** Crude oil production in the United States could reach 12.6 million barrels daily next year, which would be a record high on an annual-average basis, the Energy Information Administration said in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook.
** U.S. Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) is wasting no time in getting its new minimill in Osceola, Arkansas, up and running. On Wednesday, U.S. Steel announced that it has officially broken ground on the new minimill. Together, the two minimills will form one mega mill known as the Big River Steel Works.
** U.S. climate envoy John Kerry arrived this week in Mexico for talks amid high tensions over Mexico’s plan to favor its state-owned electricity company and limit private and foreign firms that have invested in renewable energy.
** West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Tuesday signed a bill eliminating the state’s ban on nuclear power plants but cautioned against jumping in to diversify the coal-dependent state’s energy offerings.
** Kansas representatives deflected concerns Tuesday about the secrecy surrounding a bill wooing an unnamed company expected to invest billions of dollars in the state, sending the measure back to the Senate with their stamp of approval.
** Alarmed by damage caused by a major oil spill off the Huntington Beach coast in October, an Orange County legislator on Wednesday introduced a bill to end offshore oil production from rigs in California-controlled waters by 2024, a proposal sure to face fierce opposition and potential legal challenges from the petroleum industry.
World
** Global supplies of diesel are dwindling as refiners struggle to keep pace with rapid post-pandemic demand recovery, exacerbating an acute global energy shortage which has already sent the prices of gas, coal and crude oil soaring.
** The United Arab Emirates announced it has expanded its strategic oil hub to counter growing threats from Iran.
** Danish pension scheme AkademikerPension said on Thursday it planned to sell more than $300 million of corporate debt from oil and gas companies as part of efforts to make its investment portfolio more climate-friendly.
