** Tankers carrying nearly two months worth of Venezuelan oil output are stuck at sea as global refiners shun the nation’s crude to avoid falling foul of U.S. sanctions, according to industry sources, PDVSA documents and shipping data. Washington is tightening sanctions to cut Venezuela’s oil exports and deprive the government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro of its main source of revenue.
** Two women who protested construction of a massive plastics and petrochemical complex in Louisiana last year are arrested for “terrorizing” an oil and gas lobbyist and face up to 15 years in prison.
** Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs a law that designates properties with oil and gas equipment as “critical infrastructure,” making trespassing a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison.
** Montana lawmakers expect the state’s tax revenue from oil and natural gas production to decrease 28% for fiscal year 2020.
** Seventeen percent—the projected decline in the price of residential solar systems by 2025, according to Wood Mackenzie. Utility scale solar costs are expected to fall 20 percent.
** A Michigan judge orders Enbridge to temporarily shut down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, citing a lack of disclosure following significant damage last week to one of the line’s anchor supports.
** Minnesota regulators uphold permits for Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline replacement and expansion after challenges from tribes, environmental groups and a state agency.
** Tractor Supply Company , the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, released its 2019 Environmental, Social and Governance Tear Sheet, which provides new and updated performance metrics and context related to the Company’s environmental sustainability efforts, commitment to Team Members and communities and corporate governance.
** Amazon is paying to rename a Seattle hockey venue “Climate Pledge Arena.”
** The Interior Department announces plans to open up 18 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to oil and gas leasing.
** After a two-year investigation, a Pennsylvania grand jury report says state environmental officials failed to protect residents from the health effects of fracking.
** Operations begin at a new 225 MW wind farm in Wyoming.
** A new study on how expensive it is to charge electric vehicles reveals that it costs more to charge in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee than it does to use gasoline.
** A group opposed to wind projects in western New York says rural areas are asked to pay the price for energy development that only benefits New York City.