• Royal Dutch Shell PLC reported adjusted net income of $3.46 billion in the second quarter, a 26 percent drop from a year earlier, as fossil fuel companies continue to face a slowing global economy and an oversupply of natural gas. Shell also reported a 16 percent increase year over year in cash flow from operations to $11.03 billion, and the company increased oil and gas output by 4 percent to 3.58 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. (Bloomberg)

• PG&E Corp. confirmed a July 10 media report’s findings that the utility was aware for years that its aging infrastructure could start wildfires, but it rejected the article’s contention that it failed to perform maintenance, according to a federal court filing. PG&E said that it did delay some upgrades to a line that broke and caused last year’s Camp Fire but that the upgrades were not maintenance related. (The Wall Street Journal)

• During last night’s Democratic presidential debate, former Vice President Joe Biden received criticism from other candidates who said his plan to address climate change does not go far enough. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee denounced Biden’s “middle-ground solutions,” such as phasing out fossil fuels over an unspecified period of time, while New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker called Biden’s plan for the United States to re-enter the Paris climate accord “kindergarten.” (Washington Examiner)

Alaska natives accuse White House of hiding Arctic oil impact information
Yereth Rosen, Reuters

Alaska Natives and environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, accusing it of concealing information about the effects of oil development in the long-protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Democratic senator vows to fight Trump Interior nominee after requesting perjury investigation
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill

A Democratic senator is working to block a Trump nominee from serving as the top lawyer for the Department of the Interior and calling for an investigation after the nominee appeared to lie to lawmakers during his confirmation hearing about the department’s public records policy.

EPA shutters Las Vegas office
Kevin Bogardus, E&E News

EPA plans to close its Las Vegas Finance Center as the agency continues to shrink its real estate footprint across the country.

DOE begins development of North American ‘energy resilience model’
Robert Walton, Utility Dive

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will spearhead the development of a North American Energy Resilience Model (NAERM), designed to “proactively anticipate damage to energy system equipment,” predict associated blackouts and help with recovery.

Oil Slides as Dollar Strengthens After Fed’s Cautious Rate Cut
Heesu Lee and Grant Smith, Bloomberg

Oil retreated from a two-week high after the Federal Reserve said its interest rate cut was an isolated move, boosting the dollar and dimming demand for commodities priced in the U.S. currency.

Oxy earnings dip 25%, Anadarko megadeal likely to close in August
Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle

Occidental Petroleum reported a $635 million quarterly profit that dipped 25 percent from the year prior, but the focus still remains on Oxy’s $38 billion acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum that could close in August.

Baker Hughes beats Wall Street expectations on revenue but posts $9 million loss
Sergio Chapa, Houston Chronicle

Houston oilfield service company Baker Hughes beat Wall Street expectations on revenue but still ended up posting a $9 million loss for the second quarter.

Oil Tankers’ Tracking Signals Are Vanishing in the Strait of Hormuz
Brian Wingfield and Julian Lee, Bloomberg

Oil tanker owners are finding a way to reduce the risks of navigating the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important — and lately most dangerous — energy chokepoint: vanish from global tracking systems.

Another U.S. Utility Giant Blames Trade Wars for Pinching Sales
David R. Baker, Bloomberg

Add Southern Co. to the list of electric utilities seeing sales hurt by President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

Dominion to focus on Supreme Court to get Atlantic Coast Pipeline to finish line
Harry Weber, S&P Global Platts

Dominion Energy will focus more attention in the months ahead on gaining a win at the US Supreme Court rather than publicly discussing administrative or legislative actions to get its stalled Atlantic Coast Pipeline completed, amid investor concerns about the project’s future.

Turbines Tossed Into Dump Stirs Debate on Wind’s Dirty Downside
Chris Martin, Bloomberg

Wind turbines may be carbon-free, but they’re not recyclable.

Trump administration launches probe into pricing of wind tower imports
Justin Horwath, S&P Global Platts

The Trump administration is investigating whether companies in four countries are selling utility-scale wind towers to US importers at prices below their fair value.

Auction set for bankrupt coal producer Blackjewel’s assets
John Raby, The Associated Press

An auction is set for the assets of bankrupt coal operator Blackjewel LLC. A notice filed in federal bankruptcy court in West Virginia said the auction is scheduled for Thursday morning at the Cincinnati law office of attorneys representing Blackjewel.

Nuclear waste shipments to Nevada, likely passing through Utah, raise activists’ temperature
Amy Joi O’Donoghue, Deseret News

Utah transportation officials and state radioactive waste regulators say shipments of mischaracterized nuclear waste to Nevada may be reported under federal regulations, but it isn’t clear if anyone in this state knew about it.

Big Oil CEOs to huddle on sidelines of UN climate summit
Amy Harder, Axios

CEOs of the world’s biggest oil companies will face critical questions from environmentalists at an invite-only forum Sept. 23 in New York City, on the sidelines of a major UN climate summit.

Natural gas is the ‘real’ green new deal
Bernard L. Weinstein, The Hill

Early this year, with great fanfare, several members of Congress proposed a “Green New Deal” to battle climate change through a rapid and drastic reduction in the production and consumption of fossil fuels. Specifically, the program called for eliminating pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by “greening” all new and existing buildings in the U.S., embracing distributed power generation and smart grids, and meeting 100 percent of electricity demand by 2030 with zero-emission energy sources — i.e., no fossil fuels and no nukes.

Ocean at the Door: New Homes and the Rising Sea
Climate Central

Recent housing growth rates are faster in ten-year flood-risk zones in a third of all coastal states. This report was updated in July 2019 with new data.