Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Illinois News

US Governors push back against PJM following record-high prices for power plants

Five governors urged PJM Interconnection on Tuesday to change its process for determining the price of power plants, after the auction that saw record prices. Prices in the most recent PJM auction were almost 10 times higher than last year. This was largely due to a shrinking supply of electricity and an increasing demand for electricity. Prices were…

ADM accused for misconduct and lack of safety inspections following explosion that injured US worker

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co intentionally failed to test and maintain safety systems on its grain equipment for years, which contributed to an explosion that immolated a worker and put him in a coma last year, according to a lawsuit filed against the company. The explosion is part of a series of safety incidents that have occurred at ADM's facilities in Decatur (Illinois), the North American headquarters of this global grain trader.

Maguire: Slow rollout of charge points could stall US EV sales momentum

The United States has seen a 140% increase in electric vehicle sales since 2023. However, further growth could be hindered if public charging stations are not rolled out more evenly and at a slower pace. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. electric vehicle registrations will reach just over 3.5 millions by September 2024. This is…

Maguire: Slow rollout of charge points could stall US EV sales momentum

The United States has seen a 140% increase in electric vehicle sales since 2023. However, further growth could be hindered if public charging stations are not rolled out more evenly and at a slower pace. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. electric vehicle registrations will reach just over 3.5 millions by September 2024. This is…

BP to Sell Petrochemicals Business to Ineos for $5B

Image Credit: BP

British oil major BP will sell its global petrochemicals business to Ineos for $5 billion, a transaction delivering BP's divestments target a year earlier than originally scheduled.Brian Gilvary, BP’s chief financial officer, said: “With today’s announcement we have met our $15 billion target for agreed divestments a full year ahead of schedule, demonstrating…

Oil rises 5% in second weekly gain on output cuts, demand hopes

© Pavel Ignatov / Adobe Stock

Oil prices settled 5% higher on Friday in their second consecutive week of gains as U.S. producers cut production with the number of drilling rigs falling to a record low, and as more states moved ahead with plans to relax lockdowns intended to halt the coronavirus pandemic.The number of operating oil and natural gas rigs fell by 34 to an all-time…

Oil surges as China Pushes Tariff Rollbacks

AdobeStock / © Rawf8

Oil prices rose more than 1% on Tuesday on hopes for a U.S.-China trade agreement and optimism that Washington could roll back some tariffs on Chinese imports.Brent crude futures rose 74 cents, or 1.2%, to $62.87 a barrel by 12:56 p.m. EST (1756 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 68 cents, or 1.2%, to $57.22 a barrel.China is pushing U.S.

Big Corn, Big Oil Unhappy with Fed's Biofuel Plan

File Image: an Ethanol Processing Plant (AdobeStock / © Jason Lee)

Corn farmers, ethanol producers, refinery representatives, energy traders and state and local officials from the Midwest all blasted away at the Trump administration's proposed biofuels plan for next year during a public hearing on Wednesday hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The hearing in Ann Arbor, Michigan, marks the second public meeting on the topic in as many days…

ExxonMobil Seeks to Sell Montana Refinery

© fotoslaz / Adobe Stock

Exxon Mobil Corp is seeking a potential buyer for its roughly 60,000 barrel per day Billings, Montana refinery, according to three sources familiar with Exxon’s plans.Representatives for large refiners, including Valero Energy Corp and Marathon Petroleum Corp, have toured the refinery, two of the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because…

Citgo's New Board Arrives, to Hold First Meeting

A board of directors appointed this month by Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress to run state-owned oil firm PDVSA's U.S. unit Citgo Petroleum on Thursday was arranging its first meeting at the company's headquarters, according with two people familiar with the matter.Venezuela's National Assembly, led by opposition leader and self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido…

TransCanada Restarts Portion of Keystone Pipeline

File Image: AdobeStock / © Diter

TransCanada Corp restarted a section of the Keystone oil pipeline on Tuesday, following a leak in Missouri earlier this month, company spokesman Terry Cunha said.TransCanada had shut an arm of Keystone from Steele City, Nebraska to Patoka, Illinois on Feb. 6 after a 43-barrel leak. The shut-down restricted the flow of Western Canadian crude to U.S. refineries.Reporting by Rod Nickel

Top Citgo Executives Removed as PDVSA Chaos Continues

File Image: the idled Aruba refinery (AdobeStock / © Hans

Citgo Petroleum Corp has removed at least three top executives close to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, people familiar with the matter said on Monday, in a move to cement management control under a new board of directors.The U.S. refining arm of Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA has been thrust in recent weeks into the center of a political…

Partial Shutdown of Keystone Oil Pipeline

© chagpg / Adobe Stock

A shutdown of a portion of TransCanada Corp's Keystone oil pipeline will last a further "days not weeks," following a leak in Missouri last week, crude producer Cenovus Energy said on Wednesday.Citing a conversation with TransCanada, Cenovus executive vice-president of downstream, Keith Chiasson, said the pipeline company has identified the location…

Part of Keystone Pipeline Still Shut After Missouri Leak -TransCanada

TransCanada Corp said on Monday a part of its Keystone crude pipeline from Steele City, Nebraska, to Patoka, Illinois, remained shut after a leak was discovered in the St. Louis, Missouri, area last week.The cause and source of the spill have not been determined and there is no estimated timeline for a restart, TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said in an email.The 590…

US Natural Gas Demand Nears Record High

© Sergeev Sergey / Adobe Stock

U.S. homes and businesses will likely use record amounts of natural gas for heating on Wednesday as an Arctic-like freeze blankets the eastern half of the country, according to energy analysts.Harsh winds brought record-low temperatures across much of the Midwest, unnerving even residents accustomed to brutal winters and keeping them huddled indoors…

ETP Plans Permian Express 3, Dakota Access Oil Pipeline Expansions

Photo: ETP

Energy Transfer Partners LP on Thursday said it expects to expand its Permian Express oil pipeline system further by upto 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) and is mulling boosting capacity on its Dakota Access crude pipeline.Flows on the Dakota Access pipeline, that runs from North Dakota to Illinois, have averaged just over 500,000 bpd recently and the company could expand by another 100,000 bpd, an executive said on its second quarte

Oil Slips On U.S./China Trade Dispute, OPEC Supply Outlook

© Ded Pixto / Adobe Stock

Oil fell on Tuesday ahead of a possible increase in OPEC crude supply, and as an escalating trade dispute between the United States and China unleashed sharp selloffs in many global markets.Brent crude futures eased 60 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $74.74 a barrel by 11:31 a.m. EDT (1531 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.01…

Oil Gains After Larger than Expected U.S. Stock Draws

U.S. crude stocks fall by 1.4 million barrels. Global oil demand likely to moderate this year. Oil prices gained on Wednesday, shaking off the effects of a strengthening dollar, after an inventory report showed U.S. crude and gasoline stocks fell more than expected. Brent crude futures gained 85 cents to settle at $79.28 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures gained 18 cents to settle at $71.49 a barrel.

Rising Oil Prices Boost US Economy

© Sergiy Serdyuk / Adobe Stock

U.S. net petroleum imports have fallen to the lowest level in more than half a century as a result of the shale revolution, which is profoundly changing the impact higher oil prices have on the economy. Since the 1860s, the United States has been the world’s largest producer and consumer of oil, which means it has a complicated relationship with oil prices.

EPA Announces Funding to Reduce Diesel Emissions

Preference given to fleets in areas facing air quality challenges. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of grant funding to modernize the nation’s diesel fleet by retrofitting or replacing vehicles with cleaner, more efficient diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $40 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants…