2026-01-30 21:22
WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal court on Friday ruled the Department of Energy violated the law when it formed a climate science advisory group, potentially putting its forthcoming final proposal to repeal a key climate regulation at risk. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a judgment that said the creation by the Trump administration of a Climate Working Group, comprised of five climate change skeptics, violated the law that governs how federal advisory committees work. Sign up here. KEY CONTEXT The Environmental Defense Fund and Union of Concerned Scientists sued the Department of Energy last year for convening the working group without public meetings or notice. Energy Department spokesperson Ben Dietderich said on Friday that the groups have "sought to silence scientists who have merely pointed out – as the Climate Working Group did in its report – that climate science is far from settled,” and said the report still remains in the public record. The environmental groups had called on the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind its forthcoming final rule to repeal the "endangerment finding," the legal foundation for its climate change-related regulations, arguing that the agency used the DOE working group's report to inform that rulemaking process. The group's existence was not publicly disclosed when the Department of Energy released the report it drafted on July 29, the same day the EPA formally proposed a rule that would rescind the endangerment finding. KEY QUOTE “The federal court’s ruling is absolutely clear – the Trump Administration violated federal law by secretly convening a group tasked with developing a dangerously slanted report to use as the basis for attacking the Endangerment Finding," said Erin Murphy, senior attorney for EDF. The endangerment finding repeal is under final review at the White House. It was initially supposed to be released late last year. https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-federal-court-says-energy-dept-climate-group-violated-law-2026-01-30/
2026-01-30 21:06
Jan 30 (Reuters) - More than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday. Rubaya produces around 15% of the world's coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where locals dig manually for a few dollars per day, has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024. Sign up here. The collapse occurred on Wednesday and the precise toll was still unclear as of Friday evening. "More than 200 people were victims of this landslide, including miners, children and market women. Some people were rescued just in time and have serious injuries," Muyisa said, adding that about 20 injured people were being treated in health facilities. "We are in the rainy season. The ground is fragile. It was the ground that gave way while the victims were in the hole." An adviser to the governor said the number of confirmed dead was at least 227. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media. The United Nations says AFC/M23 has plundered Rubaya's riches to help fund its insurgency, backed by the government of neighboring Rwanda, an allegation Kigali denies. The heavily-armed rebels, whose stated aim is to overthrow the government in Kinshasa and ensure the safety of the Congolese Tutsi minority, captured even more mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo during a lightning advance last year. (This story has been corrected to fix the spokesperson's first name in paragraph 1) https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/more-than-200-killed-coltan-mine-collapse-east-congo-official-says-2026-01-30/
2026-01-30 20:38
Chevron processes 50,000 bpd Venezuelan crude at Pascagoula refinery Potential to increase Venezuelan output by 50% with U.S. government approval Chevron reviews new Venezuelan hydrocarbons law for potential expansion HOUSTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Chevron (CVX.N) , opens new tab CEO Mike Wirth said on Friday the U.S. oil major can process an additional 100,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan crude at its refineries. "We've been bringing about 50,000 barrels a day, give or take, into our Pascagoula, Mississippi, refinery on the Gulf Coast. We can take another 100,000 barrels a day into our system, both at Pascagoula and on the West Coast, where we've got coking capacity at El Segundo," Wirth said during a fourth-quarter conference call with analysts. Sign up here. "So I think you should expect to see us, assuming it competes against alternatives, to be running more Venezuelan crude in our system over time." When asked about the amount of Venezuelan crude U.S. Gulf Coast refiners could absorb before impacting current price differentials with lighter crude or disrupting the flow of heavy crude from Canada, Wirth said a new equilibrium will be established. "As you bring more of these barrels in ... they're going to redistribute around the world," he said. Chevron, the only U.S. oil major operating in Venezuela, currently produces around 250,000 barrels per day in the South American country and sees potential to increase output by an incremental 50% over the next 18 to 24 months provided there are additional authorizations from the U.S. government. For a longer-term outlook, however, Wirth said the company needs to see stability in the country. "We need to have confidence in the fiscal regime," Wirth said, adding that the company is in the process of reviewing a hydrocarbons law reform that was passed by Venezuela's National Assembly on Thursday. "With the right changes, we certainly could see our operations and footprint expand in Venezuela, and we're working with the U.S. government and the Venezuelan government to try and create circumstances that would enable that," he said. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-can-process-another-100000-bpd-venezuelan-crude-its-us-refineries-ceo-2026-01-30/
