Energy news in brief

** The U.S. has gone to court in an attempt to seize 2 million barrels of oil that it claims came from Iran. The Department of Justice filed a case in a U.S. district court, seeking to seize the cargo on the Greek-owned Achilleas tanker, according to a statement on Tuesday.

** U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has started discussions with the utility and automobile sectors about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, White House domestic climate change adviser Gina McCarthy told Reuters.

** Marathon Petroleum came out with a quarterly loss of $0.94 which compares to earnings of $1.56 per share a year ago. The company posted revenues of $18.19 billion for the quarter, down from the $31.38 billion a year earlier.

** Exxon Mobil pledges to spend $3 billion by 2025 to reduce carbon emissions, but its reliance on unproven carbon capture technology disappoints investors who hoped for a more meaningful strategic shift.

** -Halliburton Company announced it was awarded a contract from Kuwait Oil Company  to collaborate on their digital transformation journey through the maintenance and expansion of digital solutions for their North Kuwait asset. It will allow KOC to accelerate their data-to-decisions cycle by designing and operating digital twins of the field to automate work processes, supported by DecisionSpace® 365, a cloud-based subscription service for E&P applications.

** Alliant Energy plans to close Wisconsin’s second-largest coal plant by 2025, which utility officials say will save $250 million in maintenance and upgrade costs according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

** A North Dakota lawmaker proposes legislation that would impose a tax on wind projects to help support in-state coal plants reported the Bismarck Tribune.

** The Hill reports the Biden administration seeks to pause litigation on whether California can set its own vehicle emissions standards; and a group representing major automakers including Toyota and Hyundai has withdrawn from the challenge.

** Newly-introduced legislation in Wyoming would impose a $1 tax on each megawatt hour of electricity produced from larger solar energy facilities reported the Casper Star-Tribune.