Author: omc_admin

California’s politicians want you to believe they’re trying to rein in sky-high gas prices. They’re not. What’s really happening is years of restrictive policies and overregulation are finally catching up with the state’s fuel supply—and now lawmakers are scrambling to put a Band-Aid on a self-inflicted wound.Let’s break it down.The Real Price of “Green”Starting July 1, Californians will get hit with a one-two punch: a hike in the state’s gasoline excise tax and new rules from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that make it more expensive to produce gasoline. Together, these could raise pump prices by as much as…

New York PostJune 27, 2025″How the Big Beautiful Bill will lower energy costs, shore up the electric grid — and unleash American prosperity”By Chris WrightHow much would you pay for an Uber if you didn’t know when it would pick you up or where it was going to drop you off? Probably not much.Yet this is the same effect that variable generation sources like wind and solar have on our power grids.You never know if these energy sources will actually be able to produce electricity when you need it — because you don’t know if the sun will be shining…

New York PostJune 27, 2025″How the Big Beautiful Bill will lower energy costs, shore up the electric grid — and unleash American prosperity”By Chris WrightHow much would you pay for an Uber if you didn’t know when it would pick you up or where it was going to drop you off? Probably not much.Yet this is the same effect that variable generation sources like wind and solar have on our power grids.You never know if these energy sources will actually be able to produce electricity when you need it — because you don’t know if the sun will be shining…

Will OPEC+ Supply Increases Overwhelm Demand? The production boost signals OPEC+ confidence in demand recovery, but raises questions about market absorption capacity. “The report about an OPEC increase came out and prices cratered,” said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst with Price Futures Group, describing Friday’s midday selloff. China’s Iranian oil imports surged to a record 1.8 million barrels per day from June 1-20, according to ship-tracker Vortexa. As the world’s top oil importer, China’s accelerated purchases before the Israel-Iran conflict highlight underlying demand strength despite price weakness. Can Inventory Draws Support Prices? Multiple bullish inventory signals emerged this week. U.S.…

The list of climate-related disasters in the US was long last week as vast swathes of America sweated under a brutal heatwave.There was a “mass-casualty event” of fainting high-schoolers in New Jersey as a K-pop concert was cut short in Washington. Young hikers had to be rescued in New Hampshire as tarmac roads bucked and melted in South Dakota and Nebraska.Luckless Amtrak passengers were stuck on a train with no air conditioning in a Baltimore tunnel, while some subway services in New York were suspended. The Trump administration declared a power emergency in the US south-east, and in Georgia the…

At least 32 people have been killed in Pakistan in recent flash flooding caused by heavy rains, including a family of tourists who died after being swept away by flood waters while apparently awaiting rescue.Videos of the family stranded on a small piece of land as the raging Swat river in northern Pakistan swept them away were shared widely on social media, prompting anger towards the provincial government as eyewitnesses said the family waited helplessly for more than an hour.Flash floods and heavy rains have killed 32 people, including 16 children, in Pakistan in the past 36 hours; 13 were…

Authorities across Europe are on alert as the first heatwave of the summer pushes temperatures up to 42C (107.6F), as the fastest-warming continent continues to suffer the effects of the climate emergency.Spain’s state meteorological office, Aemet, issued a special heat warning on Friday, saying temperatures could reach 42C in some southern areas of the country over the coming days.“Very high and persistent temperatures are expected, both during the day and at night, which could pose a risk to exposed and/or vulnerable people,” Aemet said.Madrid’s health ministry also warned people to take extra care in the heat, reminding them to stay…

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, plans a stock listing for his Nigerian crude oil refinery by the end of next year to widen the company’s investor base. The billionaire also plans this year to list the group’s urea plant, which has a capacity to produce 2.8 million tons of the crop nutrient per annum, Dangote told the African Export-Import Bank’s annual general meeting in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Friday.  The oil facility can processes 650,000 barrels of crude a day, making it the continent’s biggest refinery. Nigeria’s downstream regulator and fuel marketers have accused Dangote of seeking to become a…

American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), an integrated critical battery materials provider, received a letter of interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) for $900 million for its Nevada Lithium Project, which it expects will produce nearly 33,000 tons of lithium hydroxide annually.The LOI follows President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,” which directed federal agencies to expedite funding and support for domestic critical mineral manufacturing facilities. While the LOI does not constitute a commitment of financing, if secured, the financing will support the construction of its commercial-scale lithium mine and claystone-to-lithium hydroxide…

Global logistics provider Gebrüder Weiss has integrated two fully electric Fuso eCanter trucks into its Croatian fleet to decarbonise last-mile deliveries around Zagreb. It now has more than 50 vehicles with alternative drivetrains in its fleet.  Each of the 8.55-tonne vehicles features a 129 kW electric motor paired with an L-battery pack, offering a range of up to 200 kilometres between charges. The trucks come with a standard cab, digital instrument cluster, and a 7-inch multimedia touchscreen display. Driver comfort is ensured year-round thanks to automatic air conditioning, a heated steering wheel, and a heated windscreen. For safety, both vehicles are…