Energy news in brief

** President-elect Biden’s pledge to halt new drilling on public lands will face numerous obstacles, including resistance from some Democratic governors reported the Washington Post.

** ConocoPhillips is planning to restart some drilling operations on the North Slope next year according to Alaska Public Media.

** Environmental activist Erin Brockovich slammed president-elect Joe Biden on Thursday for choosing Michael McCabe, a former DuPont consultant, to join his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) transition team.

** Pennsylvania legislators send a bill to Gov. Tom Wolf that would relax environmental standards for conventional oil and gas drillers reported StateImpact Pennsylvania.

** A western Virginia judge finds two tree-sitters in contempt of court and fines them $500 per day for as long as they continue to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline reported the Roanoke Times.

** A lease sale for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico this week attracts more bidders than in March, but remains well below 2019 figures amid an industry slump according to Houma Today.

** The New Orleans Advocate reported a liquid natural gas firm delays its decision on whether to build an $8.5 billion export terminal in Louisiana until mid-2021.

** The Energy News Network reported that as prices continue to fall, Xcel Energy issues bill credits to customers who volunteered to pay extra to support wind energy.

** General Motors plans to bring 30 new all-electric vehicle models to market by 2025 according to the Detroit Free Press.

** The Chicago Sun-Times reported three companies will pay $370,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Illinois after the botched demolition of a former coal plant released a dust plume in Chicago’s Little Village earlier this year. 

** Offshore oil companies are buying up leases in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico as they expect to face new regulations under the incoming Biden presidency reported the Houston Chronicle.

** The Department of the Interior issued a proposal to loosen Obama-era safety regulations for the oil industry’s operation in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska, a region that at present has no active drilling operations according to the Morning Consult.

** The San Francisco Chronicle reports data shows the majority of electric vehicle buyers in California are white or Asian men, and advocates say overcoming the “Silicon Valley dudes” perception will be key to more widespread adoption.

**  The bipartisan duo of Reps. John Curtis and Dean Phillips announced legislation on Thursday that would make it easier to export recycled parts to wind turbines overseas reported POLITICO.