** The Biden administration announced Friday it’s purchasing 6 million more barrels of crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as it continues to slowly refill the emergency stockpile.
** California state air regulators and truck and engine manufacturers said on Thursday they had reached an agreement on state emissions rules that will give companies more flexibility to meet requirements.
** New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Thursday giving a tax break to Danish offshore wind developer Orsted for the first of two energy projects it plans in the waters off New Jersey. The governor, a Democrat, said the financial aid ensures that offshore wind projects and the jobs they create happen in New Jersey rather than in competing states.
** Enphase, the pioneering solar microinverter company, has begun its first U.S. manufacturing at a factory in West Columbia, South Carolina.
** Smoke from Canada’s wildfires was to blame for a power-equipment shutdown that briefly led to a grid emergency in New England Wednesday night, along with an accompanying surge for electricity prices.
** The United Auto Workers union on Friday called on the Biden administration to soften its proposed vehicle emissions cuts that would require 67% of new vehicles to be electric by 2032.
** US companies added almost half a million jobs in June, the most in over a year and underscoring the ongoing strength of the labor market. Private payrolls increased by 497,000 last month, marking the biggest advance since February 2022, according to figures published Thursday by the ADP Research Institute in collaboration with Stanford Digital Economy Lab.
World
** Petroleos Mexicanos said it lost production capacity for about 700,000 barrels of oil, more than a third of its daily output, after a massive platform explosion on Friday that left at least two people dead.
** US Climate Envoy John Kerry is heading to China for talks on global warming as tensions simmer between Washington and Beijing.
** Siemens Energy’s disclosure of quality issues in its newer wind turbine models has exposed broader challenges in a sector suffering from rushed development, soaring materials costs and a flawed market design. Siemens Energy shocked the wind sector in late June when it warned of faulty components and possible design faults in its onshore wind turbines
** As Germany looks to a future without fossil fuels, a big white boxy appliance is generating a lively debate — and often a heated one — for its potential to replace emissions-heavy oil and gas boilers. Heat pumps are spurring huge investments from major companies in Europe’s top economy, as a backlog of orders piles up for the devices.
** The president of this year’s United Nations’ climate talks urged the oil and gas industry Thursday to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by or before 2050 in a speech to oil producing states. Speaking at a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna, Sultan al-Jaber urged members to invest heavily in renewables and work toward reducing planet-warming emissions from third parties, such as those released by suppliers or customers.
** Iran has been selling more of its crude as Saudi Arabia and Russia dial back oil production. The nation sold 1.6 million barrels a day on average in May and June, notching a five-year record.
** Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been charged with disobeying police in Sweden last month during a port blockade. She could face up to six months in prison or a fine if convicted.
** Liquefied natural gas will play an “absolutely crucial role” in the world’s shift away from fossil fuels, says LNG Canada’s chief executive, as the company looks to put the country on the global map of LNG-exporting nations within the next two years.