Southwest
Deep red state proposal triggers ESG concerns: 'Raises a lot of questions'
Oklahoma’s state treasurer is raising concerns about legislation he says could open the door further for the controversial practice of “environmental, social and governance” in the deep red state.
Senate Bill 714 would amend the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act of 2022 to take away the treasurer’s “enforcement authority” of the law and give it to the state Attorney General’s office.
The treasurer maintains a list of several banks that cannot do business with the state government of Oklahoma if the institution has publicly expressed opposition to oil and gas companies.
Critics argue that wording in the legislation would lower the standards necessary for an institution to be on the list and how agencies enforce it.
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The BlackRock logo outside its offices in New York City. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid/File Photo)
“The bill actually removes the treasurer from oversight of the investment behaviors of big financial institutions and proposes to put it under the attorney general’s office,” Oklahoma State Treasurer Todd Russ told Fox News Digital regarding Senate Bill 714. “So, I mean, that alone raises a lot of questions.
“As a constitutional officer in the state treasurer in Oklahoma, why would you want someone that doesn’t have the constitutional commitment and obligation to oversee the financial investments and affairs of the state to be under the treasury and move it to a different constitutional office?” he continued.
The 2022 state law is facing “ongoing” legal challenges, which makes its fate unclear. The law is meant to avoid supporting institutions some leaders see as looking to harm the state’s energy industry.
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“Over the years, those subject matters have become very politicized. I mean, it’s not a financial issue. It’s a social agenda that they’ve woven into the investments,” Russ said of ESG.
“The state of Oklahoma’s not trying to get on the other side of that behavior. We’re trying to take a stand to say, ‘Look, stay out of the political arena with my investments. Our investments.’ We are solely concerned about the financial performance and profits of our investment, and we don’t want outside people using it for political leverage. So, when it comes to environmental issues, oil and gas is very important to Oklahoma. We don’t want them acting against the interests of the oil and gas industry.”
Republican Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon discouraged increased spending as oil and gas revenues and a budget surplus leave the state in optimal financial standing. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)
Fox Business reported in 2023 that the list from Russ resulted from inquiries about energy investment practices to numerous banks, and it bars the banks on the list from partaking in key state investments like pension funds.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office said, “This bill is only necessary because of the treasurer’s dismal failure to successfully defend the Oklahoma Energy Discrimination Act of 2022. That was the real slap in the face to the oil and gas industry.
“The act prohibits state contracts and pension system investments with financial institutions that discriminate against the oil and gas industry.”
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An oil worker walks toward a drill rig after placing ground monitoring equipment in the vicinity of the underground horizontal drill in Loving County, Texas. (Reuters/Angus Mordant)
Republican state Sen. Dave Rader, the bill’s sponsor, told Fox News Digital in an email he plans on making some amendments to the legislation, including “further clarifying the definition of boycott energy company to include voting on shareholder proposals which penalize or inflict harm, adding legislative intent to make clear that the purpose of the bill is to protect retirement systems, eliminate the word ‘predominantly’ in the definition of ordinary business purpose to make clear that any pro-ESG action is not allowable [and] eliminate the inclusion of transaction costs when determining a loss which presumably could keep delay divestment indefinitely.”
However, Rader’s suggested amendments in the email have not yet been made official, according to the Oklahoma State Legislature’s website, where the legislative text is shown.
The legislation would need to go to a vote in the full Senate by March 27 before potentially heading to the state House of Representatives.
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Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward was arrested in Texas early Thursday morning on a felony assault charge, according to online jail records.
Ward, 33, was arrested at around 5:30 a.m. local time and booked into the Montgomery County Jail. He was charged with assault on a family member by impeding breathing or circulation, which is a third-degree felony.
Ward is facing a third-degree felony assault charge. (Montgomery County Jail)
The Texans said in a statement that they are aware of the reports surrounding Ward’s arrest.
“We are gathering more information and have no further comment at this time,” the statement read, via ESPN.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is tackled by Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 21, 2024. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
The Houston Chronicle reported that the incident took place at the NFL player’s home in Magnolia. No further details surrounding the alleged assault were immediately known.
