Exxon Mobil Corp. filed a lawsuit alleging that California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups made defamatory comments about the oil company’s ability to recycle plastic.  Exxon accused Bonta, the Sierra Group and others of making “false accusations” about its advanced recycling process. Exxon said in a suit filed in federal court in Texas Monday that the process works and the claims have damaged its relationship with customers.  “With apparently no appreciation for the irony of their claim, Mr. Bonta and his cohorts are now engaging in reverse greenwashing,” according to the complaint. “While posing under the banner of environmentalism, they do damage to genuine recycling programs and to meaningful innovation.” Bonta, a Democrat, sued Exxon on behalf of California in September over claims of public nuisance, water pollution and misleading environmental marketing. In a statement at the time, Bonta alleged the company “falsely promoted all plastic as recyclable” when in fact the US recycling rate has never exceeded 9%. Exxon and other manufacturers are also facing plastics recycling suits by a Kansas county and by residents in four states. In recent months, Exxon has shown a willingness to use the courts to defend its reputation and legal rights when attacked by critics, especially those focused on the environment. Last year, the company sued two of its own investors to remove environmental proposals from the ballot at its annual meeting.  Exxon sought to continue the suit even after the proposals were withdrawn, claiming to be a “forceful advocate” for shareholder rights, but the case was eventually dismissed.  The company claims Bonta made the anti-Exxon statements in a “deliberate smear campaign” in his “personal capacity to drive up donations and publicity for his political campaign.” It also accuses one of the defendants, the Intergenerational Environment Justice Fund Ltd., of serving “private foreign interests” through its relationship

Oil pushed higher as a cold front in the US and signs of a tighter market countered technical signals that crude’s rally may be overdone. West Texas Intermediate advanced almost 1% to settle above $74 a barrel, buoyed by frigid weather in the US that’s boosting demand for heating fuel and increasing the risk of freeze-offs in production areas. And while crude fell for the first time in six sessions on Monday after failing to breach the $75 psychological level, some internal market gauges have strengthened in recent days. Adding to signs of a tighter supply-demand balance, Middle Eastern oil markets have been firmer in recent weeks as refiners in China sought alternatives to Iranian and Russian crude. At the same time Russian data show that its oil production was below its OPEC+ output target last month, another sign of limited supplies. Meanwhile in China, ports in the eastern province of Shandong, the top destination for Iranian crude, were urged to prevent US-sanctioned tankers from docking at their berths. Crude markets have witnessed a robust start to the year as a result of technical buying after prices broke out of a monthslong range. Still, the relative strength index shows prices are trading at overbought levels, a reading that indicates crude was due for a pullback, and many analysts continue to warn of an oversupply later in the year. “Whilst renewed strength cannot be ruled out in the immediate future should freezing temperatures persist, the sudden change in sentiment yesterday afternoon insinuates that a protracted rally will be difficult to sustain without fundamental changes in economic prospects or the global oil balance,” said Tamas Varga, an analyst at brokerage PVM. Oil Prices: WTI for February delivery climbed 0.9% to settle at $74.25 a barrel. Brent for March delivery rose 1% to

Around 90% of the mass of a decommissioned wind turbine is made up of recyclable steel and concrete, which have well-established recycling chains, says a Monday report released by the Department of Energy — but the remaining 10% will require “new strategies and innovative recycling methods.” “Towers, foundations, and steel-based subcomponents in drivetrains offer the greatest potential currently to be successfully recycled, whereas blades, generators, and nacelle covers are likely to prove more difficult,” DOE said in a release. “Recovering critical materials and alloying elements from generators and power electronics, such as nickel, cobalt, and zinc, will be crucial in establishing a circular economy for wind systems.” The report suggested a combination of measures to improve recyclability, including:  “Improved end-of-life decommissioning collection and scrap sorting practices.  Strategic siting of recycling facilities.  Expanded and improved recovery and recycling infrastructure.  Substitution of hard-to-recycle and critical materials with more easily separable and affordable materials, improved component designs and manufacturing techniques, or the development of modular system components.  Optimized properties of recovered materials for second-life applications.  Greater access to wind energy waste streams and the equipment required to disassemble wind energy components.” The report was conducted by a team of researchers led by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, DOE said. It is meant to support the DOE’s Wind Energy Recycling Research, Development, and Demonstration program. Blade recycling has consistently been a barrier to a circular economy for wind energy due to blades including epoxy resins, which require the use of nonrenewable resources like petroleum to create and are almost impossible to break down and reuse. In 2023, NREL researchers announced promising initial results from a prototype blade that used plant-based resin. DOE’s release said that some short-term strategies for decommissioning wind turbines include blade

