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☆ BP enters Japan's power retail market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of British multinational oil and gas company BP is displayed at their booth during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Bp Plc FollowTOKYO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - BP (BP.L) said on Monday it has entered Japan's power market after receiving approval from the industry ministry to operate as a retail electricity provider. BP Energy Japan (BPEJ), part of BP's trading and shipping division, will operate the new business, according to the statement. Further details of the company's business plan were not immediately available. Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Yuka Obayashi, Janane Organizations: BP, REUTERS, Rights, BP Energy Japan, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Japan

☆ South Korean President to Meet UK PM Sunak for State Visit Talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for talks on Wednesday and sign an agreement stepping up cooperation in defence, security and technology. Yoon, on a state visit to London, and Sunak will sign a Downing Street Accord which will also involve them working together on enforcing U.N. sanctions on reclusive North Korea. A conservative, Yoon has cited a "polycrisis" of global challenges as a reason for seeking closer ties with like-minded partners. South Korea on Wednesday suspended part of a 2018 military agreement with North Korea after it defied warnings from the United States and launched a spy satellite. The suspension of a clause in the agreement will see South Korea step up military surveillance along the heavily fortified border with the North.

Persons: Yoon Suk, Rishi Sunak, Yoon, King Charles, Buckingham, Charles, BLACKPINK, Alistair Smout, Joyce Lee, Nick Macfie Organizations: British, Downing, Accord, Ministers, Corio Generation, BP, Guard Locations: London, North Korea, South Korea, Buckingham, Korea, United States, Seoul

☆ Politicians waking up to higher-cost offshore wind power, Equinor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I believe that politics and markets will adjust, and that is also necessary in order to keep up the pace of offshore wind developments," Paal Eitrheim told Reuters on the sideline of the Norwegian company's autumn conference in Oslo. The offshore wind industry has found itself in a perfect storm of rising inflation, interest rate hikes and supply chain bottlenecks, in some cases leading to project cancellations as support schemes failed to adjust. Similarly, Britain has adjusted the price for next year's renewables auction higher by 66%, after failing to attract offshore wind bids in the previous round. Equinor is considering extensions to existing offshore wind farms in Britain that could qualify for auctions in future, and Eitrheim defended higher prices in the near term after over a decade of cost reductions. "Although it's dramatic right now, I think, as we are building this supply chain, we are going to come back to a price level for offshore wind that is competitive for governments, for companies and also consumers."

Persons: Paal Eitrheim, Equinor, Eitrheim, Nora Buli, Terje Solsvik, Mark Potter Organizations: ASA, Bp, Reuters, BP, York, Thomson Locations: OSLO, United States, Britain, Norwegian, Oslo, York, New York

China's refiners processed 63.93 million metric tons of crude in October, equivalent to 15.05 million bpd, according to National Bureau of Statistics data released on Nov. 15. Crude imports were 48.97 million metric tons and domestic output was 17.33 million, giving a total of 66.3 million, equivalent to 15.61 million bpd. Subtracting the refinery throughput from the total crude available leaves a surplus of 560,000 bpd to be put into commercial or strategic reserves. China total crude available vs refinery processingFORECASTS TOO BULLISH? China's imports for the first 10 months of the year are 11.36 million bpd, which is 1.19 million bpd higher than for the whole of 2022.

Persons: refiners, China doesn't, Stephen Coates Organizations: National Bureau, Statistics, OPEC, International Energy Agency, BP, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Qingdao, Shandong province, LAUNCESTON, Australia, China, Asia, Saudi Arabia

Logo of British Petrol BP is seen at a petrol station in Pienkow, Poland, June 8, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Bp Plc FollowLONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - BP (BP.L) said on Tuesday it remained committed to its financial and carbon reduction ambitions, as interim Chief Executive Officer Murray Auchincloss hosted an investor day in Denver. "BP's strategy, financial frame and net zero ambition are unchanged," the energy group said in a statement. "BP remains focused on delivering its strategy safely, with disciplined delivery, quarter-on-quarter, to meet 2025 targets and 2030 aims." The company aims to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050 and to invest billions in renewable and low-carbon power.

