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Industry News

Volatile path to lower dry bulk freight rates in near term before recovering in late 2023 with regulation impact on supply and gradual demand recovery

(Hellenic Shipping News) - Dry bulker and container freight rates have continued to fall over the past three months. Due to the seasonality of the market, dry bulk freight rates would typically peak in the third quarter; however, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence's latest dry bulk freight market outlook, the second quarter would likely be the peak of 2022.

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Nationwide rail shutdown could cost $2 billion per day

(Railway Age) - A report released on Sept. 8 by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has found that a nationwide rail shutdown would "dramatically impact economic output" and could cost more than $2 billion per day.

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U.S. sour crude cargo sails to Germany as Russia sanctions bite

(MarineLink) - A tanker of U.S. sour crude was delivered at Germany's port of Rostock last week for the first time ever, according to sources, analysts and vessel tracking data, as local refiners test alternatives to Russian oil.

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Hundreds of new mines required to meet 2030 battery metals demand

(Mining) - Global battery and minerals supply chains need to expand ten-fold to meet projected critical minerals needs by 2030, a report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has found.

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A lithium colossus fails its big test, South America isn't meeting battery needs

(Wall Street Journal) Hailed as the Saudi Arabia of lithium, this California- sized chunk of terrain accounts for some 55% of the world’s known deposits of the metal, a key component in electric-vehicle batteries. 

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Europe thrusts towards offshore wind grid, testing regulators

(Reuters) - Earlier this summer, four European countries agreed to develop coordinated offshore transmission links, showing how rising renewable energy targets are accelerating plans for an offshore wind grid across northern Europe.

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Soy-based asphalt soon to be commercially available

(AG Web) - Soy-based asphalt technology discovered by accident at Iowa State University will be nationally available for commercial use next year. Researchers, who have been testing the product for roughly a decade, recently launched SoyLei Innovations, which is developing the rejuvenator product, which is a compound made of soybean oil that is mixed with recycled asphalt.

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Biden heads off rail strike with 60-day cooling off period

(The Maritime Executive) - To head off the supply-chain impact of a railway strike, U.S. President Joe Biden has established a presidential emergency board to help resolve a labor dispute between Class I rail carriers and their unionized workforce. The decision averts a possible large-scale labor action, which could have started as early as Monday.

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Hydrogen power isn't as green as it looks

(Vigor Times) - Governments around the world are offering rich subsidies and incentives to producers of hydrogen energy, which many see as a holy grail. Companies are equally excited: Hundreds of projects worth at least $600 billion have been announced. Estimates suggest demand could increase up to tenfold by midcentury.

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National Current Conditions

(Drought.gov) - Extreme heat and dryness in the Southern Plains and Missouri/Arkansas led to another week of major degradations. However, parts of the Midwest (which have been experiencing flash drought) and the Southeast saw good rain and improvements. As of July 19, 2022, 44.57% of the U.S. and 51.87% of the lower 48 states are in drought.

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New European port Antwerp-Bruges becomes foundation member of H2Global

(Port Technology) - The foundation has set itself the goal of making green hydrogen acceptable as an energy substitute in Europe – thereby advancing the energy transition and independence from Russian gas supplies.

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Sulfur an often-overlooked, but important nutrient

Depending on your soil test results; nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are nutrients we supply year after year to our corn crop; however, there is a nutrient we might be overlooking when making fertilizer applications.

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Oil settles up nearly $4 as tight supply outweighs recession fears

(Reuters) - Oil prices settled sharply higher on Thursday, rebounding from steep losses the previous two sessions, as investors returned their focus to tight supply despite nagging fears of a potential global recession.

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Russia shuts down terminal after Kazakhstan offers to send more oil to the EU

(Euractiv) - A Russian court ordered the “temporary closure” on Wednesday (6 July) of the Novorossiysk oil terminal, which is key for exporting Kazakh oil, just two days after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told Council President Charles Michel his country is ready to send more oil to the EU.

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Letters citing rail service crisis continue to circulate at STB

(Progressive Railroading) - Surface Transportation Board members and other federal officials continue to hear from rail shippers and other rail industry stakeholders about ongoing freight-rail service issues and the supply-chain crisis.

