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US Judge rules that Trump administration illegally suspended EV charging infrastructure program
A federal judge ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump's administration illegally suspended funding to support the expansion?electric vehicle charger infrastructure. This was a win for the 20 Democratic-led state who sued the Trump administration over this action. U.S. District Court Judge Tana Lin ruled in Seattle in favor of the District of Columbia and 20 states that had filed their suit after the U.S. Department of Transportation suspended in February an EV charging infrastructure program enacted in 2021 by Congress under a Democrat President Joe Biden. Lin, a Biden-appointed official, stated that the DOT and Federal Highway Administration had "yanked out the NEVI Formula Program?cord from the outlet" without following the statutory requirements of administrative law. Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club praised the ruling. They said it allowed states to move forward in building infrastructure that is funded by law. Lin's order prevents the Transportation Department permanently from taking away funds from the states or cancelling their approved implementation plans. In a press release, Mike Faulk said that the order of Judge Lin was a "resounding victory for rule of law and smart investments in our future clean energy." The Transportation Department didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. The DOT suspended the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program in February, shortly after Sean Duffy became Transportation Secretary. This program was part of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs act?that Biden signed in law in 2021. The Trump administration has implemented a number policies that aim to increase the sale of gasoline-powered cars and reduce EV incentives, both for automakers as well as consumers. California, Colorado, and Washington, along with other states, sued the Trump administration in May alleging that it wrongfully withheld billions of dollars they were previously awarded. The administration claimed it was only a temporary pause. It ended later after the judge issued a preliminary order and the agency issued a new guideline. Lin, however, said that the 2021 law did not contemplate?even temporary breaks in funding for EV infrastructure. She wrote: "In summary, defendants defied Congress' will by withholding funds a way not contemplated in the IIJA." Next week, the U.S. Senate will consider legislation that was already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would redirect $879 millions in funds that were approved under Biden to build an EV charging infrastructure to other priorities. Nate Raymond, reporting from Boston; David Shepardson, editing in Washington.
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US Safety Board opens investigation into Waymo robotaxis that pass stopped school buses
The?U.S. The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Friday that it will 'open an investigation' into the self-driving company Waymo after a robotaxi passed stopped school busses in Austin, Texas at least 19 different times since the beginning of the school term. Alphabet recalled over 3,000 vehicles in December to update software that caused the vehicles to 'drive past stopped school busses that were loading or removing students, increasing the risk of a collision. In October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation into Waymo's vehicles when they were near school buses. Waymo stated that there were no accidents in the incidents. It said its self-driving technology, the Waymo driver, "safely navigates thousands of school bus encounters across the United States each week and is constantly improving." Waymo said it was "confident" that its safety performance around busses is superior to humans. The NHTSA posted a letter on November 20 from the Austin Independent Schools District stating that five incidents occurred in November following software updates by Waymo to fix the problem. The school district asked the company not to operate around schools at pick-up or drop-off hours until they could be sure the vehicles would not break the law. The school district reported to Waymo in December that the company refused 'to stop operations around schools. A lawyer for the district wrote, "We cannot let Waymo continue to endanger our students as it attempts to fix the problem." The lawyer said that a Waymo had been "recorded" driving past a school bus moments after the student had crossed in front and was still on the road. (Reporting and editing by Lisa Shumaker in Washington, David Shepardson from Washington)
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US energy sector prepares for winter storm, as crude and natural-gas output falls
As a winter storm accompanied by?cold temperatures' began to sweep the United States on Friday, U.S. crude oil and natural gas production dropped and spot electricity prices soared. According to the National Weather Service, the storm system named Fern will bring heavy snow and?sleet to large parts of the U.S., from the southern Rockies up to New England, through Monday. Travel disruptions are expected, as well as downed powerlines and extended electricity outages. According to analysts and state regulators, the U.S. crude production is expected to fall as cold weather and stormy conditions force operators to stop production in certain basins. Energy Aspects said that this could result in a loss of up to 300,000 barrels a day. Energy Aspects reported that the storm could reduce natural gas production by 86 billion cubic foot over the next two week, and noted that the Appalachia area could lose up to 35 bcf. According to Energy Aspects, freezing temperatures will reach the Permian Basin this weekend. This could cause a decline of 200,000 barrels per day in that oilfield. According to the Energy Information Administration, this area - which straddles Texas & New Mexico - is expected to produce 6.63m bpd in January. The state regulator reported on