Persons: Kacper, Murray Auchincloss, Bernard Looney, Ron Bousso, Tomasz Janowski, Susan Fenton, Emelia Organizations: British, REUTERS, Rights, BP, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Pienkow, Poland, Denver

Oct 3 (Reuters) - BP Plc (BP.L) is exploring the sale of a 49% stake in its U.S. oil and gas pipeline network in the Gulf of Mexico, hoping to raise as much as $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. While it boosted its shareholder payout by 10% in second-quarter earnings in August, BP's net debt stood at $23.7 billion. BP has placed its stakes in U.S. Gulf of Mexico pipelines in a new company in which it will hold a 51% position and sell the rest, the sources said. The pipelines entity generates 12-month earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of around $200 million, the sources added. Among the pipelines in which BP holds stakes are the 161-mile Mars Oil Pipeline, the 89-mile Endymion Oil Pipeline and the 115-mile Cleopatra Gas Pipeline, according to its website.

Persons: Bernard Looney, Shariq Khan, David French, Ron Bousso, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: BP Plc, BP, Argos, Pipeline, Gas, Sixth Street Partners, Sixth, Bloomberg News, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Gulf, Mexico, U.S . Gulf of Mexico, Bengaluru, New York, London

☆ Former BP boss Bob Dudley says Looney’s shock exit ‘came out of nowhere’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Arun Sankar | Afp | Getty ImagesFormer BP CEO Bob Dudley on Tuesday said that Bernard Looney's abrupt resignation last month came as a shock and denied any prior knowledge of the latter's past personal relationships with colleagues. Looney succeeded Dudley, who stood down as BP CEO in 2020. He informed the company that he was not "fully transparent in his previous disclosures" about relationships with colleagues before becoming CEO, BP said. "Things at BP are OK. We move forward as you would expect, despite the change that happens," interim BP CEO Murray Auchincloss said Monday during a CNBC-moderated ADIPEC panel session. Dudley — who now chairs the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, an organization backed by BP, Saudi Aramco, Exxon Mobil and other Big Oil firms — echoed Auchincloss' view.

Persons: Bernard Looney, Arun Sankar, Bob Dudley, Bernard Looney's, Dudley, Looney, Murray Auchincloss, Auchincloss, It's, Dudley — Organizations: Afp, Getty, BP, Financial Times, CNBC, Abu Dhabi International Progressive Energy Congress, BP Plc, Abu, Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition, United, Bloomberg, Climate Initiative, Exxon Mobil, Big Oil Locations: New Delhi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Aramco

We are growing but nowhere near fast enough," said Ben Blackwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council. In June, Siemens Gamesa said quality problems at its two most recent onshore wind turbines would cost 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion) to fix. "The ratio between risk and reward is out of line in the offshore wind market in many jurisdictions. You can see this from investors not showing up," the Global Wind Energy Council's Blackwell told Reuters. "The situation in U.S. offshore wind is severe," Orsted CEO Mads Nipper said last month.

Persons: Pascal, Jon Wallace, WindEurope, Markus Krebber, Germany's, Ben Blackwell, Rob West, Siemens Gamesa, Fraser McLachlan, McLachlan, Jochen Eickholt, Wallace, Energy Council's Blackwell, Denmark's Orsted, RWE's Krebber, Joe Biden's, Mads Nipper, Nina Chestney, Nichola Groom, Christoph Steitz, Nora Buli, Francesca Landini, Toby Sterling, David Clarke Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European, Jupiter Asset Management, EU, Shell, Siemens, LinkedIn, Wind Energy, Thunder Said Energy, GCube Insurance, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Energy, Reuters, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Le Havre, Normandy, France, European Union, Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Ukraine, Jupiter, U.S, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Milan, Amsterdam

