** Three Bechtel construction workers died April 29 in an incident involving a concrete scaffolding at Sempra Energy’s Port Arthur LNG construction site, Bechtel confirmed in an announcement posted Tuesday.
** Major automakers want Congress to bar California’s landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 that has been adopted by 11 other states, warning the rules could begin impacting vehicle shipments in a few months. The U.S. House of Representatives will vote later this week on legislation to repeal a waiver granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under former President Joe Biden.
** The Trump administration on Monday issued an emergency waiver to allow the sale of a higher-ethanol gasoline blend to be sold this summer nationwide, saying it will add to fuel supply during the peak U.S. driving season and bring down costs.
** The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that an agreement has been signed that will allow Poland to construct its first AP1000 nuclear power plant.
** Vietnamese manufacturer Boviet Solar opens a $294 million solar panel factory in North Carolina.
** Texas regulators approve the state grid operator’s $33 billion plan to build a new 765,000-volt transmission backbone to the Permian Basin that will carry more than twice the power of current lines.
** New York announces plans to build the world’s largest solar array on top of a wastewater recovery facility, including 10 MW of solar panels and 10 MW of battery storage.
** A group of northeastern utilities ask federal regulators to improve gas pipeline reliability by taking steps such as requiring annual reliability reports and requiring pipeline owners to reconsider closing pipelines that might still provide value as redundant facilities.
World
** Millions were left powerless in Spain, Portugal and France on April 28 after what officials called an “induced atmospheric vibration,” or a rare phenomenon where weather changes affect power lines. The outage was centered in Spain, where the lack of power caused widespread chaos.
** The Turkish government is attempting to enact a climate bill that would address net-zero goals in the country, but the proposal has drawn ire from critics. Turkey’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, originally submitted a climate change bill to the country’s parliament in February.
** Toyota Motor said it is exploring the possibility of investing in a potential buyout of key parts supplier Toyota Industries – a buyout that reportedly could cost $42 billion.
** A Coalition government would find new ways to make drivers of electric vehicles pay to use Australian roads, the opposition’s transport spokesperson says, but details won’t be revealed until after Saturday’s election.
** Tankers are lining up near an old oil port at Venezuela’s Western region to load crude cargoes and depart from the South American country before a May 27 deadline set by the U.S. to wind down operations and exports, according to documents and data.