OVERNIGHT ENERGY: ISIS oil revenues take hit from airstrikes

OIL SALES: The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) makes $1 million a day off its black-market oil sales but U.S. airstrikes have helped choke off the terror group’s sources of income.

The Treasury Department said on Thursday that as of mid-June ISIS made $1 million a day on oil sales, but expects that number has dropped due to the airstrikes.

{mosads}The administration just isn’t sure how much, said David Cohen, under secretary of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence for Treasury.

“There is no question that ISIL is one of best funded terrorist organizations that we have confronted,” Cohen said, using an alternative name for the terror group.

“Our best understanding is that ISIL has tapped into a long-standing and deeply rooted black market connecting traders in and around the area,” Cohen said. “After extracting the oil, ISIL sells it to smugglers who, in turn, transport the oil outside of ISIL’s strongholds.”

Read more here.

CLIMATE: Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy will keynote a conference on Friday at Georgetown University titled “The Power of Opinion: How Americans’ Preferences on Energy Point a Way Forward on Climate Change.”

FUTURE OF NUCLEAR: The Hill will host a discussion on “America’s Energy Landscape: A Policy Discussion on Nuclear Energy” at the National Press Club on Friday.

The discussion will feature Assistant Energy Secretary for Nuclear Energy Peter Lyons, former Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner. President of North America’s Building Trades Unions Sean McGarvey and Gene Barr, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

Register for the event here.

AROUND THE WEB:

A report from West Virginia University found the coal-friendly state could meet the targets proposed by the EPA to lower its greenhouse gas emissions by ramping up solar, and wind power, and improving its existing coal plants, according to the Charleston Gazette. 

An environmental watchdog group found some oil and gas drillers are using benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, in its hydraulic fracturing operations, Bloomberg reports.

A Colorado man pleaded guilty to murdering a Montana teacher in an oil boom town, the Associated Press reports.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

– EU leaders split over costs of climate deal
– EPA considers prohibiting use of 72 chemicals in pesticides
– Trick or treat? Your child may be wearing a toxic Halloween costume
– Group hits Obama over fuel mandate in ads
– Treasury: ISIS makes $1M a day from oil sales
– EPA review board finds ‘strong scientific support’ for water rule
– Poland could block EU climate deal
– New York governor: Expect fracking study by end of year
– WTI climbs after hitting 2-year low
– Can Manchin save coal country Dems?

Please send tips and comments to Laura Barron-Lopez, laurab@digital-release.thehill.com, and Timothy Cama, tcama@digital-release.thehill.com. 

Follow us on Twitter: @thehill @lbarronlopez @Timothy_Cama