**Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Interior Appropriations Ranking Member David Joyce (OH-14) led 13 Members in sending a letter to U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Moore and Interior Secretary Haaland to demand an overdue report to Congress on 10-year contracting for aerial wildfire operators, as directed by the Fiscal Year 2021 Appropriations bill.
** The United Steelworkers union (USW) will conduct meetings this week to consider the next steps in talks for a new contract covering workers at U.S. refineries, chemical plants and oil pipelines, according to a text message to members on Wednesday seen by Reuters.
** Pennsylvania prosecutors this week filed a new criminal case against ETC Northeast Pipeline LLC, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Energy Transfer LP, alleging negligence led to an explosion of a pipeline near Pittsburgh.
** The White House and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday urged the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to reconsider its plan to buy a new multibillion-dollar fleet of primarily gasoline-powered delivery vehicles.
** Texas Gov. Greg Abbott returned to the Permian Basin this week where he picked up five endorsements from the state’s energy industry. The endorsements were announced during an event hosted by 3S Services in Midland.
** The U.S. EPA orders Alliant Energy to close down a coal ash storage site in Iowa that officials say is contaminating groundwater.
World
** The transition to electric vehicles will put around 73,000 jobs at risk in Italy, metal workers’ unions and a lobby group said on Thursday, calling on the government to start discussions on measures to support the automotive industry.
** Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil and gas company announced Thursday the discovery of between 1.5 to 2 trillion standard cubic feet of raw gas in an offshore area located in the emirate’s northwest.