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SAN FRANCISCO — Federal officials said Oct. 24 that Chevron Corp. has agreed to pay a nearly $3 million fine and spend $160 million on environmental improvements and upgrading oil refineries to resolve allegations the company violated pollution laws.

A sobering review of the U.S. Postal Service by its inspector general finds that the agency’s ambitious 2015 “Window Change” program, which saves money by slowing letter delivery and closing and consolidating mail-processing centers, has cost more and saved far less than planned.

A misconduct investigation completed by Tennessee Technological University concluded that university researchers erred when stating in an industry-funded glider kit study that emissions from the trucks are as clean or cleaner than those from newer trucks.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The first oil and gas production wells in federal Arctic waters have been approved by U.S. regulators. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Oct. 24 announced it issued a conditional permit for the Liberty Project, a proposal by a subsidiary of Houston-based Hilcorp for production wells on an artificial island in the Beaufort Sea.

The International Maritime Organization rejected a proposal — supported by both the U.S. and shipping groups — for a phased start to rules that will limit the sulfur content of ship fuels starting in 2020.

A few months ago lawyers for Exxon Mobil Corp. stood before a judge and told New York’s attorney general to “put up or shut up” after investigating the company’s public disclosures about climate change, saying it should sue the company or move on. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said Exxon Mobil misled investors about the risks that climate change poses to its operations.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted Waste Management Holdings Inc. an exemption from certain hours-of-service rules.

American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said he likes the direction trucking is going and credits tax cuts for breathing new life into the economy, sparking investment and giving President Donald Trump leverage to negotiate new trade deals.

Outgoing Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle has been appointed senior vice president of Econolite, a company that specializes in intelligent transportation systems and traffic management software.

WASHINGTON — Sales of new U.S. homes plunged 5.5% in September, the fourth straight monthly drop as the housing market cools while mortgage rates rise.