** The U.S. Commerce Department has seized control of a $7.4 billion semiconductor research fund from the National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology (NATCAST), a private non-profit set up during the Biden administration, as per Reuters. Describing it as a “slushfund,” for ex-Biden admin officials, the Commerce Department promised greater oversight and accountability for where the funds are being spent, but didn’t provide any further detail.
** U.S. jet fuel consumption growth has slowed in 2025, following a period of rapid consumption growth after 2020, as U.S. air travel recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. The EIA forecasts the slowdown in jet fuel consumption growth will continue through 2026, falling below both the accelerated rate of the previous four years and the longer-term growth rate seen during the 2010s.
** A law firm representing offshore wind opponents demands that a Brown University lab retract its research showing links between fossil fuel interests and wind industry disinformation.
** The U.S. EPA proposes denying California’s inspection and maintenance requirement, which require vehicle emissions testing, as they apply to out-of-state and out-of-country vehicles.
** Utah’s Office of Energy Development, land developer Flagship Companies, and TerraPower announce they’re looking for a potential reactor and energy storage site in the state.
** President Trump said Tuesday that Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is planning to spend $50 billion on its massive new data center in Louisiana – an eye-popping figure that’s far bigger than what was previously announced. Trump expressed shock at the size and cost of the project – which will be used to support Meta’s energy-guzzling artificial intelligence systems – during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
World
** Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta is considering a financial investment in Japan’s refining sector, two sources familiar with the matter said, an attempt to reduce its overwhelming dependence on top trade partner the United States for oil exports.
** Gas stations have run dry in some regions of Russia after Ukrainian drones struck refineries and other oil infrastructure in recent weeks, with motorists waiting in long lines and officials resorting to rationing or cutting off sales altogether.
** India saved billions of dollars by stepping up imports of discounted Russian oil in the wake of the war in Ukraine, but punitive tariffs imposed by the U.S. that came into effect on Wednesday will quickly undo the gains, with no easy solutions in sight.
