La Niña is Officially Here. What Does That Mean for Oklahoma?

Jan 10, 2025

By Chloe Bennett-Steele

Oklahoma may experience above-average warm and dry conditions for the rest of the winter season with the long-awaited arrival of La Niña. The phase is one part of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, which alters weather patterns globally and is driven by sea surface temperatures.

Although La Niña is known for its cooling effect, the event impacts regions differently. Conditions for drought in Oklahoma’s winter and spring months become more likely under its influence.

“ La Niña, generally, is a fairly serious climatic pattern for us here in the Southern Great Plains because it does result in even drier than normal winters and springs,” said Todd Lindley, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service in Norman. “So, it's something we're always keeping an eye on.”

Still, this year’s La Niña will likely have less of a sway over weather patterns because of its delayed development, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The federal scientists suggest the globe’s unusually warm oceans may have slowed its formation.

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Video: Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard

On Friday, April 24, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:

“Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard”

The Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or advanced biofuels. Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS is implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This webinar provides an overview of the legal authority and structure for the RFS program and explain how it works, including the program’s system of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and categories of renewable fuels. Additionally, this webinar addresses EPA annual volume requirement rulemaking and associated recent legal issues.