On the dotted line: The Pentagon says a Baton Rouge company is among 10 around the country that will get work cleaning up toxic, hazardous and radioactive waste for the federal government. A news release says CB&I Federal Services LLC is among 10 companies that have landed contracts, with others located in California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Virginia. The work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency will total up to $185 million. The exact contract costs and locations will be decided with each order, with the contract slated to run through Jan. 7, 2020.
Finishing strong: The United States capped its best year for hiring in 15 years with a healthy gain in December, and the unemployment rate hit a six-year low. The government announced today that employers added 252,000 jobs last month and 50,000 more in October and November combined than it previously had estimated. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.6% last month from 5.8% in November. The rate is now at its lowest point since 2008. The Associated Press has the full story.
Market forces: The 40-year-old ban on most U.S. crude exports is set to be loosened after Mexico’s state-owned oil company asked for an exception. Bloomberg reports Petroleos Mexicanos is in talks with the U.S. Commerce Department to import 100,000 barrels a day of light crude to increase Mexico’s gasoline production and improve refining. Pemex, as the world’s ninth-largest oil producer is known, would send its heavy oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries in exchange. Commerce Department officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Read the full story.
