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Industry News

Tesla supplier Piedmont Lithium gets key North Carolina mining permit

(Reuters) - North Carolina regulators have approved a state mining permit for Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab supplier Piedmont Lithium (PLL.O), opens new tab to develop one of the largest U.S. sources of the key electric vehicle battery metal, although key financing and local regulatory challenges remain.

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Using the sun to produce green plants and green energy

(ARS USDA) - Higher temperatures caused by climate change threaten crop yields and ranch animal health, but a team of researchers from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has a plan that will not only save crops and livestock but help power farms and the nation as well.

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How to adjust your fertility practices for no-till and cover crops

(AG Web) - Government incentives aimed at mitigating climate change are almost sure to motivate you, and your landlords, to move toward no-till and cover crops. That’s the reason for our series of stories aimed at helping you convert to vertical farming systems, where those practices perform best.

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Through Aramco, peak China courts peak oil

(Reuters Breakingviews) - Exchanges between China and Arab states stretch back centuries along the ancient Silk Road. More recently, Saudi Aramco (2222.SE), opens new tab is doubling down in the People’s Republic, making energy investments in the world's second largest economy. The two sides can help each other quite a lot.

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On lithium's frontier, miners are betting on a greener second act

(Mining) - Against the arid, red dirt of the Australian Outback, the Mount Holland lithium mine emerges to approaching visitors as a colossal grey-tinged crater, with trucks the size of houses edging along its steep inclines.

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US court upholds EPA decision to approve California electric-vehicle rules

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to grant California a waiver to set its own tailpipe emissions limits and electric-vehicle requirements.

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Ammonium sulfate can give soybeans sulfur boost

(BrownField) - An agronomist says they’re seeing more cases of sulfur deficiency in soybeans.

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US freight rail, supply chain, now at the mercy of California's net-zero emissions rule

(The Hill) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is edging toward greenlighting California regulators’ plan to set net-zero emissions standards for locomotives operating in the Golden State. This scheme that could quickly spread to other states, threatening reliable rail transport of goods throughout the country.

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Canadian National Railway offers higher hourly pay, improved schedule in new offer to union

(Reuters) - Canadian National Railway said on Friday it has proposed an offer that included higher hourly wages, improved vacation leave and more consistent work schedules as part of negotiations with a union representing its employees.

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The most innovative companies in agriculture for 2024

(Fast Company) - Humans have been farming since the Neolithic era, long enough for their tools and practices to need a little TLC. That, of course, has become the near-singular focus in recent years of a growing crop of industry upstarts—some through technology, others by importing ingenious ideas outside of agriculture, still others by returning to fundamentals they believe got lost along the way. What makes the 2024 list of most innovative agriculture companies so impressive is that their products and services barely overlap, yet many could complement or even enhance the others.

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Energy Department offers $3.5B for battery manufacturing

(Utility Dive) - The funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law will go toward new, retrofitted and expanded battery and critical mineral production sites.

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Keep Sulfur in mind when making fertilizer decisions

(SFN Today) - We know there are essential elements for plant growth. Sulfur is one of them, but there are two forms of sulfur. Taylor Purucker, crop nutrition lead for the Mosaic Company, talks about the two types of sulfur.

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STB gets earful on proposed rule for reciprocal switching

(Freight Waves) - The Surface Transportation Board recently closed the comment period for rail stakeholders to file their thoughts on whether reciprocal switching should be considered as an option to address subpar rail service in the U.S.

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Copper slump threatens shift to wind power and EVs

(The Wall Street Journal) - A prolonged slide in copper prices is challenging the world’s shift to renewable energy sources. Mining firms will need to dig up gigantic amounts of new copper over the next several years to supply the transition to renewables.

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The path to green energy Is getting messier

(The Wall Street Journal) - The energy transition is getting a dose of reality.Offshore wind projects are being scrapped, and renewable- energy companies' share prices are tanking. In the U.S., automakers are reining in electric-vehicle plans as demand falters.

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Sulfur is demanding its place in crop nutrient budgeting

(EOS) - Scientists advocate for a more significant consideration of sulfur from a multidisciplinary perspective as a necessary step towards sustainable crop management.

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CN prepared for winter despite regulatory uncertainty

(Freight Waves) - Canadian railway CN is prepared to handle low temperatures and heavy snowfall this winter, but it warns that new regulations could test its ability to meet customer demand and keep the supply chain flowing, according to the 2023-2024 winter plan that it recently submitted to the Canadian government.

