** North Dakota can continue to pursue reimbursement from the federal government of the millions of dollars spent policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline, a judge has ruled. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor on Tuesday denied the federal government’s motion to dismiss North Dakota’s attempt to recover more than $38 million from the monthslong pipeline protests five years ago.
** Enbridge Inc shut down its Line 5 oil pipeline for several hours on Tuesday after protesters trespassed onto a facility in Michigan and tampered with the pipeline, an Enbridge spokesman said on Wednesday.
** A Louisiana board places a 60-day moratorium on fracking operations at night within 3,000 feet of subdivisions after receiving noise complaints from residents.
** NOV Inc. announced the appointment of Robert Welborn to the company’s Board of Directors. Welborn is the Head of Programs Data Science, Small Business Group for Facebook, Inc. where he oversees the development of solutions used by over 140 million businesses around the world.
** Exxon Mobil Corp board is debating whether to continue with several major oil and gas projects amid a global push from investors for fossil fuel companies to be more cost-conscious and green-energy friendly, WSJ reported on Wednesday.
** The Biden administration is planning a move that could stymie the Twins Metals mining project in Minnesota long targeted by environmentalists. The administration is set to announce an environmental “review” period for the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, pausing all new mineral leases.
** Kinder Morgan Inc posted a 4.1% jump in adjusted profit for the third quarter on Wednesday, as a rebound in fuel demand from pandemic lows boosted the pipeline operator’s volumes.
** An ongoing push to ban natural gas appliances in California cites a university and environmental group report that used misleading science to help their argument, according to an industry report. The California Restaurant Association (CRA) released the results of a study that refutes much of an April 2020 report from the Sierra Club and UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health regarding the dangers of residential gas.
** Congress is eyeing 18-year-old tractor-trailer drivers as a response to the supply chain problems afflicting the country. The bipartisan infrastructure package that passed the Senate would create a pilot program to allow drivers as young as 18 to obtain commercial driver’s licenses and move goods across state lines.
** Tennessee lawmakers approve a nearly $900 million incentive package to secure a $5.6 billion investment by Ford Motor Company to build an electric vehicle and battery factory at a 4,200-acre, state-owned megasite.
** Valero Energy Corporation reported net income attributable to Valero stockholders of $463 million, or $1.13 per share, for the third quarter of 2021, compared to a net loss of $464 million, or $1.14 per share, for the third quarter of 2020.
** Loyola University in Chicago announces plans to divest its financial holdings in fossil fuel companies.
WORLD
** New Zealand passed a “world-first” law requiring financial institutions to disclose and act on climate change impacts concerning their businesses, officials announced Thursday.
** China’s coal futures fell 8% to their downward limit in night trading on Tuesday as the state planner said it was looking at ways to intervene and bring record high prices of the fuel back down to a “reasonable range”.
