** The U.S. State Department on Tuesday indicated that it would reimpose sanctions on Venezuelan oil without further election reforms.
** California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is committing to the removal or circumvention of several long-disputed dams in a bid to revive the state’s salmon.
** The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will compensate local and state governments for energy efficiency upgrades to school and hospital facilities in the wake of natural disasters, the agency announced Tuesday.
** Changes under consideration by a Washington state council for a huge wind farm just south of the Tri-Cities would make the project nonviable and could discourage other clean energy projects in the state, according to Scout Clean Energy.
** While automakers and suppliers are betting big on future demand for electric vehicles, a near-term global slowdown is causing pain, including bankruptcies, scrapped initial public offerings and production cuts.
** A coalition of business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a federal lawsuit against the State of California over its two recently-enacted laws forcing companies to disclose climate data.
World
** The manager of the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund pledged Tuesday to push major oil and gas companies to speed up preparations for the “inescapable” transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels while also twisting arms in U.S. boardrooms to take control of executive pay.
** The U.S. and European Union failed on Tuesday to reach a trade deal for critical battery minerals but are vowing to press ahead with talks to create a transtlantic marketplace for minerals and other components, the EU’s top trade official said on Tuesday.
** Canada-based crude pipeline operator Enbridge said on Tuesday it will reduce its workforce by 650 jobs, or 5%, in a bid to cut costs. Enbridge operates North America’s biggest oil pipeline network, the Mainline, which moves Canadian crude from Alberta to U.S. and eastern Canadian refineries, as well as the continent’s largest natural gas utility.
** Ecuador will start to gradually reduce its gasoline subsidy from the second quarter of this year, as well as work to improve the electrical grid and build a national refining system, President Daniel Noboa said on Tuesday.
** Farmers blocked more traffic arteries across Belgium, France and Italy on Wednesday, as they sought to disrupt trade at major ports and other economic lifelines. They also moved closer to Brussels on the eve of a major European Union summit, in a continued push for better prices for their produce and less bureaucracy in their work.