** President Donald Trump said Monday that he has spoken to U.S. oil companies about what happens after regime change in Venezuela. At a Mar-a-Lago press conference Monday to announce a new “Trump Class” of battleships, a reporter asked, if Trump had spoken to American oil companies “that have had their assets seized about what a post-Maduro regime would mean for them?” “Yeah, I have. All the big ones, yeah,” Trump answered before moving on to the next question.
** Analysts say the administration’s offshore wind stoppage is a bad choice as it looks to counter rising energy prices, as these projects could’ve delivered much-needed power to the grid.
** Google parent company Alphabet will acquire data center and power infrastructure firm Intersect Power in a $4.75 billion deal.
** Mercedes-Benz USA and its parent company will pay $149.6 million to settle allegations that the company modified its cars to pass state emissions tests even though the vehicles far exceeded legal limits for nitrogen oxides.
** Indiana is hoping to lead the charge with a new revolutionary nuclear energy plant that aims to reuse its own nuclear waste and develop sustainable nuclear technology. In a press release, startup First American Nuclear (FANCO) announced plans to host the first U.S. “closed-fuel cycle” nuclear energy park in the state. The park will reprocess and reuse spent nuclear fuel on-site in a process designed to eliminate “97% of long-lasting nuclear waste.”
** Wyoming’s attorney general is appealing a Converse County District Court judge’s decision to reverse the state government’s approval of the Pronghorn H2 wind project. The crux of the case is whether the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners’ rules can authorize the lease of a 267-wind-turbine project planned for about 15,500 acres of state trust lands in the northern Laramie Range mountains.
World
** Oil tankers are diverting from their route to Venezuela; some are sitting idle at ports instead of setting off for Asia; discounts on Venezuelan crude are deepening; and PDVSA may soon start shutting down wells for lack of storage space. President Trump’s military campaign against Venezuela is threatening an $8-billion market.
** Iran is being choked by deadly air pollution, another consequence of one of the worst droughts in decades. Tehran has for several weeks been one of the most polluted cities in the world, according to air quality monitors. The pollution has forced schools and offices to close, and it had dire consequences for human health. In recent weeks, more than 350 deaths have been linked to pollution.