** The Department of the Interior is launching a full review of offshore wind energy regulations to ensure alignment with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and America’s energy priorities under President Donald J. Trump.
** Private equity firm Blackstone has agreed to acquire Enverus, an energy data and analytics provider. Blackstone is acquiring Enverus from owners Hellman & Friedman and Genstar Capital, the company announced Aug. 6.
** The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway — at 840 miles the largest independent regional railroad in the U.S. — is being acquired by FTAI Infrastructure in a billion-dollar deal, the companies announced today. FTAI ( NYSE: FIP), which owns short line and terminal switching operator Transtar, will pay The Wheeling Corp. $1.05 billion to acquire the regional railroad created from lines that Norfolk Southern spun off in 1990.
** Washington state regulators fine HF Sinclair and Tesoro a total of $2.7 million for violating dangerous waste laws by storing sulfuric acid and spilling oily wastewater.
** Peabody Energy reports its Powder River Basin coal mines’ profits increased during the first half of the year as overall company revenues fell.
** Xcel Energy officials say they are “prepared to go to court” in September to fend off allegations the utility’s equipment sparked the destructive 2021 Marshall Fire near Boulder, Colorado.
** A Hawaii shipping company halts EV deliveries to the state, citing lithium-ion batteries’ fire risks.
** The Trump administration fast-tracks federal permitting for the Sweetwater in-situ uranium extraction project in southwestern Wyoming.
** The Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management and in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, has completed the environmental review for a major Utah coal project, marking the first expedited coal leasing action under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
World
** Renewables generated more than half of the UK’s power for the first time in 2024 in a new record high for clean electricity sources. Official figures show wind, solar, hydro and biomass generated 50.4% of UK power last year, up from 46.5% in 2023, due to record high levels of wind and bioenergy power.
** Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara Energy has exported its first gasoline cargo since the privately-owned company was sanctioned by the European Union on July 18, according to four shipping sources and LSEG data.
** BP has said it “can and will do better” to develop and monetise its oil and gas production as the energy giant continues to shift away from renewables and back to fossil fuels. Chief executive Murray Auchincloss said the UK-based firm would review how it manages its oil and gas assets and will consider cost cutting plans to boost returns for shareholders.
** In early July, Germany’s economy ministry proposed a draft law that would prioritize geothermal energy projects over fossil fuels, according to Reuters. If passed, it would streamline the approval process for building geothermal facilities and other geothermal-powered appliances, such as heat pumps and heating pipelines, as well as ease restrictions. The ministry hopes to pass this law by early 2026.
** Tesla sales plunged in Europe’s two biggest car markets over the past year, while low-cost Chinese rival BYD continued to race ahead — marking what industry watchers are calling a fundamental shift in the electric vehicle landscape. Elon Musk’s pioneering EV company registered just 1,110 new vehicles in Germany last month, a 55% year-over-year drop in its largest European market, according to data released Tuesday.