Oil jumps 4% on weaker dollar after seven days of losses
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/23/oil-markets-covid-dollar.html

Crude Oil Surges; Rebounding After Torrid Week
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/crude-oil-surges-rebounding-torrid-092802254.html

- Can oil really hit $80 by the end of the year?
- Last week's selloff was overdone, so oil is rebounding now.
- Plenty of reasons to see demand suffering due to coronavirus
- Sentiment is a real thing with the oil market. Perception of how coronavirus will impact demand has a real impact.

California's clean grid may lean on oil, gas to avoid summer blackouts
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/californias-clean-grid-may-lean-oil-gas-avoid-summer-blackouts-2021-08-11/
- Irony of building "temporary" natural gas plants to keep the lights on in California, which claims to have a "clean" grid
- could the governor recall impact

US nears proposal of biofuel targets for 2021-22
https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2246546-us-nears-proposal-of-biofuel-targets-for-202122
- biofuel mandates could be lowered for 2021 and 2022
- is the RFS really worthwhile at this point?

Hydrogen lobbyist quits, slams oil companies’ “false claims” about blue hydrogen
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/08/ex-lobbyist-slams-blue-hydrogen-says-it-would-lock-in-fossil-fuel-dependence/
- Blue hydrogen is only less carbon intensive if carbon is captured at every step of the way, and that is unlikely.
- just because you don't see the pollution at the end result doesn't mean its not a carbon intensive process

Carbon taxes could hurt Russia more than sanctions, says oil tsar
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/carbon-taxes-could-hurt-russia-more-than-sanctions-says-oil-tsar-kommersant-2021-08-23/
- border adjustment taxes for carbon on aluminum, iron ore, pipes, electricity, cement could have major impact on Russian exports.

Nord Stream 2: Russia must not use gas pipeline as weapon, says Merkel
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58301099
- Is the concern over Russia's threat to the EU overblown? Is Europe really afraid of Russia?
- Is it mostly a Ukrainian-Russian issue and western Europe isn't concerned?
- If the EU is confident about doing businesses with Russia to the extent that they are willing to rely on Russia for 40% of their natural gas, then why is the US afraid of Russia?

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