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Americas

US renewable fuel credits pressured by biodiesel tax credit optimism

CHICAGO (Reuters) — US renewable fuel credits remained under pressure on Thursday as expectations mounted that lawmakers may soon renew a $1/gal rebate for biodiesel blenders that could curb worries over tight supplies in the thinly-traded market.

US tax overhaul likely to spur spending by refiners, pipeline cos

NEW YORK (Reuters) — US refiners and pipeline companies are likely to embark on a capital spending spree in the next year, fueled by a provision in the recently-passed US tax bill that rewards investment in new projects, said energy industry lobbyists and analysts.

Mexico oil regulator expects to give Trafigura contract for crude trading

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — Mexico's oil regulator is expected to assign oil trader Trafigura a 3-yr contract to commercialize crude the government obtains from the new scheme of contracts derived from an energy reform, the national regulator said on Thursday.

Oil falls as UK North Sea oil pipeline moves closer to restart

LONDON (Reuters) — Oil prices fell on Thursday after the operator of Britain's Forties pipeline in the North Sea said it was expected to restart in early January after repairs over Christmas.

Belgian tanker group Euronav to buy US rival Gener8 Maritime

LONDON (Reuters) — Tanker operator Euronav is to buy US rival Gener8 Maritime to create one of the world's top oil shipping fleets, the companies said on Thursday, in an all-stock deal worth an estimated $490 MM.

Mexichem-Pemex JV will not rebuild blast-damaged plant

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — A joint venture between Mexican chemicals company Mexichem and state oil firm Pemex has decided not to rebuild a petrochemical plant in southeastern Mexico badly damaged in a deadly explosion last year, Mexichem said on Wednesday.

US Senator trying to get Big Corn behind US biofuels reform

(Reuters) — Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, is trying to win support from the Midwest corn lobby for a broad legislative overhaul of the nation's biofuels policy, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Materia, Inc. sells catalyst business to Umicore

PASADENA, Calif. — Materia, Inc., a leading supplier of high performance catalysts and advanced polymers, has entered into an agreement to sell its catalyst business to Umicore, a global materials technology and recycling company with a strong presence in precious metal catalysts headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

PDVSA at risk of losing Bonaire terminal over maintenance delay

HOUSTON (Reuters) — Venezuela’s PDVSA could lose its license to operate an oil storage terminal it owns on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire if it does not soon fulfill maintenance demands by regulators, a government spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Enterprise to implement additional crude oil quality specs at Cushing terminal

HOUSTON — Enterprise Products Partners L.P. announced that it will adopt five new quality specifications for sweet crude oil, also referred to as West Texas Intermediate (WTI) at its terminal in Cushing, Oklahoma. Enterprise’s Cushing terminal is a physical delivery point for NYMEX WTI futures.