Things To Do In SW Florida

By BRIAN SLODYSKO and JACK DURA, Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — When North Dakota’s petroleum association was going to hold a banquet honoring top fracking executives last year, it turned to Gov. Doug Burgum. The two-term Republican, now President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, co-hosted the event — at the governor’s mansion.

And when energy industry lobbyists were looking for help taking on Biden administration greenhouse gas rules, they also turned to Burgum. In an email to Burgum’s office seeking the legal heft the state could provide, an industry lobbyist argued that “combating” such regulations required “a one-two punch” from industry and government.

While it is not surprising that the governor of the third-largest oil producing state would have a close relationship with fossil fuel producers, records obtained by the Associated Press reveal Burgum’s administration eagerly assisted the industry even as the governor was profiting from the lease of family land to oil companies. And his assistance came at a time when Burgum was leaning on those very connections to build his national profile in the Republican Party. read more

By MATT OTT, AP Business Writer

The Justice Department sued to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of rival Juniper Networks on Thursday, the first attempt to stop a merger by a new Trump administration that is expected to take a softer approach to mergers.

The Justice complaint alleges that Hewlett Packer Enterprise, under increased competitive pressure from the fast-rising Juniper, was forced to discount products and services and invest more in its own innovation, eventually leading the company to simply buy its rival.

The lawsuit said that the combination of businesses would eliminate competition, raise prices and reduce innovation.

HPE and Juniper issued a joint statement Thursday, saying the companies strongly oppose the DOJ’s decision.

“We will vigorously defend against the Department of Justice’s overreaching interpretation of antitrust laws and will demonstrate how this transaction will provide customers with greater innovation and choice, positively change the dynamics in the networking market,” the companies said. read more

By ALEX VEIGA

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. eased for the second week in a row, but remains just below 7%, little relief for prospective home shoppers looking ahead to the spring homebuying season.

Attendance was flat for Universal’s theme parks in the fourth quarter of last year, and core earnings fell 3.9% because of spending on Epic Universe, set to debut in Orlando in May, according to Thursday’s financial report of parent company Comcast.

But overall, Comcast reported record revenue of $123.7 billion for the full year, up 1.8% from a year earlier. Among the boosts were the November release of “Wicked,” which earned $700 million at the global box office, and “The Wild Robot,” an animated film that brought in $300 million.

Quarterly revenue for Comcast’s content and experiences division —  which includes its theme parks, studios and media — was up 5% to $12.1 billion.  Revenue for its Peacock streaming service was $1.3 billion, up 28%. Peacock now has 36 million subscribers, Comcast said.

Results for theme parks were similar to previous quarters, with flat attendance and revenue domestically and improvements in international markets. Comcast reported $35 million in pre-operating costs related to Epic for the fourth quarter.  The attraction, Universal Orlando’s third theme park, is scheduled to open May 22, near the midpoint of the second quarter of the current financial year. read more

In a letter sent to President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Duke Energy and other utility companies called for “swift and sustained action” to roll back new limits on both greenhouse gas emissions and coal ash produced by power plants.

The two regulations targeted by the utilities were unveiled by the Biden administration, and imposed landmark rules to try to clean up the country’s power generation to help mitigate climate change.

The letter, dated Jan. 15 and addressed to former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, has not been previously reported. Zeldin has not yet been confirmed by the Senate to lead the environmental agency, but that process could be completed by the end of the week.

The first category of rules cited by the companies, related to greenhouse gas emissions, essentially requires coal-fired plants to capture smokestack emissions or shut down by 2032, while many new natural gas-fired power plants must eliminate 90% of their carbon dioxide emissions. To do this, utilities must employ expensive carbon capture technology, likely making zero-emissions options like solar more attractive. The utilities have said carbon-capture technology is untested and “impossible to implement” by the 2032 deadline. read more