** A Terrebonne Bay oil spill on the first day of Louisiana’s inshore shrimp season has taken a toll on some local fishermen, who say they received no warning of the incident until many hours after it occurred and as a result ended up with fouled nets and oiled boats.
** Berkshire Hathaway Energy is set to acquire three Montana wind power facilities totaling 399 MW.
** California environmentalists butt heads with Gov. Gavin Newsom — and some climate advocates — over a proposal to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant running beyond its planned 2025 retirement date.
** The California Energy Commission voted on Wednesday to adopt the country’s most ambitious offshore wind development targets — the latest move in a statewide drive to accelerate the clean electricity transition. The targets involve the deployment of 3 gigawatts to 5 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 and 25 gigawatts by 2045,
** An oil tank platform on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast collapses and spills thousands of gallons of oil into the water.
** Chicago signs a $422 million agreement to power city buildings, street lights and other infrastructure entirely with renewable energy by 2025.
** The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects U.S. electricity consumption this year to increase 2.4% over 2021, resulting primarily from increased economic activity but also from hot summer weather throughout most of the country.
World
** The European Union said on Thursday it was “deeply concerned” about proposed tax credits for purchases of electric vehicles in the United States because they would be biased against foreign producers and may breach World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
** Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro did not mention privatizing state-controlled oil company Petrobras in his re-election plan released on Wednesday that promises to continue pursuing policies that reduce the size of the state.
** Germany’s Rhine River could fall below critical level after weeks of dry weather. The low water levels are threatening Germany’s industry as more and more ships are unable to traverse the key waterway.
** A closure of the Rhine River could disrupt the daily trade of hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil products, piling yet more pressure on Europe’s energy-supply chain.
** German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged his government won’t leave citizens freezing or unable to pay their energy bills but acknowledged Thursday that his country faces considerable challenges in the coming months.
** Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has withheld his initial approval of Exxon Mobil’s sale of local offshore shallow water assets to Seplat, his spokesman said on Thursday, after the oil regulator refused to give its consent.