Friday that North Dakota crude production is down between 80,000 and 110,000 barrels per day, or 5 to 10%. This is because operators have shut down their operations due to the cold weather. The latest data from the Industrial Commission of North Dakota showed that North Dakota was the third largest oil producing state. Its output increased by 12,000 bpd, to 1.189 millions bpd, in November. The associated gas production of the state is currently down 0.24 billion cubic foot per day, to 0.33 BCFD. Prepare for the POWER GRID Operators Chris Wright, the U.S. Secretary for Energy, asked power grid operators on Thursday to have backup generators available at data centers – which are sensitive even to minor disruptions – and other major facilities as needed. According to the Department of Energy, there are still 35 GW of backup generators that have not been used in the United States. This could reduce blackouts, and potentially save hundreds of millions of dollars for Americans in the event of a winter storm. Southwest Power Pool (SWPP), a regional grid operator spanning 14 states from North Dakota to Louisiana reported that spot wholesale prices in real time were above $200 per megawatt hour due to congestion on high voltage power lines that brought electricity from the South to the upper Midwest. A surplus of wind power generated as the storm tore through New Mexico and Oklahoma caused wholesale prices to fall. Wind generators were forced to pay for the grid to accept their excess electricity to avoid having to shut down their own production. PJM, the largest U.S. grid, has warned that temperatures could cause it to set a 'new all-time peak winter load on Tuesday, 27th January. It is taking extra precautions in preparation with its transmission and generation owners. CenterPoint Energy, Duke Energy and other U.S. utilities issued a joint statement on Friday informing consumers that they are preparing to reduce the impact on power supply. Fuel Markets Brace for Cold Blast Diesel prices are rising because it is used for heating and electricity generation. Tom Kloza is a veteran oil analyst. He said that there is a potential for soaring demand for distillate fuels, as trucks are loaded with fuel?that must be used because natural gas is not available. The possibility of refining disruptions also pushed U.S. ultra low-sulfur Diesel futures up to their highest level since November on Friday. ULSD futures rose 3% last to $2.44 a gallon. TACenergy, a U.S. distributor of fuel, said that major fuel delivery hubs along the Colonial Pipeline - the largest fuel conduit in the U.S. - are expected to remain covered with ice and snow over the next few days. This has caused the price of shipping gasoline along Colonial's Line 1 to fall, and demand for these delivery hubs is expected to be affected. TACenergy stated that the worst of this storm is expected to pass over most of the refinery origins. Reporting by Georgina Mcartney in Houston and Arathy Sommesekhar in New York; Tim McLaughlin and Nicole Jao, in Boston, and Tim Gardner, in Washington. Editing and rewriting by Nathan Crooks, Rosalba o'Brien, and Nathan Crooks.
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Politico reports that the Trump administration is considering a naval blockade against Cuba to stop its oil imports.
Politico reported that the Trump administration was considering imposing an 'all-out blockade' on oil imports into Cuba, as a possible new tactic to bring about a 'change of leadership in Cuba, according to three sources familiar with the plans. Politico reported that while no decision had been made, a similar move was sought by some critics of Cuban government within the Trump administration, and supported by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The White House did not respond immediately to a comment request on the report. If the reported plan is implemented, it will be a further step in Trump's efforts to bring regional powers into line with the United States. It would also underscore the seriousness of Trump's administration's desire to dominate the Western Hemisphere. Trump had earlier in January promised to prevent oil and money - from Venezuela, the country's longtime ally - from reaching Cuba following the January 3rd operation that captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Analysts say this could have catastrophic effects on Cuba's already failing?fuel supply and electrical grid, and its economy. Trump, whose eviction of Maduro and securing?control over that country's oil has given him a sense of confidence, has spoken of taking action against Cuba and Colombia. He suggested that Cuba should "strike a bargain" with Washington to increase pressure on this long-time U.S. enemy and provoke defiant statements from the Communist-run Island's leadership.
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Delta Air Lines encourages passengers to rebook flights as Winter Storm Fern threatens the weekend flights
Delta Air Lines advised passengers to reschedule flights this weekend as Winter Storm Fern could disrupt operations and force cancellations. Winter Storm Fern disrupts air travel in the United States. Airlines cancel flights, issue delays, and offer travel waivers. As the storm threatens to disrupt travel over the weekend, the?airline operator warned customers that they should expect cancellations of flights across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. This includes Nashville and Raleigh-Durham. Delta Air Lines cancelled flights in several airports across five states, warning that slower operations could lead to more cancellations and delays, complicating rebookings during the most busy winter travel period. Cirium, a firm that provides aviation analytics, reports that two-thirds (or 815) of the 815 flights scheduled to leave Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport this Friday have been cancelled. Airlines have urged passengers to monitor their flight status closely and to use airline websites or mobile apps for quick rebooking as the storm progresses. Travelers are already adjusting their plans to prepare for the storm.
