** A judge has dismissed New York City’s lawsuit seeking to hold Exxon Mobil, BP and Shell liable for misleading the public about their products, and their commitment to renewable energy and fighting climate change. State Supreme Court Justice Anar Patel said the city could not claim its climate-conscious residents were sensitive to how fossil fuels cause climate change, only to then be duped by the oil companies’ failure to disclose how their fossil fuel products contributed to it.
** Some Iowa biodiesel plants have at least temporarily shut down after the Biden administration failed to finalize guidance on a new tax incentives program.
** A report finds California lost a net total of three light-duty hydrogen fueling stations last year, casting doubt on the state’s ability to meet targets.
** Despite touting investments in renewable energy, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway owns 12 of the dirtiest coal plants in the country, including in Nebraska and Iowa, an analysis of federal emissions data finds.
** Some Iowa biodiesel plants have at least temporarily shut down after the Biden administration failed to finalize guidance on a new tax incentives program.
** The fires in Los Angeles added another concern for EV owners and those thinking of buying an electric vehicle…power outages.
** Bill Gates-backed nuclear energy firm Terrapower announced that it has received approval from the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council (ISC) on its permit for the first Natrium plant, Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1.
World
** Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday that his country had stopped the crew of a Russia-linked oil tanker just minutes before it caused catastrophic damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. “Had it continued for another 12 minutes, the carnage would have been much worse than the four basic cables that were there,” Stubb told reporters at this week’s Baltic-focused NATO summit in Helsinki.
** The Czech Republic has boosted its energy security by completing a project to finish the country’s dependence on oil delivery from Russia, the government said on Tuesday. The Czech Republic previously received about half of its oil, or 4 million metric tons, through the Druhzba pipeline from Russia.
** Nearly 500,000 metric tons of Russian oil products are trapped on tankers hit by U.S. sanctions, LSEG data showed on Wednesday. On Jan. 10, new Russia-related sanctions targeted more than 180 vessels and insurance companies, adding to the impact of similar restrictions imposed by United Kingdom and Europe Union.
** A stricken tanker loaded with suspected Russian oil that lost the ability to manoeuvre off the German coast last week has been ordered to remain in German waters while the incident is investigated, authorities said on Wednesday.
** Volkswagen’s deliveries fell last year, the German carmaker said Tuesday, underlining fierce Chinese competition and faltering demand for electric vehicles. The 10-brand group, which includes Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini, sold 9.03 million vehicles last year, down 2.3 percent from 2023.
** Beijing on Wednesday said it “firmly opposes” a US move to effectively bar Chinese technology from smart cars in the American market, saying alleged risks to national security were “without any factual basis”.
** Amid an energy crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran has banned the advertisement of cryptocurrency mining machines. The “unlawful operations” of miners have impacted the country’s electric grid, which has been subject to brownouts and blackouts in recent months, TVC News reported in December.