** One of the government’s first non-binary officials has been charged with stealing a woman’s designer suitcase from the baggage claim at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport in September, the New York Post reported. Sam Brinton, the deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, initially denied taking the Vera Bradley luggage, reportedly worth $2,325, according to court filings.
** The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee tied on the frequently postponed nomination of a key Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official Tuesday, sending the nomination to the Senate floor. Joseph Goffman was nominated to serve in the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.
** Halliburton Company announced a successful installation of the industry’s first single trip, electro-hydraulic wet connect in deepwater for Petrobras in Brazil – a significant achievement in downhole electric completion technology. The Halliburton Fuzion® EH electro-hydraulic downhole wet-mate connector helps increase well recovery factors by maintaining integrity of Halliburton’s SmartWell® completion systems throughout the well’s lifecycle.
** National laboratory researchers are testing “deployable wind” turbines that fit in 20-foot shipping containers, letting them be quickly sent to and assembled at disaster areas.
** Dozens of environmental, public health and tribal groups ask federal regulators to delay action on carbon pipeline permits and halt construction as new safety guidelines are established.
** The Justice Department will appoint a third-party manager as part of its oversight of Jackson, Miss., following the city’s water crisis earlier in the year. The manager, who has not been named, would be responsible for stabilizing the drinking water system for the city, which saw its second crisis in as many years this August.
** Thousands of shipping containers filled with solar panels are sitting idle at American ports — detained by U.S. Customs over human rights concerns, The Wall Street Journal reported. Around 4,000 containers containing a gigawatt worth of panels have likely been stuck at U.S. ports since June, the Journal reported, citing the Solar Energy Industries Association.
World
** Germany has formally decided to abandon an international energy accord that fossil fuel companies had used to oppose measures against climate change, the country’s energy minister said Wednesday.
** Qatar is to supply liquefied natural gas to Germany under a 15-year deal signed Tuesday as the European economic powerhouse scrambles to replace Russian gas supplies that have been cut during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
** The OPEC+ decision to hold its Dec. 4 meeting virtually signals little likelihood of a policy change, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, as the group assesses the impact of the looming Russian oil-price cap on the market.
** India’s power grid has been more resilient over the past weeks than it was at the same time last year when a coal shortage led to widespread blackouts. Part of the reason for the enhanced resilience was the surging renewable capacity which has reduced the stress on coal-fired generators, which continue to provide around 70% of India’s electricity.
** Inflation in Europe has eased for the first time in more than a year as energy prices drifted down from painful highs, but the double-digit rate still hovers near a record that has robbed consumers of their spending power and led economists to predict a recession.
** The European Union’s plan to cap the price of Russian seaborne crude oil has stalled just days before the measure is due to come in, thanks to Poland and other countries digging in their heels on the proposed level.
