** On Friday, 22 U.S. senators wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum warning him that the Trump administration’s effort to shrink the federal workforce could cripple the National Park Service (NPS) ahead of the busy summer season.
** Slowing US oil-production growth is casting a pall over projects intended to expand crude shipments to overseas markets, according to Chevron Corp. New terminal construction, a sure bet in the pre-Covid 19 era, is now plagued with uncertainty after exports of US crude in 2024 expanded at the slowest outside the pandemic years.
** LG Electronics USA is recalling half a million electric ranges that have been involved in at least 28 fires, resulting in numerous injuries and a few pet deaths. But instead of issuing a refund or replacement, the home appliance maker is sending customers warning label stickers.
** In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to allow Honolulu officials to proceed with a lawsuit against the dirty fuel industry for an alleged decades-long misinformation campaign. The decision comes almost five years after the city and county of Honolulu, as well as the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, sued Sunoco and Shell along with 15 other energy companies for infringements of state law.
** Michigan officials grant Ford an extension to meet investment and job creation targets for a $2.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in southern Michigan.
** North Dakota Senate lawmakers block a bill that would have removed 10-year property tax exemptions for carbon pipeline developers.
** North Dakota ranks ninth for the amount of power generated from wind energy, which doubled in capacity from 2015 and 2023.
World
** A heavily-laden Russian oil tanker ran aground in the Baltic Sea in northern Russia on Sunday, according to media reports. In the latest incident involving a Russian vessel, the Koala was carrying 130,000 tons of fuel oil, wrote the Russian-language Baza Telegram channel, which has close ties to the Russian security services.
** Tesla just took a hit in China, with January sales of its locally made EVs dropping 11.5% year-over-year to 63,238 units down a brutal 32.6% from December. The reason? A production shift. Tesla is rolling out a refreshed Model Y, its best-seller, and that transition is slowing down deliveries at its Shanghai Gigafactory.
** Nissan Motor Co. is back in the market for a new partner after rejecting Honda’s proposed merger terms. As the automaker struggles with declining profits and job cuts, Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn is reportedly renewing its interest in a potential deal.
** A tiny Canary Island is on track to become the first island to reach self-sufficiency after decades of harnessing its natural wind and water features. This milestone comes after El Hierro reached 100% self-sufficiency in electricity for nearly 25 days in 2019. Now, its 11,000 inhabitants have been completely self-sufficient in electricity for 10,000 hours.
** Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 79, this week amped up pressure for a major oil project to go ahead at the mouth of the Amazon River, despite criticism from environmentalists as the country prepares to host UN climate talks in November.
** Britain’s blackout prevention system has been dealt a blow after the billionaire known as the “Czech Sphinx” scaled back plans to build a new gas-fired power station in Yorkshire. EPH, controlled by Daniel Kretinsky, previously set out plans to spend more than £1bn on redeveloping Eggborough’s coal power station by building two combined cycle gas turbine plants there, along with new battery storage.