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California sues Trump administration for Sable oil pipeline restart
California's Attorney General announced on Friday that the state is suing the Trump administration because it asserted federal authority over two state pipelines and allowed Sable Offshore to resume pumping oil. This lawsuit is part of a dispute that has been raging between Sable and California officials for a while over a 'drilling project' off the coast Santa Barbara, which was shut down after an oil spill in 2015. This is one of the many conflicts between U.S. president Donald Trump, a Democrat, who wants to boost domestic 'fossil-fuel production', and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom is a Democrat, but he has been a harsh critic of Trump. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a?statement that the administration had broken the law when it reclassified the Las Flores pipelines as "interstate", even though they ran between two California counties. This reclassification enabled the federal Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (which regulates interstate pipelines) to issue an urgent permit for restarting operations. The attorney general's office announced that the petition?will go to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
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The French Navy diverts a suspected Russian shadow fleet to Marseille-Fos port
Sources close to the investigation said on Friday that the French navy diverted the Grinch tanker they?detained Thursday to the port of Marseille-Fos in order to?further investigate?. The tanker had been intercepted by the navy after it had left Murmansk, a Russian port, in early January. It was suspected of being under a false guise and of belonging to'shadow fleet,' which allows Russia to export oil, despite sanctions. The ship was sailing under the Comoros flag. In a statement released on Thursday, the French maritime police stated that the interception took place on the high seas between the southern coasts of Spain and Morocco. The statement added that?navies from other countries, such as Britain, supported the operations. The Marseille prosecutor's office, which is in charge of maritime law matters and is investigating this case, announced on Friday that the vessel had been "diverted", but did not specify to where. The EU has imposed sanctions on Russia in 19 different packages. However, Moscow has adjusted to the majority of these measures and continues selling millions of barrels of crude oil at discount prices to countries like India and China. A large?part of the oil is transported by a'shadow fleet' of vessels that operate outside the 'Western maritime industry. In October, France arrested another sanctioned oil tanker, the Boracay. It was released after a couple of days.
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Ship data shows that US naphtha is arriving in Venezuela, reviving heavy oil production.
Ship tracking data revealed that the first naphtha shipment for Venezuela, as part of an oil deal reached between Caracas & Washington in this'month', arrived Friday on Venezuelan waters aboard a tanker chartered a trading house Vitol. Caracas, Washington and Venezuela agreed on a $2 billion oil deal this month after the U.S. captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. The agreement covers up to 50,000,000?barrels Venezuelan oil that is in storage. The agreement gives traders Vitol &?Trafigura first access to Venezuelan oil to resell to refineries worldwide. It also includes a?supply? of heavy naphtha, needed to dilute Venezuela's extra-heavy output. According to documents and shipping data from the state company PDVSA, the United Kingdom flagged tanker "Hellespont Protector" was approaching Venezuela's Jose port on Friday. The tanker was due to discharge in the next few days. The documents show that PDVSA has not received any new naphtha cargos since late December. PDVSA imports approximately 100,000 barrels of light crude and naphtha per day to "dilute" its heaviest crude production. Last year, PDVSA's principal joint venture partner U.S. Chevron supplied the last cargo under?U.S. authorization. Washington's strict ban on all vessels sanctioned from entering and leaving Venezuela's waters has stopped many suppliers including Russia from sending cargoes to Venezuela. Sources in the industry said that Venezuela reversed its oil production cuts last week. However, the reversal was not very successful due to a lack of diluents, and the slow draining of its crude stockpiles. (Reporting and editing by Julia Symmes Cobb and David Gregorio; Marianna Paraga)
Dutch airline KLM avoids Middle East because of rising tensions
Air France KLM, the Dutch airline arm of Air France Group, said that KLM would avoid flying over a large part of the Middle East until further notice because of the 'increasing tensions.
KLM didn't specify what prompted?the decision. The fear of a war between the United States and Iran is growing after U.S. president Donald Trump ordered the deployment?of an aircraft carrier strike group?and other military assets to the Middle East.
On Friday, a senior Iranian official stated that Iran would consider any attack as "an all-out war" against the United States.
KLM's spokesperson stated that, as a precaution due to the geopolitical climate, the airline will not fly through the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Israel, nor will it fly over several countries in the Gulf region.
The spokesperson said that "KLM will not fly to Dubai, Riyadh Dammam, Tel Aviv and Tel Aviv" until further notice. (Reporting and editing by Bart Meijer)
(source: Reuters)