Kevin Hodges, a partner at law firm Williams & Connolly, was the first member of Amazon's defense team identified in a court document in the case. Amazon General Counsel David Zapolsky, a 24-year veteran of the company's legal department, can turn to a stable of top outside law firms that already represent it. Thomas Barnett, co-chair of the firm’s antitrust practice and a former senior Justice Department official, was involved in the effort. A Covington spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on whether the firm is defending Amazon in the FTC antitrust case. Amazon has also turned to U.S. law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to navigate government scrutiny.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, Kevin Hodges, Williams, Connolly, Hodges, John Schmidtlein, David Zapolsky, Lina Khan, Thomas Barnett, Covington, Paul, Weiss, Garrison, Paul Weiss, Andrew Goudsward, Mike Scarcella, David Bario, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Amazon Logistics, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Trade, Amazon.com, Amazon, Williams, U.S . Justice, Microsoft, BP, Big Tech, Alphabet's, Google, FTC, Burling, Department, D.C, Covington, Thomson Locations: Chicago . Illinois, U.S, WASHINGTON, Washington, Mexico, Covington, Rifkind, Wharton

☆ California sues oil giants for downplaying risks posed by fossil fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of oil drilling equipment on federal land near Fellows, California, U.S., April 15, 2023. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry trade group, has also been listed as a defendant in the case, according to the filing. California has sought the creation of an abatement fund to pay for future damages caused by climate-related disasters in the state, the filing showed. Sharing a similar sentiment, Shell said in an emailed statement, "We do not believe the courtroom is the right venue to address climate change." California Governor Gavin Newsom, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, "California is taking action to hold big polluters accountable."

Persons: Nichola, Shell, Gavin Newsom, ConocoPhillips didn't, Kanjyik Ghosh, Lavanya, Nate Raymond, Mark Potter, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Chevron Corp, Conocophillips, Exxon Mobil Corp, Shell PLC, BP, ConocoPhillips, American Petroleum Institute, Reuters, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Thomson Locations: Fellows , California, U.S, California, San Francisco, United States, Bangalore, Boston

☆ California sues oil giants for downplaying risks posed by fossil fuels - NYT
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of oil drilling equipment on federal land near Fellows, California, U.S., April 15, 2023. REUTERS/Nichola Groom/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Bp Plc FollowChevron Corp FollowConocophillips Follow Show more companiesSept 16 (Reuters) - The state of California has sued major oil companies including Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), Shell PLC (SHEL.L), and Chevron Corp (CVX.N), accusing them of playing down the risks posed by fossil fuels, the New York Times reported on Friday. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry trade group, has also been listed as a defendant in the case, the report said, adding that California has sought the creation of an abatement fund to pay for future damages caused by climate related disasters in the state. The legal action follows dozens of lawsuits filed in recent years against the fossil fuel industry by states and municipalities across the United States broadly alleging harms from climate impacts including extreme weather. Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bangalore; additional reporting by Lavanya Ahire; editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nichola, Kanjyik Ghosh, Lavanya, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Chevron Corp, Conocophillips, Exxon Mobil Corp, Shell PLC, New York Times, BP, ConocoPhillips, American Petroleum Institute, Congress, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Thomson Locations: Fellows , California, U.S, California, San Francisco, United States, Chevron, Bangalore

☆ VIEW BP boss Looney resigns over personal relationships with colleagues
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Bp Plc FollowSept 12 (Reuters) - British oil major BP's (BP.L) CEO Bernard Looney has stepped down after less than four years in office for failing to fully disclose details of past personal relationships with colleagues. STORY: read moreLINK: https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/news-and-insights/press-releases/bp-ceo-resigns.htmlCOMMENTSEDWARD MOYA, SENIOR MARKET ANALYST AT OANDA"This was unexpected and could raise doubts to BP's transition towards renewable energy. BP share prices might not get rocked that hard as CFO Auchincloss appears poised to take over. So, depending on the new CEO, BP could theoretically roll back its transition plans further. Reporting by Arunima Kumar and Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bernard Looney, EDWARD MOYA, Auchincloss, ALLEN, Shell, Arunima Kumar, Ashitha, Devika Organizations: Bp, MORNINGSTAR, BP, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

