EDMOND —
Congressman James Lankford has joined a bipartisan group of 44 House members by asking Energy Sec. Steven Chu to facilitate the approval of liquefied natural gas facilities in the U.S. The letter was signed by 10 Democrats and 34 Republicans from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.
“It is time to bring a renewed sense of urgency to the approval process for LNG facilities, which are part of a successful all-of-the-above energy strategy,” said Lankford, R-Edmond. “States like Oklahoma and Texas are prime examples of the success of natural gas use in the regional energy market.”
Lankford said the federal permitting process is slowing down the ability of energy companies to distribute their products. Marketing the production of liquefied natural gas to international customers is made difficult, Lankford said.
“Without the ability to market to international customers, this could have a severe impact on production in our region,” he said.
Data from a 2011 Department of Energy report showed trillions of cubic feet of technically recoverable gas in shale bed areas across the United States. The data also suggests that production and reserves are likely to be much more.
Lankford is vying for re-election to the Congressional 5th District. He will face Democrat Tom Guild of Edmond in the Nov. 6 election, as well as two Independent candidates, Pat Martin of Jones and Norman resident Robert T. Murphy.
The U.S. needs smart regulation, not complete deregulation, Guild said.
“We found out the disastrous consequences of the lack of reasonable regulation with the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, because there was essentially no regulation of one facet of the energy industry, not to mention the stock market crash during President Bush’s term,” Guild said.
Mothers and fathers are struggling while Congress has vacationed, he said. Some of Lankford’s constituents are working two or three jobs, money that pays for Congressional salaries of $174,000, Guild said.
“He sends out press releases instead of making the hard decisions to turn our country’s economy around,” Guild said.
Murphy said he supports the marketing of LNG, but said safeguards need to be intact to avoid fires. In the long run, fossil fuels will not be available forever, he said.
“I have been intrigued by the idea of thorium power,” Murphy said.
Thorium is similar to uranium in that it can be used to power reactors. However, thorium is not subject to a nuclear meltdown, he said, as is the case with a uranium reactor.
Murphy said he is not convinced that climate change with global warming is the result of fossil fuel consumption.
“I think we’re a nation of vast resources and I think we need to be taking advantage of all of them,” Martin said.
He said safety issues with fracking need to be investigated thoroughly. Oklahoma has done an effective job of taking care of the environment, he said.
“I think we have the ability to pursue these things in a safe, responsible manner,” Martin said.
Energy independence is linked to the nation’s economy and national security, he said. So he approaches supplying the nation’s energy needs from an all-of-the-above perspective, Martin said.
jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121
Local News
Congressional candidates weigh in on liquefied natural gas
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UPDATE: Tornado damages 12 homes in Edmond
Twelve homes were damaged in the Edmond area by Sunday afternoon’s tornado. Major damage impacted three of the homes while the other eight homes had minor damage, said Matt Stillwell, director of the city’s emergency communications and management.
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City Council plans for budget increases
The Edmond City Council agreed Monday to a 6 percent budget increase for the next five fiscal years. The council met in a special budget workshop Monday morning. Fiscal Year 2014 begins July 1.
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LIVE BLOG: Massive tornado hits south of OKC
A massive tornado touched down Monday afternoon in Moore, Okla., just south of Oklahoma City. Follow live coverage of the aftermath of the storm.
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More than 120 from OC serve on summer missions
In the past year, Oklahoma Christian University emphasized “OC is Home” as a key theme to begin John deSteiguer’s tenure as president.
This summer, more than 120 students, staff and faculty are leaving the comforts of home to serve and spread the Gospel in around 20 countries, showing that “OC is Mission,” too.
“We are motivated and encouraged by the pure hearts for service that so many OC students have,” deSteiguer said. “We commend them, as well as our many faculty and staff who exemplify OC’s Christian mission to spread the good news and serve others.” -
FAI calling all pets for ‘Pets in the Park’
Animals now get their turn to connect with the activities at the Fine Arts Institute of Edmond with a new event, Pets in the Park, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 1 at Mitzi’s Park, 27 E. Edwards. Registration for the pet parade and art contest will begin at 10:30 a.m.
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UPDATE: Tornado touches portions of Edmond
Roger Williams and his wife Shellie, residents in Edmond’s Thornbrooke neighborhood since 2004, were watching the weather reports Sunday as a large storm approached the city.
When they heard reports that a tornado was spotted near Broadway and 15th Street, then Broadway and 33rd Street, the couple and their son Ethan, 11, took cover in a reinforced interior closet. After they closed the door it got eerily quiet, like being in the eye of a hurricane, Roger said. As the tornado passed by, they could hear a few bangs outside.
“I was kind of scared,” Ethan said. -
SLIDESHOW: Tornado strikes I-35 area of Edmond
A violent tornado ripped trees out of the ground as it dropped into southern Edmond late Sunday afternoon along areas east and west of Interstate 35 from 15th Street to 33rd Street, according to various reports. Damage in Edmond is confirmed by the city and included blown out windows at the brand new Mercy I-35 facility that was scheduled to open later this year. Hail also peppered northwest Edmond during the violent storm event.
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The Big One
It’s a bleak scenario. A massive earthquake along the New Madrid fault kills or injures 60,000 people in Tennessee. A quarter of a million people are homeless.
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City plans to hire downtown consultant
Conceptual ideas about how the City of Edmond may plan for downtown development were shared this week by David Forrest with members of the business community.
The Central Edmond Urban Development Board has revisited plans made in a 1998 Downtown Master Plan through public meetings and presentations to protect the future development of Broadway. Recommendations by the group will be taken into account by future city councils. -
Feds recommend changing legal alcohol content levels
During the past 15 years alcohol contributed to a third of highway deaths prompting the government this week to recommend reducing state Blood Alcohol Content limits from .08 to .05 or lower.
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