2026-01-30 20:09
PARIS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - China has reduced proposed tariffs on certain dairy products from the European Union as it concludes an anti-subsidy investigation widely seen as retaliation for EU levies on Chinese electric cars, two European industry associations said. In final tariffs communicated to the European side, China is proposing additional duties of up to 11.7%, compared with a maximum rate of 42.7% in provisional duties announced in December, the European Dairy Association (EDA) and Eucolait told Reuters. Many of the companies would be subject to a 9.5% rate, they said. Sign up here. The European Commission and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce could not be immediately reached outside working hours. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-has-reduced-proposed-tariffs-some-eu-dairy-products-say-eu-associations-2026-01-30/
2026-01-30 19:57
Mubadala, XRG and IHC in discussions with Carlyle, sources say Deal includes assets from Iraq oilfields to Eastern Europe Lukoil still talking to other parties LONDON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - U.S. private equity firm Carlyle (CG.O) , opens new tab has begun exploratory talks with UAE investors to bring in partners should its initial agreement to buy Russian firm Lukoil's international assets proceed, three sources with knowledge of the process said. Carlyle and Lukoil (LKOH.MM) , opens new tab on Thursday announced a preliminary deal that would transfer a wide range of assets - including oilfields in Iraq and refineries in eastern Europe - to the U.S. firm, pending approval from U.S. authorities that have placed the Russian producer under sanctions. Sign up here. Neither company disclosed a valuation for the deal, which excludes Lukoil's Kazakh assets, because they have not yet agreed one, a separate source said on Thursday. The three sources said state-controlled Abu Dhabi investors Mubadala, XRG and IHC had held talks with Carlyle about taking stakes in the Lukoil portfolio if the U.S. firm completes the purchase, though no deals have been reached. A fourth source said the assets were valued at around $20 billion. A fifth said the UAE investors were particularly interested in Lukoil's trading arm Litasco. It remains unclear when Carlyle might bring in partners if the transaction proceeds. The U.S. firm intends to keep the portfolio intact, one of the sources said. Private equity buyers in the energy sector typically hold assets for around five years before seeking to sell them on at a profit. Lukoil, IHC, Mubadala and XRG did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Carlyle declined to comment. Carlyle said on Thursday it still needed to complete due diligence on the Lukoil assets. The deal would be structured in line with rules set by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. sanctions authority. Lukoil has said it remains in talks with other potential buyers. OFAC has said on its website that cash from any sale would have to be placed in an account under U.S. jurisdiction, with funds frozen until sanctions on Lukoil are lifted. The U.S. Treasury has given Lukoil until February 28 to sell its global portfolio, which has drawn interest from several potential bidders. https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/carlyle-talks-with-potential-uae-partners-lukoil-assets-sources-say-2026-01-30/
2026-01-30 19:45
SANTIAGO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - A Chilean court on Friday authorized authorities to use force to remove striking workers from a desalination plant serving Capstone Copper's (CS.TO) , opens new tab Mantoverde copper and gold mine, escalating a labor dispute hours after workers voted to reject the company's latest contract offer. Employees at Mantoverde rejected a revised proposal presented by the company that included final payments equivalent to about $17,400 per member and a 1% wage adjustment, meaning their strike launched at the beginning of this month would continue. Sign up here. With just 14% of eligible employees voting, they overwhelmingly opted to reject the offer, according to the union. The group alleged the offer worsened terms compared with a prior proposal and described it as an anti-union maneuver. It also said workers had just received an annual bonus that would help sustain a prolonged walkout, putting the payment at about 2.2 times monthly salary per worker. The legal fight has focused on Mantoverde's desalination plant on the coast, roughly 40 km from the mine, which supplies water used by the operation. Capstone has said that on the evening of January 18, individuals entered the desalination facility while workers were inside, and interference with the plant's electrical system led to an interruption in water supply to Mantoverde. The company has said striking union members were preventing access has said those occupying the plant are a minority group of employees and not backed by the union. Capstone has warned the water disruption forced it to rely on on-site reserves for essential services and temporarily halt parts of operations, including sulphide processing, with additional stoppages possible if water could not be restored. Chile's labor authority is readying a case against the company over alleged anti-union practices, according to the union, including illegal replacement of striking workers. Union representatives have also met with outgoing President Gabriel Boric to ask for his help in restarting negotiations with the company. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/chilean-authorities-gear-up-remove-workers-mantoverde-plant-strike-continues-2026-01-30/
