Bloomberg The Trump administration’s decision to keep issuing oil drilling permits during the government shutdown is putting those authorisations in legal jeopardy, environmentalists argued in a filing. The Bureau of Land Management has already violated a federal spending law and legal requirements for public consultation by issuing at least 153 drilling permits since the shutdown began on December 22, WildEarth …

Bloomberg Five US refiners either significantly reduced or totally replaced purchases of Venezuelan crude in 2018, and more may follow suit as president Donald Trump mulls new sanctions against the South American nation. Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Phillips 66 haven’t processed Venezuelan crude in their US refineries since the US imposed financial sanctions against the country and its oil …

Bloomberg Satorp, the joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Total SA, hired Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) and Riyad Bank to help raise funds to develop a petrochemical facility in the kingdom, according to people with knowledge of matter. Financing for the $5 billion Amiral project is expected to be arranged from banks and export credit agencies, the people said, …