• As part of its broad climate agenda, the Biden administration finalized energy efficiency regulations that target residential clothes washers and dryers in an effort to curb carbon emissions. The regulations would bar certain less-efficient models of washers and dryers from being sold, according to the U.S. Department of Energy
• A proposed Securities and Exchange Commission rule that would require American companies to report climate-related risks – a mandate opposed by Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas – is set for a March 6 vote, the agency announced, in a potentially major overhaul of U.S. disclosure rules.
• Grease-proof food wrappers being sold in the U.S. will no longer contain toxic “forever chemicals,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week.
• Apple has nixed its plans to build an electric vehicle — a project that had been in the works at the tech giant for a decade, according to a new report. Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, reported Apple’s decision to wind down the EV project.
• The U.S. Energy Information Administration lost a court battle with bitcoin miners in Texas who fought the EIA’s effort to collect data on their energy use. A federal court in Waco declared that the attempt by the government was likely “an abuse of discretion.”
• The Kentucky Senate voted overwhelmingly to lay the foundation to attract nuclear energy projects to a state where coal has dominated and fueled the economy for generations.
• Boeing announced it reached a $51 million settlement with the U.S. State Department for numerous export violations that included Chinese employees in China improperly downloading documents related to U.S. Defense Department programs.
• China’s manufacturing activity in February shrank for a fifth consecutive month, an official survey showed, raising pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus measures as the parliament prepared for a key annual meeting.
• An Ohio commission last week awarded bids to frack oil and gas under state parks, despite statewide backlash and an ongoing investigation into possibly fraudulent support.
• Global energy majors ExxonMobil and Shell will work with Singapore to develop a cross-border carbon capture and storage project, both companies said.
• Global oil demand will grow by 1.9 million barrels per day this year, energy research company Wood Mackenzie predicted, a forecast close to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries estimate for 2024.
• The African nation of Congo became the latest exporter of liquified natural gas last week as it launched production of the first cargo load a year after Italian energy company ENI launched the Congo LNG project with local partners.
• Algeria, looking to cast itself as a critical supplier of natural gas for European countries seeking to lessen their dependence on Russia, welcomed envoys from energy-rich nations to a key summit.
• Mexican cement maker Cemex will start using a new manufacturing method that will reduce its consumption of a key intermediary ingredient and cut carbon dioxide emissions, the company said.