National
• Ford plans to idle a Detroit-area electric truck plant for weeks as it contends with softer-than-expected EV sales.
• Occidental Petroleum nears completion of a direct-air carbon capture facility in Texas that would be the first large-scale facility to remove carbon dioxide directly from the air; the company plans to build dozens more.
• The U.S. Department of Energy announced $18.6 million for 15 projects that will drive innovation in equitable clean transportation and provide first responders with the tools they need to properly respond to calls involving zero emission vehicles. The funding will expand DOE’S Clean Cities and Communities work to make clean transportation options more available, accessible, and affordable nationwide.
• A Trump presidency and Republican-controlled U.S. Senate could eventually remake the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but recent appointments mean Democrats could retain power for at least 18 months.
• While Ford had an early lead among U.S. automakers in the transition to electric vehicles, the company’s EV division is now losing money while General Motors EVs surge.
• A group of five governors last week urged PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. grid operator, to change the process it uses to determine the price paid to power plants after record-high prices awarded in its last auction. The governors are from Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced 55 grants for a total of nearly $3 billion from the Clean Ports Program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. Selected applications will fund zero-emissions port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning at U.S. ports located in 27 states and territories. World
• Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday said its worldwide production fell for an eighth straight month in September, as both sales and output declined in its two biggest markets, the U.S. and China.
• Reduced shipments and lower pricing power slashed Stellantis’ revenue by 27% in Q3, the automaker said as it seeks to fix bloated inventories and poor commercial performance that led to a major profit warning last month.