** An oil tanker owned by a major U.S.-traded transportation company appears to be taking on Iranian crude oil in a key Asian maritime strait in violation of American sanctions, an advocacy group alleges. The firm allegedly involved, Euronav, said Wednesday it will “take appropriate action when necessary.”
** North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has signed a bill allowing the State Water Commission to enter into agreements with tribal nations, who would be eligible for the state Department of Water Resources’ Cost-Share Program for state funding for projects such as water supplies and flood protection.
** California lawmakers pass a bill authorizing regulators to penalize oil companies for price gouging and requiring pricing information disclosure.
** A Colorado real estate developer withdraws a proposal to drill 11 oil and gas wells near a residential area after residents opposed it.
** An enormous swathe of the Gulf of Mexico, spanning an area the size of Italy, will be auctioned off for oil and gas drilling on Wednesday morning, in the latest blow to Joe Biden’s increasingly frayed reputation on dealing with the climate crisis.
** The amount of natural gas flowing to U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Freeport LNG’s export plant in Texas was on track to hit its highest on Wednesday since shutting in June 2022, according to data provider Refinitiv.
World
** Renewable energy investors who lost subsidies promised by Spain are heading to a London court to try to claw back $125 million from the government — a decadelong dispute with ramifications for clean energy financing across the European Union.
** European Union members formally approved a ban on the sale of new carbon dioxide (CO2)-emitting cars by 2035. What was meant to be a milestone legislation towards the decarbonization of the European car industry was watered down by Germany to provide an exemption for cars running on e-fuels.
** Russia’s Gazprom is increasing gas supplies to China and expects soon to reach the maximum planned level through a Siberian pipeline, its chairman said Wednesday, highlighting Beijing’s importance as his country’s top export market in the face of Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
