** The Biden administration has issued more permits for oil and gas drilling on public land per month than the Trump administration did in its first three years, according to a new analysis of federal data. The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen found that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approved an average of 333 drilling permits per month since Biden took office earlier this year. By comparison, in 2017, Trump’s first year in office, BLM approved an average of 245 drilling permits per month.
** The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering making electric vehicle power generation eligible for renewable fuel credits when it unveils its 2023 biofuel blending mandates next year, a top official told Reuters on Tuesday.
** Chicago’s $188 million climate plan adopted last month includes an effort to plant 75,000 trees in neighborhoods populated by people of color and those disproportionately affected by climate change.
** Hawaii orders the U.S. Navy to suspend operations at its leak-plagued Red Hill fueling facility, install a water treatment system at a contaminated well and defuel the tanks within 30 days.
** Utah officials prepare to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Biden administration’s restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, which withdrew those lands from oil, gas and coal leasing.
** U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday pushes back on Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s criticism of the Biden administration’s efforts to boost adoption of electric vehicles.
** New England’s historic overreliance on fossil fuels to power its electricity grid may come to a head this winter in the form of rolling power outages if a prolonged cold spell hits, the grid operator said Monday.
** BP is acquiring Amply Power, a three-year-old tech startup that provides a suite of services for electric vehicle fleets.
** Tesla is the subject of an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission tied to a whistleblower complaint about the possible risk of fire associated with solar panel system defects, Reuters has learned exclusively.
** U.S. oil and gas producer ConocoPhillips will sell its stake in some of its Indonesian assets for $1.355 billion to domestic energy company MedcoEnergi, as it focuses on shale with two multi-billion dollar deals this year.
** General Motors opens a dealership in Los Angeles for its electric delivery and logistics company to help further commercialize its electric fleet vehicles.
World
** Venezuela is resurrecting its oil fields with backpacks of cash. State-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA has been pumping about 908,000 barrels a day in the past week, according to people familiar with the matter.
** European natural gas prices extended gains as one of the region’s biggest fields curbed output because of a fault. Shipments from Norway are expected to slump by nearly 13% on Wednesday after the Troll field suffered an unplanned outage, according to network operator Gassco AS.
** Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook signed an agreement with Chinese officials, estimated to be worth about $275 billion, to placate threats that would have hobbled its devices and services in the country, The Information reported on Tuesday.
** U.S. officials have told members of Congress they have an understanding with Germany about shutting down the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine, a senior congressional aide told Reuters on Tuesday.
