** The Justice Department has sued eBay for the sale of “rolling coal” devices. “Rolling coal” is the act of revving a truck engine to blow and obnoxious cloud of gas. The DOJ alleged in court documents that eBay could face a fine of $5,580 for each of the 343,000 devices it sold.
** Gareth Joyce, the CEO and a board member of bankrupt California-based electric bus maker Proterra, continues to serve on a top White House council advising President Biden on trade policy even after his company filed for bankruptcy.
** More than 4,200 workers hustle to complete construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline before the end of the year, but still face frequent protests and hundreds of water crossings.
** Austin, Texas, officials try to close the city’s remaining coal-fired power plant to attain decarbonization goals, but have been delayed by legal, economic, technological and market obstacles.
** Louisiana has plugged nearly 500 of its roughly 4,500 abandoned oil and gas wells using federal money, although new requirements to calculate methane emissions reduced may complicate the process moving forward.
World
** Lithium giant Albemarle Corp. has walked away from its A$6.6 billion ($4.2 billion) takeover of Liontown Resources Ltd., after Australia’s richest woman built up a blocking minority and effectively scuppered one of the largest battery-metals deals to date.
** EU countries’ climate ministers meet this week to decide the bloc’s negotiating position for this year’s COP28 summit but they are still split over some key issues, such as how hard to push for a global deal to phase out fossil fuels.
** Shell Plc shares hit a record high as rising energy prices and the new CEO’s stronger focus on the core oil and gas business attracted investors. Shares of the company rose as high as 2,763 pence in London on Monday, marking a threefold increase from the pandemic-era low of 878.3 pence three years ago.
** European natural gas prices declined after rallying more than 40% last week, with traders weighing milder weather forecasts and international efforts to contain the conflict in the Middle East.
** Italian climate scientist Gianluca Grimulda was fired for refusing to take a commercial flight home from New Guinea. He contended a private flight would have emitted less CO2 than flying commercially.