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Diesel Climbs 0.2¢ to $3.171

The U.S. average retail price of diesel climbed 0.2 cent to $3.171 a gallon, as crude oil prices settled below $63 amid international tensions, the Department of Energy reported May 6.

Diesel now costs exactly the same as it did a year ago, DOE said.

Regional diesel prices were mixed, lower in five regions and higher in five.

With only two exceptions, the U.S. average retail diesel price has climbed each week since Feb. 11.

Also last week, the national average price for regular gasoline climbed 1 cent to $2.897 a gallon, DOE’s Energy Information Administration said.

Oil Rises as Middle East Tension Drowns Out Trump Trade Threats

Oil recovered from early declines after President Donald Trump threatened to escalate his trade war with China but also dispatched warships to the Middle East in a warning to Iran.

Futures in New York climbed 0.5% as Trump’s national security adviser announced an aircraft carrier strike group and bomber force were on their way to the Middle East. That erased a steep plunge earlier in the session after the president’s tweets suggested U.S.-China trade talks were in jeopardy, stoking fears about the global economy.

U.S. crude has retreated around 6% since hitting a six-month high in late April amid signs global markets may not be as tight as feared. While the possibility that the world’s two largest economies won’t reach a trade truce undermined prices, the decision to dispatch forces to the heart of global crude production posed a new risk to supplies, after Trump tightened sanctions on Iran last week.

Chevron to Buy Anadarko in $33 Billion Bet on Permian Oil, LNG

Chevron Corp. agreed to buy Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in a $33 billion deal that adds U.S. shale oil and African liquefied natural gas and puts it in the top ranks of the world’s largest energy companies.

The takeover, the industry’s sixth largest, puts Chevron neck-and-neck with the oil and gas production of Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell, both of which have dominated Big Oil over the past decade. Measured by cash flow, Chevron said it would have generated a combined $36.5 billion with Anadarko last year, slightly ahead of Exxon’s $36 billion.

“Chevron now joins the ranks of the ultramajors,” Wood Mackenzie Ltd. analyst Roy Martin said in a note.

Mapillary Assists Transportation Agencies With Safety

Mapillary, a street-level imagery platform, has announced that photologs with 40 million images of about 270,000 miles of road data have been uploaded to its system to improve safety in the commercial and commuter transportation sectors.

Display on Android device by Mapillary.

The additional images came from the departments of transportation in Connecticut, Arizona, Florida, Utah and Vermont.

Mapillary said the images enhance assessments of road surveys, pavement maintenance and crash analysis. Its computer program is designed to detect guardrails, traffic signs and pedestrians’ interactions with vehicles.

Diesel Average Price Spurts 2.5¢ to $3.118

The U.S. average retail price of diesel climbed 2.5 cents to $3.118 a gallon as crude oil hovered around $64 a barrel, the Department of Energy reported April 15.

Diesel now costs 1.4 cents more than it did a year ago, when the price was $3.104 per gallon, DOE said.

Prices rose everywhere, with the sharpest increase on the West Coast, where they climbed 6 cents to $3.651.

Amazon Is Said to Prepare Closing of Chinese E-Commerce Store

Amazon.com is preparing to close a Chinese online store that caters to mainland consumers, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Amazon’s other Chinese operations, such Amazon Web Services, Kindle e-books and cross-border teams that help ship goods from Chinese merchants to customers abroad, will continue to operate, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.

Pulling out of Chinese e-commerce represents a significant setback for the company and CEO Jeff Bezos, known for his willingness to weather losses to achieve long-term gains. Amazon has struggled to win customers from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and JD.com even after investing in warehouses, data centers and acquiring online book seller Joyo in 2004. The pullback is the latest sign that Amazon is ceding China so it can focus on India, where it stands a better chance of becoming a dominant player.

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Infrastructure Funding Hits Roadblocks in Michigan Legislature

As negotiations over Michigan’s annual budget pick up the pace, fissures are developing between the Republican-led Legislature and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over the perennial problem of road funding.

Whitmer’s budget recommendation hinges on a 45-cent gas tax increase to pay for them, a suggestion House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clark Lake) have so far rejected on its face.

Chatfield’s described the plan as a “nonstarter” in the House, recently suggesting he prefers an approach that directs “every penny that’s paid at the pump to our roads” and said House Republicans are in the process of drafting their own budget plan.

Spokesperson Gideon D’Assandro said there currently isn’t a set timeline on when that plan might be released, adding conversations are ongoing.

In the Senate, leaders are considering splitting road funding talks from the budget process entirely.

Diesel Rises 1.5¢ a Gallon to $3.093

The U.S. average retail price of diesel climbed 1.5 cents to $3.093 a gallon, and crude oil prices pushed past $64 a barrel to post a five-month high, the Department of Energy reported April 8.

Diesel costs 5 cents more than a year ago, when the price was $3.043, DOE said.

Regional diesel prices rose everywhere but New England, where the average fell by 0.3 cent to $3.193.

At the same time, crude extended its advance as an escalation of fighting in OPEC producer Libya overshadowed the biggest increase in U.S. active rigs since May, Bloomberg News reported.

West Texas Intermediate crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange closed at $64.36 per barrel April 8, compared with $61.59 on April 1.

Illinois Lawmaker Proposes Tolls on I-80 Outside Chicago

An Illinois lawmaker has introduced a bill that proposes turning a segment of Interstate 80 outside Chicago into a tolled route.

The bill from Rep. Lawrence Walsh (D-Joliet), filed as HJR50 in March, would authorize the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to include in its toll system the portion of I-80 — specifically between State Route 47 and I-294, which loops around Chicago and is already tolled. In its entirety, I-80 runs from San Francisco to Teaneck, N.J.

Walsh

Interstate 80 is the subject of an ongoing IDOT study to identify a solution to the route’s operational and capacity needs. More than $1 billion is needed to repair the road, according to the agency.

$59 Million in Vehicle Technologies Research Funding Available, Energy Department Announces

Firms seeking additional funding for batteries and electric systems aimed at advancing vehicle technologies may look to the federal government for backing.

The Energy Department on April 3 announced that about $59 million is available for stakeholders seeking to develop projects that prioritize energy efficient mobility systems, improve materials for powertrains, co-optimize advanced engine and fuel technologies, and create new mobility options.

The funding availability stems from the agency’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.