A stronger dollar makes crude more expensive for investors holding other currencies. PVM analyst Tamas Varga noted that for months, predictions have been made that global oil demand will grow in the second half of 2023 versus the first half, in tandem with supply cuts to reduce global oil inventories. The latest figures from the U.S.- the world's biggest fuel consumer - showed fuel demand rose the highest level since August 2019. A Reuters poll also estimated U.S. crude oil and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have declined last week. In a conference on Monday, BP (BP.L) chief Bernard Looney presaged oil demand growth continuing into next year and OPEC+ being increasingly disciplined.

Persons: Johan Sverdrup, Carina Johansen, NTB, Brent, Dennis Kissler, Tamas Varga, group's, Bernard Looney, Arathy somasekhar, Natalie Grover, Emily Chow, Christian Schmollinger, Sonali Paul, David Evans, Nick Macfie, Jan Harvey Organizations: Reuters Connect, HOUSTON, Brent, . West Texas, BOK, Reuters, Thomson Locations: North, ., U.S, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Houston, London, Singapore

Companies Bp Plc FollowTotalEnergies SE FollowFRANKFURT/LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) - Oil majors BP (BP.L) and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) emerged as the winners in a 7 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind site auction in Germany worth 12.6 billion euros ($13.96 billion), highlighting the appeal of renewable assets across Europe. "The results confirm the attractiveness of investments in offshore wind power in Germany," said Klaus Mueller, president of Germany's energy regulator Bundesnetzagentur. Analysts at Jefferies noted the high price for the auction, adding that it implied "high interest in European offshore wind sites from energy companies/developers". BP won the rights to develop two projects, marking its entry into offshore wind in continental Europe and representing 4 GW out of the total, it said in a separate statement. "This is a significant milestone for BP, showing our commitment to transitioning into an integrated energy company," BP head of offshore wind Matthias Bausenwein said.

Persons: Klaus Mueller, Matthias Bausenwein, Patrick Pouyanne, TotalEnergies, Vera Eckert, Christoph Steitz, Ron Bousso, Friederike Heine, Sharon Singleton, Chris Reese Organizations: Bp, Oil, BP, Jefferies, Federal, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, LONDON, Germany, Europe, Heligoland, Baltic, Ruegen, TotalEnergies, Frankfurt, London

☆ BP settles US natgas market manipulation case for $10.75 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) alleged that BP violated the Natural Gas Act by manipulating the next-day gas market at Houston Ship Channel from mid-September through Nov. 30, 2008. BP paid a civil penalty of $24,356,686 in December 2020 and disgorgement of unjust profits of $250,295 in January 2021 in the case. FERC said under the settlement BP will not seek return of the $250,295 of disgorgement it has paid. The case related to actions by BP traders to take advantage of market dislocations around the time Hurricane Ike smashed into the Houston area in September 2008. FERC's Office of Enforcement alleged BP traders made uneconomic physical gas sales to suppress the Houston Ship Channel Gas Daily index and boost the value of BP's financial position.

Persons: Ike, Scott DiSavino, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Bp, BP, U.S . Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Houston Ship Channel, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, FERC, U.S . Court, Federal, FERC's, Enforcement, Houston Ship Channel Gas, Thomson Locations: U.S, Houston

☆ BP in talks over insurance deal for pension scheme, Financial Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Bp Plc FollowJuly 7 (Reuters) - Energy giant BP (BP.L) is in talks with insurers over a so-called buy-in deal for its 30 billion pound ($38.30 billion) pension scheme, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Such options include long-term insurance policies," BP Pension Fund Trustee said in an emailed statement. Companies have been trying to offload pension schemes from their balance sheets in recent years as they are expensive to run, while bulk annuity deals have provided a growing source of income for insurers. In February, Pension Insurance Corporation agreed to a pensions buy-in deal totalling around 6.5 billion pounds with insurer RSA Group, covering the pensions of 40,000 members, in the largest ever bulk annuity deal of the kind. That buy-in involved the insurer taking on the risk of the pension scheme's liabilities.

