oil and gas commission

ExxonMobil to begin lithium extraction in Arkansas as officials hope for the start of a boom

BY: - November 13, 2023

Oil and gas giant ExxonMobil this month plans to drill its first well in Southwest Arkansas for lithium, a critical component in electric vehicle batteries. The company’s Monday announcement has significant implications for the global energy sector and for South Arkansas, where local and state officials have been building up the economic promise of lithium […]

Standard Lithium signage at offices on East Elm Street in downtown El Dorado. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate 02/28/2023)

Looking beyond the fence at Standard Lithium’s ‘South West Arkansas Project’

BY: - March 2, 2023

Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts examining the promise and possible environmental peril of lithium extraction in Southwest Arkansas. You can find the first part here. Just about an hour west of El Dorado, where Standard Lithium debuted its demonstration plant, lies the foundation of the company’s “South West Arkansas (SWA) Project.” […]

Sarah Huckabee Sanders to appoint top department attorney as Arkansas energy secretary

BY: - December 21, 2022

Arkansas Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday she planned to nominate the chief lawyer at the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment to lead the agency when she takes office in January. Shane Khoury has nearly two decades of state government service on his resume, including his current role as the Energy and Environment department’s […]