** A record 48 oil supertankers are making their way to the US, Bloomberg reported. US crude oil production and exports are booming, while OPEC+ countries have curbed oil supply. US oil exports hit 3.99 million barrels a day in the first half of 2023, according to the EIA.
** U.S. pipeline operator Kinder Morgan said on Monday it would acquire NextEra Energy Partners’ gas pipelines in South Texas for $1.82 billion. NextEra Energy Partners’ (NEP) Texas natural gas pipeline portfolio, STX Midstream, primarily consists of seven pipelines which provide natural gas to Mexico and power producers and municipalities in South Texas.
** Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the advancement of 15 new renewable energy projects in the western U.S. as the Biden administration seeks to tout its record on energy.
** The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will review a chemical used in tire production in response to a petition from three Native American tribes that cited its history of killing salmon.
** Congress appears unlikely to pass a new farm bill by the end of this year amid standoffs over Republicans’ push to extend subsidies to three specific Southern crops — at the potential cost of billions in both food aid and popular farm conservation programs.
** The top watchdog tasked with overseeing EPA faced accusations that he abused his authority, wasted government money and showed partisan favor. EPA Inspector General Sean O’Donnell denied the allegations, which an oversight body ultimately deemed not worthy of further investigation, according to documents obtained by E&E News.
World
** Global leaders this weekend struck a deal on the structure of a fund to compensate developing countries for the impacts of climate change. Leaders agreed to establish the “loss and damage” fund last year at the COP27 international climate summit. Before that, wealthier leaders had resisted the idea for years, and the 2022 agreement left many of the practical details unresolved.
** British leader Rishi Sunak’s plan to boost energy security by issuing new North Sea licences every year has been cast into doubt by claims Britain will be unable to handle the crude oil. Up to half of the oil produced in the North Sea will be incompatible with UK refineries by 2035, campaigners have warned.
** Polish power grid operator PSE has approved an emergency request from its Ukrainian counterpart Ukrenergo to purchase 900 MWh of surplus Ukrainian electricity generated from renewable sources, Ukrenergo reported on Nov. 6. This was the third instance where Ukrenergo had sought this kind of emergency support due to surplus generation.
** An official with South Africa’s government said the country will accelerate its development of natural gas-fired power generation as energy shortages continue to be a challenge for the nation’s economy.
** Climate activists took hammers to a famous painting in London on Monday while calling for the U.K. to stop new oil and gas projects in the country. Just Stop Oil attacked Diego Velázquez’s 17th-century painting “Rokeby Venus” with “safety hammers” on Monday as tourists viewed the artwork hanging in the National Gallery.