Oklahoma

Crews Work To Cleanup Oil Spill In Northwest Oklahoma City

Published

1 year ago

September 26, 2023

Crews Work To Cleanup Oil Spill In Northwest Oklahoma City

Crews are focused on cleaning up the mess an oil geyser made Monday in northwest Oklahoma City. Officials say more than 90,000 gallons of oil spilled out onto the ground, creating a 30-foot geyser that spewed for multiple hours.

Sam Curry, a nearby landowner, was not too worried with the oil that made its way onto his land.

“We did catch some oil and some contamination,” Curry said. “We’re oil country. We have pipelines all across the state. From time to time, we’re going to have mishaps like this.”

One thing to thank for the containment of the spill was the quick response of crews.

“It’s been very efficient,” Curry said. “They were on it all night. They’re down now, probably removing the dirt, and that’s it.”

Removing the dirt is the first step, according to Matt Skinner with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

“The contaminated soil is dug up and taken to a facility that is licensed to deal with such products,” Skinner said.

The same goes for the oil that leaked into the storm water drainage system.

“You flush it out with fresh water and then vacuum it up. That also goes to be disposed of in the proper facility,” Skinner said.

Skinner says Oklahoma law is clear on who is responsible for the cleanup efforts, regardless of liability.

“An operator, be it an operator of an oil and gas well, a pipeline, or anything of that sort, is responsible for the product,” Skinner said.

Energy Transfer is the oil company that is in charge of the cleanup effort, with the OCC’s oversight.

Officials say we won’t know the extent of the long-term environmental impact, if any, until the cleanup is done.

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Oklahoma

How Oklahoma's New Law Offers Helps First Responders Dealing With Trauma

Published

4 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

How Oklahoma's New Law Offers Helps First Responders Dealing With Trauma

What is Senate Bill 1457?

SB 1457 expands the physical injury limitation exemption as it applies to worker compensation to include law enforcement officers, paid and volunteer firefighters, and emergency medical technicians suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) received while responding to an emergency.

“This is a huge win for first responders and a huge win for Oklahoma,” said James Biscone, a personal injury attorney in Oklahoma City.

The measure also provides that employers shall be required to pay up to $10,000.00 for the treatment of a responder certified to have PTSD according to the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission.

>>> 4 Laws That Went Into Effect On Jan. 1, 2025

What was the protocol before the law went into effect?

Senate Bill 1457 went into effect in Oklahoma on January 1, 2025. Before that date, first responders could only get workers’ compensation if their mental injury was coupled with a physical injury on the job.

“If you think of a fatality car accident, if you think of a murder scene, these first responders rush to help but if they’re not physically injured, there’s no recovery for the mental anguish that they’ve suffered,” said Biscone. “Imagine what a first responder sees over the course of a week or a month or a year or a career, well the stigma is gone, you can talk about those things and it’s okay to claim a mental injury now and it’s okay to talk to somebody and get the help that you need.”

“It allows our first responders to be recognized for the mental anguish that they suffer sometimes on the job,” said Biscone.

How does this work?

It will operate just like any other workers’ compensation claim and must have a doctor’s approval.

“If you have a first responder who is claiming to have PTSD, it has to be diagnosed by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist but if they have that, they can go through the process of getting the help that they need,” said Biscone.

What does this mean for first responders in Oklahoma?

“There’s been a huge stigma around PTSD over the years but that is slowly being removed, we’re seeing that across the country,” said Biscone.

Biscone says this new law will help with the recruitment and retention of first responders.

“Because they know Oklahoma now has their back,” said Biscone.

He says getting first responders the help they need mentally and physically can help ensure they are going back to work when they are truly prepared.

“To allow them an avenue to get some help to get some treatment, it gets them back to work faster and it also creates a better person, a better law enforcement officer out there,” said Biscone.

To read more about this bill, click here: http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb1457&Session=2400

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma State Transfer Kendal Daniels Commits to Sooners

Published

12 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma State Transfer Kendal Daniels Commits to Sooners

One of Oklahoma State’s top defenders in the portal is staying in the state.

On Monday, Hayes Fawcett of On3 reported that transfer safety Kendal Daniels has committed to Oklahoma. Daniels spent the first four seasons of his career at OSU and was a staple of the Cowboys’ defense throughout the past three years.

Daniels’ top season with the Cowboys came in 2023, as he was a key part of OSU’s defense in the team’s run to 10 wins. He finished the season with career-bests in almost every category. His 2023 season featured 105 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. In his second full season, he easily lived up to the hype of his four-star label.

While he had solid seasons in 2022 and 2024, he will be looking to recapture the magic of his 2023 campaign in Norman. He finishes his OSU career with 240 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and five interceptions and made an impact consistently in an OSU uniform.

A four-star recruit out of high school and the top player in Oklahoma, Daniels was a massive commit for the Cowboys when he arrived in 2021. Oklahoma was among the first batch of schools to offer Daniels in 2019, but he ultimately chose to begin his career in Stillwater.

Daniels was among the many players to enter the transfer portal after OSU’s 3-9 season, where it boasted one of the worst defenses in the country. While Daniels was far from the only issue on OSU’s defense, he didn’t live up to expectations coming off of a Big 12 Championship appearance in 2023.

Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: January 5

Published

20 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Join News 9 Sports Director Dean Blevins, News On 6 Sports Director John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland for this week’s edition of the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz.

Sunday, January 5th 2025, 11:32 pm

By:

News On 6,

News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY –

This week on the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz, Dean Blevins, John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland begin the show with their opening takes.

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