Persons: Yadarisa, Shinjini Organizations: Bp, Energy, BP, Financial Times, BP's, Fund, Pension Insurance Corporation, RSA Group, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Shadia, London

☆ Renewables growth did not dent fossil fuel dominance in 2022, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Energy consumption grew everywhere apart from Europe, including Eastern Europe. Renewables, excluding hydropower, accounted for 7.5% of global energy consumption, around 1% higher than the previous year. The share of fossil fuels in global energy consumption remained at 82%. Most oil demand growth came from revived appetite for jet fuel and diesel-related products. Europe accounted for much of LNG demand growth, increasing its imports by 57%, while countries in the Asia-Pacific region and South and Central America reduced purchases.

Persons: Juliet Davenport, consultancies, Shadia, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Belchatow, REUTERS, Stezycki Companies, World Energy, Energy, Energy Institute, consultancies KPMG, Kearny, BP, Renewables, OECD, Central America, Thomson Locations: Zlobnica, Poland, Ukraine, Europe, Asia, Paris, Eastern Europe, United States, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, South, Central, Japan, China, India, Indonesia

NEW YORK, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub have risen to their highest in two years, as outages at Midwestern refiners crimp demand and higher flows from Canada add to supply. Stockpiles at Cushing, the delivery point for U.S. crude oil futures, have climbed for eight consecutive weeks after falling earlier this year. Overseas demand for U.S. crude and an end to refinery outages should reverse the build, said analysts. "We're going to be sending more (oil exported) abroad," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group. Canadian crude may have been sent toward Cushing as feedstock for a restart of the Toledo refinery, which had a fire last year, said Matt Smith, lead oil analyst for the Americas at Kpler.

Persons: Phil Flynn, Hillary Stevenson, Cushing, Stevenson, Enbridge, Flanagan, John Coleman, Wood Mackenzie, Matt Smith, Stephanie Kelly, Nia Williams, Arathy, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: YORK, Cushing, Price Futures, Energy, IIR Energy, BP, Phillips, North, Americas, Kpler, Thomson Locations: Oklahoma, Canada, Cushing, U.S, Toledo, Ohio, Texas, Wood

Companies Equinor ASA FollowBp Plc FollowWINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 31 (Reuters) - Norway's Equinor ASA (EQNR.OL) said on Wednesday that it will postpone its Bay du Nord Canadian offshore oil project for up to three years, due to rising costs. Ottawa backed Bay du Nord saying that it would produce relatively low emissions. "Bay du Nord is an important project for Equinor. "The (Bay du Nord) economics are positive but if you play around with costs and risk more, it's not going to be the best opportunity in their portfolio," he said. Bay du Nord would be so far from shore - 500 kilometers (311 miles) - that it falls in international waters.

Persons: Justin Trudeau's, ”, Trond Bokn, Equinor's, Equinor, Newfoundland & Labrador Premier Andrew Furey, it's, Mark Oberstoetter, Wood Mackenzie, Rod Nickel, Nia Williams, Marguerita Choy Organizations: ASA, Bp, Equinor ASA, Ottawa, Newfoundland & Labrador Premier, BP, Wood, Sierra Club Canada, Columbia, Thomson Locations: WINNIPEG , Manitoba, du Nord Canadian, Bay, Nord, Newfoundland, Norway, Brazil, Winnipeg , Manitoba

