today announced the top markets (DMAs) and states for flu activity for this season, according to its season-ending Flu Index examining aggregate prescription data from November 2014 through February 2015. The states with the highest rates of influenza, according to the Index, were Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee.
See also: Go get your flu shot. Yes, you. Now. from the OK Policy Blog.
Oklahoma Watch Forum to Focus on Low-Income Neighborhoods
Nonprofit news organization Oklahoma Watch and the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication will present a public forum on April 16 about challenges in low-income neighborhoods in south Oklahoma City. The Q&A forum with local leaders will focus on the needs and concerns of south Oklahoma City communities and is tied to a soon-to-be-released mobile-video news project, “Talk With Us: Poverty in Oklahoma City Neighborhoods.”
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Quote of the Day
“The science is settled. The debate is over. These are man-made earthquakes.”
– Bob Jackman, a petroleum geologist in Tulsa, on a recently-released paper discussing the impact of fracking and injection wells on unusually-aligned faults in Oklahoma (Source)
Number of the Day
53%
Percent of students who graduated from 4 year above colleges or universities in Oklahoma with student loan debt in 2012. The national average is 60%.
Source: College InSight.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Q&A: Why Affordable Care Act costs continue to fall
As the Supreme Court considers the fate of government subsidies to millions of consumers receiving coverage under the Affordable Care Act, a nonpartisan budget analysis found that projected costs of President Obama’s signature healthcare program continued to fall. As it has previously, the Congressional Budget Office found that the program is proving to be less expensive than previously expected. Here’s a look at some of its latest findings.
Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
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