Lacing up his running shoes: Though he already confirmed earlier this summer that he would run for lieutenant governor in 2015, Mayor Kip Holden is going to announce officially his candidacy at an event Wednesday. A brief media invite says Holden will be at Drusilla Seafood, 3482 Drusilla Lane, at 10 a.m. to make the announcement. So far, Holden is the only Democrat who has announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor. Republicans who are considered likely to enter the race include Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, State Sen. Elbert Guillory and Jefferson Parish President John Young.
It’s closing time: BP plans to close its U.S. cellulosic operation by the end of next year’s first quarter, a person familiar with the situation tells Bloomberg. As part of the planned closing, BP is exploring options to sell the demonstration plant in Jennings, Louisiana, a technology center in San Diego, a Highlands feedstock farm in Florida and some activities in Brazil, Houston or London, company spokesman Brett Clanton says in an e-mail. Cellulosic biofuel is a liquid fuel made by extracting sugars out of grass. The business was part of an effort to find ways to produce ethanol from sources such as switchgrass, wood chips and agricultural waste as an alternative to biofuels from food crops. Read the full story.
Pressing on: Oil production from the biggest shale plays in the United States is poised to keep expanding into early next year at the same breakneck pace as the recent past, according to new U.S. projections released on Monday that highlight a slow response to tumbling oil prices. Oil production from the three main plays—the Bakken, Eagle Ford and Permian Basin—is set to rise by some 103,000 barrels per day in January from December, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says. Meanwhile, natural gas production in the major shale plays is expected to grow 0.6 billion cubic feet per day month-over-month in January. Production from the Haynesville shale is expected to rise near 0.1 billion cubic feet per day next month. Reuters has the full story.
