** The rig count in the oil-rich nation of Venezuela has fallen to zero after drilling rig operator Nabors pulled its last rig from service as oil major Chevron halted its drilling program in the troubled South American nation.
** Kinder Morgan stock has lost a third of its market value so far this year, but Executive Chairman Richard Kinder scooped up more shares of the energy-pipeline company that he co-founded. Richard Kinder paid $4.2 million on July 28 for 300,000 Kinder Morgan shares, an average per-share price of $14.14 each. He now owns 244.8 million shares in a personal account, and an additional 11.8 million shares through a limited partnership, according to a form Richard Kinder filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
** BP plc said Tuesday it plans to slash dividends as the global oil company prepares for declining sales of fossil fuels by boosting investment in alternative energy projects.London-based BP said it will increase spending on low-carbon technology, including renewable energy projects, 10-fold to $5 billion a year over the next decade.
** A Wyoming federal judge extends Blackjewel’s bankruptcy case through the end of the year, giving the West Virginia-based coal operator 60 additional days to file a reorganization plan.
** New data shows Q2 Powder River Basin coal production in Wyoming decreased 21.5% from the previous quarter and 31.1% from last year.
** The NAACP opposes William Perry Pendley leading the BLM, saying the nominee is a “bigoted and divisive extremist.”
** Denver’s city council approves a 0.25% sales tax increase which, if approved by voters, would be dedicated to the city’s renewable energy goals.
** The bankrupt owners of a 110-MW Nevada solar energy farm that was plagued by technical and performance issues are hoping to have it fully functional by the end of the year.
** President Donald Trump on Monday fired a pair of board members and called for axing the CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest federally owned electric utility, contending during remarks at the White House that the executive is overpaid, while also criticizing TVA for outsourcing IT jobs overseas.
** The House Natural Resources Committee will continue its work while its chair, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), is in quarantine with Covid-19, according to a spokesperson.
** The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund announced its endorsement of MJ Hegar in her bid to unseat Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). Polling has shown Cornyn with a distinct advantage in the race, but Trump and Biden locked in a neck-and-neck battle.
** The CEO of Puerto Rico’s state-owned power company is resigning as thousands of clients remain without electricity since last week’s tropical storm that further weakened a grid still trying to recover from previous hurricanes and earthquakes, officials said Monday.
** Worried about loose rules amid a surge in the coronavirus crisis, Democrats have urged the National Park Service to stop or slow the reopening of facilities, citing concerns about the safety of employees, visitors, and neighboring communities. That is, except one: California Rep. TJ Cox, whose Fresno district is close to Yosemite National Park.
** Electric truck startup Lordstown Motors will become a publicly traded company in a deal that will boost its valuation to $1.6 billion and includes a $75 million investment from General Motors.
** Forty-one states cut their carbon emissions from 2005-2017 even as their economies grew, according to a World Resources Institute report.
** Berkshire Hathaway proposes a scaled back expansion of a natural gas pipeline through Minnesota.