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Kansas attempts two-person crew requirement

(Railway Age) - The state of Kansas on Nov. 3 will put into effect an administrative rule requiring two-person freight railroad crews.

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Chandrayaan-3's measurements of sulfur open the doors for lunar science and exploration

(Space) - Sulfur in soils near the moon's poles might help astronauts live off the land one day, making these measurements an example of science that enables exploration.

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Aus govt awards A$50m in grants to critical mineral projects

(Mining Weekly) – The federal government on Friday approved nearly A$50-million in grants to accelerate the development of the critical minerals industry in the country, as part of efforts to reach net zero.

The project will also produce 300,000 t/y of elemental sulphur, which will reduce Australia’s dependence on imports for fertiliser production. 

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Member News

Hempel Acquiring Wattyl Australia, New Zealand

(Coatings World) Hempel A/S said it signed a purchase agreement to acquire Wattyl – one of Australia and New Zealand's leading manufacturers of paint for the decorative and protective segments with a turnover of €150 million and 750 employees – from The Sherwin-Williams Company.

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Shell to License Tech for New Refinery

(Rig Zone) PT Pertamina Rosneft Pengolahan dan Petrokimia (PT PRPP) has signed a licensing and basic engineering agreement to apply Shell Catalysts and Technologies processes at a new refinery in Tuban, Java Timur, Indonesia, Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) reported Wednesday

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CSX, Union Pacific caution about bad winter weather

(Freight Waves) Bitter cold and strong winter storms could impact rail operations over the next several days, according to service advisories from several U.S. Class I railroads.

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U.S. Department of Commerce Issues Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determinations on Phosphate Fertilizer Imports from Morocco and Russia

Yahoo Finance - February 9, 2021
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its final determination that phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco and Russia are unfairly subsidized. Commerce calculated a subsidy rate of 19.97 percent for Moroccan producer OCP. In the Russia investigation, Commerce calculated rates of 9.19 percent and 47.05 percent for PhosAgro and EuroChem, respectively, and a rate of 17.2 percent for all other producers/exporters

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Oil May Not Be Chevron's Largest Business in 20 Years

CNN Business - February 8, 2021
While oil and gas will certainly be needed for decades to come, the oil and gas division may not be Chevron's top business in 20 years, although it will still be a very big part of the U.S. supermajor's operations, chief executive Michael Wirth told CNN Business in an interview published on Monday.

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TSI Member Companies Earn Railroad Safety Grand Slam Award

The NAR Grand Slam Award is presented annually to companies that are exemplary shippers of hazardous materials. An award winner must have been recognized by at least four Class I railroads and have had zero non-accident releases involving their shipments the previous calendar year. HJ Baker Sulphur LLC and ExxonMobil Corp received the award for calendar year 2019.

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Ioneer Announces Definitive Feasibility Study for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project

April 30, 2020 – [From Ioneer's Newsletter] Yesterday we announced the outcomes of our Definitive Feasibility Study (’DFS’) for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada (‘Project’). This is an exciting and critical milestone for ioneer. The DFS places Rhyolite Ridge as the single most attractive Project for the economic production of lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and boric acid globally. Rhyolite Ridge is truly a world class asset with strong Project economics...

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Canadian National Railway and NorFalco Sales have signed a new multiyear agreement

Jan 9, 2020 – CN and NorFalco Sales have signed a new multiyear agreement that will provide freight transportation of sulphuric acid from NorFalco's rail-served production facilities in Sudbury, Ontario, and Rouyn-Noranda and Valleyfield, Quebec.

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Lithium Americas Releases 2019 Year in Review

Jan 3, 2020 – Lithium Americas recently released their 2019 Year in Review collection of the best photos and key milestones from Lithium Americas. Please find it here: 2019 Year in Review. For more information on the geology of the Thacker Pass Project, please check-out this interview with Lithium Americas’ Lead Geologist, Dr. Tom Benson, who recently presented new research on the origin of lithium deposits at the 100th Annual American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

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H.J. Baker & Bro., LLC Announces Acquisition of Oxbow Sulphur

Shelton, Conn., June 24, 2019 – H.J. Baker & Bro., LLC, a global manufacturer and supplier in the animal health and nutrition and sulphur industries, announced today that it has acquired Oxbow Sulphur and its international affiliates, effective June 21, 2019.

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