** President Donald Trump said on Thursday that larger tariffs could be placed on the European Union and Canada if they both work together “to do economic harm to the USA.” On Wednesday, Trump unveiled a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, expanding a global trade war and prompting criticism and threats of retaliation from affected U.S. allies.
** Global auto stocks tumbled and governments from Ottawa to Berlin threatened retaliation after US President Donald Trump unveiled a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, expanding a trade war and testing strained ties with allies. The new levies take effect on April 3.
** The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, will soon be much quieter and cleaner, as officials banned the residential use of gas-powered leaf blowers and will require users to switch to battery or electric-powered blowers.
** The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission approved Civitas’ plan to drill 26 wells, which would extend 5 miles underneath Erie from a 19-acre location in Weld County just outside city limits.
** Democratic House Science Committee Members sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Zeldin demanding that he cease any plans to weaken or shutter EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD).
** Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is part of a coalition that wants a court to force the Trump administration to unfreeze “essential” funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Office of the Attorney General says the Trump administration is defying “multiple court orders” by withholding millions of dollars in FEMA grants to states.
** The CEO of Appalachia’s biggest natural gas producer says more pipelines are coming as data centers expand and coal plants retire. EQT chief Toby Rice took part in a presentation by natural gas industry leaders at the state Capitol Wednesday, briefly joined by Gov. Patrick Morrisey.
World
** Hundreds of Canadian workers, many in the steel and aluminum sectors, have been laid off as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a major union and companies.
** India’s Maharashtra state has withdrawn a proposal for a 6% sales tax on electric vehicles priced above $35,000 to encourage adoption at a time when EV sales are still nascent in the country – the world’s third-largest auto market.
** India’s top carmaker Maruti Suzuki will invest 74.1 billion rupees (nearly $864 million) to set up a third plant at an existing facility in the northern state of Haryana. The plant will take the capacity in the facility to 750,000 vehicles per year by 2029, the carmaker said on Wednesday.
** In a pioneering initiative, Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has joined forces with Energetica Suape II S.A., a Brazilian energy company majority owned by Grupo Econômico 4M, to trial an innovative clean energy solution. This collaboration aims to demonstrate the viability of using ethanol, primarily produced from sugarcane, for large-scale electricity generation.
** The global heads of automakers BMW and Mercedes, as well as chip giant Qualcomm, are among foreign business leaders due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, sources said.