** In remarks on Tuesday, President Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden would visit devastated Maui “as soon as we can,” before he pivoted to prepared remarks about the Inflation Reduction Act on a preplanned trip to Wisconsin to tout his economic accomplishments.
** A Hawaiian couple sued the state’s electric utility this weekend, alleging Hawaiian Electric contributed to devastating wildfires on Maui by failing to shut off power to power lines during a high-wind watch.
** Federal officials announced Tuesday they would ease up on Colorado River usage cutbacks in 2024, thanks to an unusually wet winter combined with systemwide conservation measures.
** The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. is $3.85. That’s up nearly 30 cents from a month ago.
** In a bid to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), the White House is spearheading a multi-billion-dollar initiative that now also threatens to disrupt President Joe Biden’s pro-labor platform ahead of his 2024 reelection bid. The administration’s plan, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and curbing the reliance on traditional gas-powered vehicles, has caused concerns among American auto workers.
** Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration endorses a plan that would require utilities to produce 100% of electricity from carbon-free sources by 2035, which Democrats will likely consider this fall.
** Illinois will launch another round of electric vehicle rebates offering $4,000 per car or truck and $1,500 for a motorcycle after the first program ran out of money.
** The Surface Transportation Board has denied a request from BNSF to halt part of an order that compels the railway to ship coal from Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s (NTEC) mine in Montana to the Pacific Northwest for export.
World
** Negotiators and officials representing Venezuela are opposing a court-ordered auction of shares in a parent of oil refiner Citgo Petroleum to pay creditors claiming more than $10 billion from expropriations and debt defaults.
** European natural gas futures spiked for the second time in less than a week, with market tensions running high over the possibility of strikes in Australia that could severely tighten the global market.
** Mainstream European tanker owners have largely abandoned the Russian trade now that the country’s crude and diesel have breached Western price caps. The so-called “shadow” fleet — tankers operating outside Western insurance and financial circles — has taken over.
** Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras will raise gasoline and diesel prices at its refineries, it said on Tuesday, after an “abrupt” increase in global oil prices in recent weeks.
** German conglomerate Siemens said on Tuesday it will start producing solar energy equipment in the United States in 2024 through a contract manufacturer in Wisconsin.
