** Mauritius has arrested the captain of a Japanese bulk carrier that ran aground off its coast, causing a devastating oil spill. The captain was arrested along with another crew member and they’ve been denied bail after a court hearing, police said on Tuesday (August 18).
** Houston-based -Waste Management, Inc. announced the declaration of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.545 per share payable Sept. 18, 2020 to stockholders of record on Sept. 4, 2020.
** Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is among the parties seeking to halt payments to firms that may have ties to an alleged bribery scheme to bail out nuclear plants, saying the company “may not have entered into the bankruptcy with clean hands.”
** Officials with four influential Iowa agriculture groups urge President Trump to fully support the federal Renewable Fuel Standard or risk political consequences.
** A group of environmental organizations sues TVA over its long-term contracts, claiming they prevent local utilities from leaving and place a “harsh cap” on their ability to use renewable power from non-TVA sources.
** A study finds that pregnant, Latina women exposed to natural gas flaring in South Texas are more likely than white women to give birth prematurely.
** The federal government taps an Arizona dam for extra power generating capacity for California, the first time in almost 20 years.
** The proposed $10 billion Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas project in Oregon is in limbo due to a FERC dispute over an endangered species.
** Coloradoans continue to be divided over Gov. Jared Polis’ deal to keep oil and gas measures off of November’s ballot.
** Environmental lawyers say the BLM was lax in conducting reviews needed to proceed with opening up drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and ignored key requirements established by Congress.
** Xcel Energy and the City of Boulder release slightly revised franchise, settlement, and partnership agreements addressing concerns raised by the community.
** A U.N.-backed coalition of investors is urging its members to press Congress and U.S. regulators to take more aggressive climate action.
** Dominion Energy Virginia, a unit of Dominion Energy, charged customers in the state $502 million more than legally allowed by state regulators over the three-year period from 2017 and 2019, according to a report from the Virginia State Corporation Commission released Tuesday.
** U.S. House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has “finished his quarantine and went home to be with his family,” according to a spokesman. He continues to report “no symptoms” from his Covid-19 diagnosis and on Tuesday tweeted a picture of an appearance at an event in Tucson concerning the U.S. Postal Service.
** Several conservation groups on Tuesday sued EPA over its March Covid-19 enforcement guidance that eased certain pollution monitoring and reporting requirements, alleging that the policy shift violated the Endangered Species Act because the agency did not first consult the Fish and Wildlife Service.
