A controversial oil refinery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, is shutting down "indefinitely" because of "severe financial constraints," its owner, Limetree Bay Energy, announced on Monday.
Why it matters: The future of the refinery, which recently showered oil on homes in nearby communities and polluted drinking sources, is unknown, and it is unclear how cleanup in the future would be handled, the Washington Post reports.
There are fresh signs that U.S. oilfield activity is increasing alongside the return of demand and higher prices, but don't look for a return of record pre-pandemic production soon — or maybe ever.
Driving the news: The number of active U.S. oil rigs rose again last week, per the oilfield services company Baker Hughes' rolling tally.
Two foundations just unveiled a $1 billion initiative to help deliver clean energy to huge numbers of people worldwide who lack electricity access — and they hope it catalyzes vastly more outside capital.
Driving the news: The Rockefeller and Ikea foundations said the new program "aims to reduce 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and to empower 1 billion people with distributed renewable energy."
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Sunday that it's sent a team to Alabama to help investigate a fiery multi-vehicle crash that killed 10 people, including nine children.
The big picture: Saturday's crash, south of Montgomery, occurred amid a tropical depression that left 13 people dead in Alabama. It triggered flash floods and tornadoes that razed "dozens of homes" in the Southeast over the weekend, per AP. Parts of the Midwest were also badly hit, including Indiana and Chicago, where a tornado struck late Sunday.
American Airlines announced Sunday that it's cutting some 950 flights from its schedule, including 296 this weekend, to reduce potential pressure on its operations, the Wall Street Journal first reported.
Driving the news: The U.S. vaccine rollout has led to a massive increase in travel bookings. The airline noted in an emailed statement that it's facing an "incredibly quick ramp up of customer demand."