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Brazil eases rule on lithium exports amid rising demand

(Reuters) - Brazil relaxed rules on lithium exports in a bid to cement itself as a global supplier and tap into surging demand for the metal used in electric vehicle batteries.

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US group streamline announces Saudi expansion with Zamil deal

(Trade Arabia) - US-based Streamline Innovations has partnered with Zamil, a Saudi trading company and supplier to the energy industry, to market and deploy its environmentally forward treatment solutions for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the kingdom.

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E.U. to vote on historic fee for carbon-heavy imports

(E&E News) - The European Parliament postponed a vote today on parts of a sweeping climate package that includes an ambitious plan to tax the carbon content of imported goods.

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Whitehouse on carbon tariffs, reconciliation bill
,p>(E&E News) - Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse has spent a year trying to inject carbon tariffs into reconciliation talks, and as negotiations ramp up again, he's having another go at it.

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Slovakia says hardest hit by Russia oil sanctions, expects solidarity

(Reuters) - Slovakia said on Friday it would be hardest hit by European Union sanctions on Russian oil and it expected solidarity from Brussels to mitigate the impact.

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Member News

Chevron boosts oil and gas recovery from two offshore facilities in U.S. Gulf of Mexico

(WO) – Chevron Corporation started water injection operations at two of its offshore projects to boost oil and gas recovery at the company’s existing Jack/St. Malo and Tahiti facilities in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

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Koch changes company name to reflect its diversification

(Bloomberg) -- Koch Industries Inc., the second-largest closely held firm in the US, is changing its name after nearly six decades, along with its corporate structure.

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Exxon aims to become a top lithium producer for electric vehicles with Arkansas drill operation

(MSN) - Exxon Mobil aims to become a leading producer of lithium for electric vehicle batteries through a drilling operation the oil giant is launching in Arkansas, the company announced Monday.

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Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. celebrates groundbreaking in Ohio for fertilizer facility

Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. held a celebratory groundbreaking to mark the commencement of construction on a new liquid fertilizer facility in Defiance, Ohio. The new 50,000-square-foot production facility will occupy 50 acres and is set to become operational in 2024. The facility will service the Eastern Great Lakes Region through its distribution partners and will include terminal loadouts for rail cars and tanker trucks.

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Ford to buy lithium from ioneer for U.S. EV battery plant

(Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) said on Thursday it will buy lithium from ioneer Ltd's (INR.AX) Rhyolite Ridge mining project in Nevada and use the metal to build electric vehicle batteries in the United States.

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Koch Ag Completes Acquisition, Forms Joint Venture With Moroccan Phosphate Subsidiary

(The Daily Scoop) - "The closing of this acquisition marks Koch's first substantial investment on the African continent," said Brad Razook, Executive VP of Koch Industries and CEO, Resources. "We are excited to add another nutrient to the KAES portfolio in collaboration with a world-class partner."

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Shell Pushes Big Plans To Drill More in Gulf

(The Wall Street Journal) - Political uncertainty is clouding prospects for new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, but Shell PLC—the Gulf’s biggest producer—is still investing billions of dollars in its waters to pump oil for years to come.

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Rhyolite Ridge: Investing in the future

(Elko Daily) - Alot has been happening with the Rhyolite Ridge lithium/boron project in recent months.
“On March 31, U.S. President Joe Biden announced plans to invoke the Defense Production Act to provide hundreds of millions in new subsidies for the mining of minerals critical for the wind, solar and electric vehicles industries.

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Penflex Becomes The Sulphur Institute's Newest Member

(MSN) - Penflex Corporation recently became the newest member of The Sulphur Institute (TSI), an international, non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the safe use of sulfur.

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Koch to acquire 50% stake in JFC III from OCP

(Agri Business Global) - Koch Ag & Energy Solutions (Koch) and OCP have signed an agreement under which a Koch affiliate will acquire a 50% interest in Jorf Fertilizers Company III (JFC III) from OCP, the world's largest phosphate mining and leading global fertilizer group. When closed, the transaction will establish a 50/50 joint venture.

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