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Americas

By shielding biggest buyer Asia from supply cuts, OPEC risks prolonging fuel glut

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -- OPEC's efforts to hold market share in Asia by keeping its customers, which take about two-thirds of its exports, supplied amid wider output cuts could prolong the global fuel glut and frustrate its attempt to bolster prices.

As bruising year ends, US refiners brace for more costly regulations

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- US refiners such as Valero Energy Corp and Marathon Petroleum Corp are bracing for stricter, smog-busting gasoline regulations set to hit in January, threatening more headwinds for an industry that has just endured its least profitable year since the shale boom started five years ago.

Koch escalates tax reform battle with report on gasoline prices

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A Koch Industries-funded report warned on Friday US gasoline prices would rise if Congress passed a Republican proposal to adjust US corporate tax rates to favor exports over imports, escalating a lobbying battle over the measure.

DOE shows US used more blended gasoline in 2015

WASHINGTON — Recent data from the US Department of Energy (DOE) shows that gasoline consumed in 25 states and the District of Columbia contained more than 10.0% ethanol on average in 2015. The national average ethanol blend rate was 9.91% according to the DOE data.

Brazil's Braskem to pay $920 MM in leniency deal for corruption case

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -- Brazil's Braskem SA , the largest petrochemical producer in Latin America, signed a leniency deal on Wednesday with Brazilian prosecutors leading a sweeping corruption probe into political kickbacks at state-run oil company Petrobras, the company said in a securities filing.

Tillerson to hand over reins to Exxon's president Woods

(Reuters) -- ExxonMobil Corp said on Wednesday its president, Darren Woods, will become chief executive and chairman in January following the retirement of Rex Tillerson, who is US President-elect Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state.

EIA: Crude stocks down, though inventories up again in Cushing

(Reuters) -- US crude stocks fell last week as refineries hiked output, while gasoline stocks increased and distillate inventories fell, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.

Evonik to build silica plant in South Carolina

Evonik Industries is building a production plant for precipitated silica in the US state of South Carolina to supply the tire industry. The industry needs high-quality precipitated silica for producing fuel-efficient tires with good wet grip properties, which can save up to 8% fuel in comparison to conventional car tires.

Trump's energy pick Perry likely a boost for oil, worry for environmentalists

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday formally named former Texas governor Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy, adding to the list of oil-drilling advocates skeptical about climate change filling out his Cabinet selections.

Leaked report says slack management exposed BP to high safety risk

LONDON (Reuters) -- BP's refining operations are exposed to high safety risks that can lead to deadly accidents and pollution as a result of slack management and a lack of investment, according to a leaked internal report from 2015.