☆ Exxon, Chevron shareholders soundly reject climate-related petitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HOUSTON, May 31 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Chevron Corp (CVX.N) shareholders on Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected calls for stronger measures to mitigate climate change, dismissing more than a dozen climate-related proposals at their annual meetings. His group, which represents some 9,500 shareholders in oil and gas companies, had requested Exxon set medium-term targets for meeting customer emissions reduction goals that seeks to keep global temperature increase below 1.5° Celsius. That resolution received less than half of the support 11% of vote cast compared with 27% from the group's emission reduction proposal last year. Exxon holders rejected all 12 shareholder proposals, the majority of which dealt with climate-related issues. Chevron investors also rejected proposals on customers' emissions reduction target, creating a board committee on decarbonization risk, and a report on worker and community impact from facility closures and energy transitions.

Persons: Mark van Baal, Darren Woods, Woods, Sabrina Valle, Arathy, Mrinalika Roy, Sourasis Bose, Jon Boyle, Marguerita Choy Organizations: HOUSTON, Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp, Shell PLC, BP PLC, Exxon, Chevron, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Guyana, Houston, Bengaluru

HOUSTON, May 19 (Reuters) - An attorney representing the family of a 55-year-old Marathon Petroleum (MPC.N) refinery worker killed in a fire at the Texas facility this week called the plant where he worked "dangerous" on Friday. Higgins family plans to file a gross negligence lawsuit against the oil refiner and other firms involved in the plant's maintenance, he said. Buzbee is seeking documents on the plant and maintenance, according to court filings. "Scott always thought he might die at that plant," Buzbee said. And the reason he talked to them about it is because that plant is very dangerous," Buzbee said.

[1/2] Production units are seen in operation at Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay Refinery in Texas City, Texas, U.S., May 15, 2023. Scott Higgins, a 55-year-old machinist, was killed and two contract employees, including Eduardo Olivo, were injured in a fire at Marathon’s giant Galveston Bay Refinery on Monday morning. The unit is the larger of two Ultraformers at the 593,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Galveston Bay Refinery, the second-largest in the United States. Higgins was the second worker to die at the Marathon refinery this year. On March 23, 2005, when the refinery was owned by BP Plc, 15 contract workers were killed and 180 other people were injured in a explosion caused by an overflowing refinery unit.

The settlement between BP Products North America Inc., the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency will also require the company to invest approximately $197 million in new technology and other capital improvements to reduce air pollution. The BP refinery near Lake Michigan released nearly 16 times the legal limit of benzene allowed by the Clean Air Act, the EPA said in 2009. Following the EPA's investigation, BP spent about $4 billion to expand the Whiting refinery to process heavy Canadian crude. The company also agreed to undertake a $5 million supplemental environmental project to reduce diesel emissions in the communities surrounding the Whiting Refinery and install 10 air pollutant monitoring stations. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Laura Sanicola in Washington; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

(Reuters) - A Kirkland & Ellis partner whose clients have included General Motors Co, BP Plc and auto manufacturer Polaris Inc said he has joined the Chicago office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. R. Allan Pixton told a federal judge in Detroit on Friday that he has joined Quinn Emanuel's Chicago office. Pixton and a Kirkland spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to his defunct Kirkland profile, Pixton's litigation experience covered class actions and mass torts. In 2020, he left Kirkland to lead the new Chicago office of Hilliard Martinez Gonzalez, a Corpus Christi, Texas-based law firm.

The justices turned away five appeals by the oil companies of lower court decisions that determined that the lawsuits belonged in state court, a venue often seen as more favorable to plaintiffs than federal court. A separate appeal filed by the oil companies challenging lower court decisions in cases out of New Jersey and Delaware is still pending before the Supreme Court. Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for Chevron, expressed confidence that the cases will be dismissed in state court. That decision prompted other federal appeals courts to reconsider whether they should send similar lawsuits by state and local governments back to state courts. Four other appeals courts reached similar conclusions in the lawsuits by Rhode Island and jurisdictions in California, Colorado, Hawaii and Maryland.

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