** OPEC and allied nations agreed Sunday to raise the production limits imposed on five countries next year and boost their production by 2 million barrels per day by the end of this year, ending a dispute that roiled oil markets. ** A 15-square-mile donation from the Trust for Public Land increases the size of the Sabinoso Wilderness …
Category: EPA
Sen. Lankford claims EPA squeeze on aftermarket car part sellers hurts classic car industry
Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford is going after the Environmental Protection Agency over its raids on aftermarket auto part vendors accused of emissions violations standards. He says it’s hurting the classic car industry. Lankford is a member of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee and told the Washington Examiner he recently took an …
Lankford joins call for Biden to withdraw BLM nominee
Senator James Lankford joined all of the Republican members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to send a letter to President Biden calling on him to withdraw the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning to serve as director of the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. Lankford was joined in …
Energy news in brief
** Limetree Bay Refining LLC filed for bankruptcy on Monday seeking creditor protection after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency halted its operations earlier this year. The St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands-based refinery, said in a statement that it plans to use the court protection process in Houston to negotiate with creditors and equity holders and weigh …
US Energy Dept awards $12 million in funding to 13 tribal communities
At least 13 American Indian and Alaska Native communities received $12 million in funding this week from the U.S. Department of Energy to help them reduce energy costs and increase energy security. The selected projects will power their homes and communities, make their buildings more energy efficient, and install microgrids for essential services and resiliency – critical elements to reaching the Biden Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions …
Energy news in brief
** U.S. oil and gas mergers surged last quarter with the most $1 billion plus combinations since 2014, according to data released on Monday, as rising energy and share prices led to larger oilpatch deals. ** Dominion Energy Inc. and Berkshire Hathaway Energy, an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. announced they have agreed to terminate the sale …
EPA watchdog says two former Trump appointees defrauded the agency
A report by an internal watchdog of the Environmental Protection Agency contends two high-ranking Trump political appointments engaged in fraudulent payroll activities, including payments to employees after they were fired and to one official when he was absent from work. The report by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General claims it cost the agency …
Energy news in brief
** U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen signaled she’ll prod multilateral development banks to rein in their lending for fossil fuels, part of a global effort to make the financial system greener. ** Colonial Pipeline Co. could face daily fines of up to $200,000 per violation if it fails to improve the way it detects leaks in …
Energy news in brief
** Oil prices rose on Monday, driven higher after the OPEC+ group of producers again called off talks on output levels, failing in its third attempt to resolve a deadlock on increasing production, and leaving the oil market facing tight summer supplies and rising prices, Reuters, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported. ** The …
Court delivers strike against ethanol industry
Another significant blow against the ethanol industry was delivered Friday by a Federal appeals court which threw out a Trump-era Environmental Protection Agency rule change that allowed for the sale of a 15% ethanol gasoline blend in the summer months. The Associated Press reported most gasoline sold in the U.S. today is blended with …