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Ward spent the majority of his career playing for the San Francisco 49ers. In nine seasons with the organization, he registered seven interceptions and 451 tackles across 106 games.
He entered the 2023 offseason as a free agent before signing a two-year, $13 million deal.
Jimmie Ward (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Ward signed a one-year contract extension worth $10.5 million before the start of last season. In two seasons with the Texans, Ward appeared in 20 games and registered three interceptions and 98 tackles.
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Southwest
Man who pledged loyalty to ISIS plotted attack on college football stadium, court records say
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An Oklahoma man who pledged his loyalty to the Islamic State wanted to carry out a terrorist attack on the Oklahoma Sooners’ football stadium in 2023, court records show.
Landon Kyle Swinford said he and a source who turned out to be an undercover officer noticed flaws in the stadium’s security situation and began scouting out the venue, according to the documents.
Swinford “had looked at barricades and security and thought the stadium could be a potential target for an attack,” the records say.
The field at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as the Oklahoma Sooners face the Houston Cougars. (Kevin Jairaj/USA Today Sports)
Swinford and the undercover officer were in communication from May 2023 until that October, and Swinford told the undercover officer he intended to travel to Tunisia to fight for the Islamic State.
Swinford said he “sadly” would have carried out the attack had he been able to afford it.
Swinford also had an interest in attacking New Orleans, which was the site of a terror attack on New Year’s Day. Swinford allegedly wanted to carry out an attack during Mardi Gras at the voodoo temple.
An Oklahoma Sooners helmet during a Reese’s Senior Bowl team practice session Feb. 2, 2023, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Swinford pleaded guilty to charges of child pornography possession and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. He’s awaiting sentencing for those charges.
The latest documents tying Swinford to ISIS communication were released Monday. Court records say Swinford told FBI officials he posted to influence others to bomb local synagogues and inspire others on behalf of ISIS.
The Sooners have played at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since 1923, and the venue was renovated ahead of the 2019 season.
Landon Kyle Swinford, right, planned a terror attack against the Oklahoma Sooners’ stadium, according to court documents. (Imagn/Oklahoma Western District Court)
The stadium seats 80,126, but its largest attendance reached over 88,000 in 2017.
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A Texas woman was arrested on Wednesday after Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers discovered 25 illegal immigrants crammed into the back of a box truck, hidden behind mattresses and inside a crawlspace.
DPS said 43-year-old Silvia Patricia Santamaria, of Houston, was arrested and charged with 25 counts of human smuggling and has since been booked into the Live Oak County Jail.
Just after 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, a concerned citizen approached a DPS trooper at a truck stop along Interstate 37 in George West, Texas, regarding a minor crash that happened in the parking lot.
When the trooper contacted the driver of a white 2005 International box truck involved in the crash, later identified as Santamaria, she allegedly told the law enforcement official she was driving to Houston after picking up mattresses in Alton, Texas.
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Texas DPS said Silvia Patricia Santamaria was driving a box truck that contained 25 illegal immigrants in the cargo area.
DPS said the trooper noticed inconsistencies in Santamaria’s travel plans and asked for consent to search the truck.
With assistance from the George West Police Department, the trooper discovered 25 illegal immigrants inside a small corner of the box truck who were attempting to hide behind 30 mattresses and inside a crawl space within the truck’s wall, DPS said.
DPS added that there was no ventilation inside the truck.
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Texas DPS said Silvia Patricia Santamaria was driving a box truck that contained 25 illegal immigrants in the cargo area. (Texas DPS)
The group of immigrants comprised of 12 males, 12 females and an 11-year-old child.
All the migrants were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, India, Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, DPS said.
The illegal immigrants were removed from the truck and received medical evaluation before being referred to the U.S. Border Patrol.
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A wall along the southern border. (Fox News)
In 2022, San Antonio officials discovered 51 dead immigrants inside an abandoned tractor trailer.
Officials said at the time they believed the truck was abandoned after it experienced mechanical problems.
A city worker discovered the trailer after hearing a cry from inside the trailer.
At least 46 migrants were found dead at the scene and more died in hospitals.
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