Campaigners are petitioning for the site of the proposed Hill of Fare wind farm in Aberdeenshire in a bid to stop the project. The Hill of Fare Windfarm Information Group called for Dunecht Estates, where the wind farm will be based, to get the project’s developer, RES, to withdraw its application. RES is looking to develop the 105.6MW less than four miles from Banchory. Under its current plan, the wind farm will use a total of 16 turbines, with heights between 590ft and 656ft. The petition said that local community groups have raised concerns about the project, including all six community councils surrounding the site, along with over 1,700 individual objections. A previous survey of local community councils found that 71% of people attending previous Hill of Fare wind farm consultations were against the project. Stakeholders have warned that the height of the turbines could damage the appearance of the local area. Last year, Aberdeenshire Council raised objections to the project, including risks to the area’s cultural heritage and potential impacts on water supplies at Dunecht Estate and Braeside. This means that the proposal will now undergo a public local inquiry to gather additional information on the objections before the Scottish government makes a decision. According to the petition, an inquiry would place a financial burden on the local authority. In addition, the campaigners raised issues with the size of a proposed community benefit fund associated with the project. They said that RES’s estimated annual revenues from the wind farm are likely to be £20 million to £25m while Dunecht Estates could make £1m-2.5m per year in rent. This compares to offering £528,000 per year in the community benefit fund. Scottish Conservative MSP for Aberdeenshire West Alexander Burnett said: “This petition highlights the strength of anger and concern towards this

An association of energy companies has urged the UK government “to recommit” to phasing out gas boilers by 2035, warning that the future of the country’s heating should be “clean, secure, and a driver of economic growth”. Caroline Bragg, chief executive of the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), said the trade body is “disappointed” by reports that the government will scrap the phase-out of gas boilers by 2035. “We are disappointed to hear reports that plans to phase out fossil boilers by 2035 may not be going ahead,” said Bragg. “We know to meet our net zero targets heat decarbonisation needs to happen at pace — this can only occur with strong signals to industry and consumers. Weak signals and watered-down policy will jeopardise billions in green heating investment at the time when we need it the most.” The trade association, which represents more than 160 organisations in the energy sector, warned that scrapping an already delayed ban on gas boilers “threatens to derail the UK’s journey to net zero”. Heating UK homes is estimated to account for 18% of the UK’s emissions, according to a report by the National Audit Office. If the government reneges on the phase-out of gas boilers, the trade body said it would put “billions in private investment at risk” that could otherwise be ploughed into heat pumps, heat networks and other innovative technologies. A turnaround on the gas boiler ban would also “undermine investor confidence and risk locking the UK into dependence on foreign fossil fuels,” the organisation said. “Should the government decide to scrap the 2035 ban on the installation of new gas boilers it will be a backward step that jeopardises the UK’s progress toward achieving its net zero targets,” added residential clean heating solution provider Aira UK’s chief executive Daniel Särefjord.

Scotland’s energy minister Gillian Martin has said future commercial opportunities for the Grangemouth oil refinery site are “very exciting”, despite the looming loss of around 400 jobs. Grangemouth owner Petroineos is planning to close Scotland’s only oil refinery later this year and transition the site into a fuel import terminal. Petroineos – a joint venture between PetroChina and Ineos – has blamed market pressures and the energy transition for its decision to close the refinery. Ahead of the closure, the Scottish and UK governments committed £1.6 million to ‘Project Willow’, which is assessing potential low-carbon options at Grangemouth. Future industrial uses proposed for the site include the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), as well as green hydrogen derivatives. However, Martin warned much of the opportunity at Grangemouth, particularly around hydrogen production, hinges on Scotland’s Acorn carbon capture and storage (CCS) project receiving UK government funding as part of its Track-2 process. Grangemouth future The acting cabinet secretary for net zero and energy made the comments during a Holyrood committee meeting on the UK government’s GB Energy Bill. Asked by Scottish Labour MSP Monica Lennon for an update on efforts to find a way forward for Grangemouth, and any potential role for GB Energy, Martin said she is due to review the results of the Project Willow study as early as next week. “Once that’s reviewed and that study is published, it’s [the Scottish government’s] aim to work with the UK government [and] Petroineos, but also any potential investors that we have in the UK and Scotland on some of the opportunities that there will be for that site,” Martin said. © Supplied by ASV Photography Ltd.Scottish Energy Minister Gillian Martin addresses the Offshore Europe conference in 2023. “There are about four or five particular streams of opportunity in terms