** Mexico City voted to ban plastic bags from the capital’s shops starting last January, with a broadened restriction on other types of single-use plastics effective January 1, 2021. On January 1, Mexico City’s environmental secretary said via Twitter that “from today on Mexico City [is] without single-use plastics.”
** The Environmental Protection Agency has completed one of its last major rollbacks under the Trump administration, changing how it considers evidence of harm from pollutants in a way that opponents say could cripple future public-health regulation.
** Members of the OPEC oil cartel and allied countries including Russia on Monday adjourned a meeting weighing whether to increase production further next month as the pandemic continues to sap demand for energy and create uncertainty about when recovery might come.
** Southwestern Energy Company based in Spring, Texas announced that Julian Bott, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, passed away unexpectedly on January 3, 2021 after experiencing a sudden non-COVID related medical condition.
** EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is poised to finalize a controversial rule limiting the types of scientific studies EPA can rely on — fulfilling a years-long goal for industry groups in the waning days of the Trump administration.
** Pioneer Natural Resources Company announced that Chief Executive Officer Scott Sheffield, will participate in a panel discussion at Goldman Sachs Global Energy Conference on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time.
** Halliburton Company named Van H. Beckwith executive vice president, secretary and chief legal officer. Beckwith succeeds Robb Voyles who is stepping down after seven years with the Company. With this new role, Beckwith joins the Halliburton Executive Committee and assumes leadership of the Company’s Law Department, Global Communications & Marketing and Government Affairs.
** The outgoing Trump administration extends five natural gas export licenses for terminals in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas through 2050 according to the Natural Gas Intelligence.
** The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported West Virginia’s coal, oil and natural gas severance taxes fell far short of projections last month and were down 62% from December 2019.
** Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Kristine Svinicki will end her 14-year run at the commission on Jan. 20, the agency said Monday . Svinicki, a Republican, is the longest-serving member of the NRC, according to her statement reported POLITICO.
