BASF Corp., the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany, plans to boost production of 1, 4-butanediol (BDO) at its Geismar, La., petrochemicals plant by next year.

Kuwait National Petroleum Co. (KNPC), through a subcontractor, has let a contract to Mushrif Trading & Contracting Co. for work related to its Clean Fuels Project (CFP) at the Mina Abdullah refinery in southern Kuwait.

Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) has agreed to acquire Hiland Partners from founder Harold Hamm and certain Hamm family trusts for $3 billion, including the assumption of debt. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.

Saudi Aramco, through a contractor, has let a contract to Alderley FZE, Dubai, a division of Alderley PLC, Wickwar, UK, to provide metering systems at the 400,000-b/d Jazan refinery and associated marine terminal project currently under construction in the southwest of Saudi Arabia, along the Red Sea.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule approving revisions to portions of California’s state implementation plan (SIP) that govern emissions of certain air pollutants from the state’s refineries.

LyondellBasell has expanded the roles of senior executives Timothy D. Roberts, Patrick D. Quarles, and Kevin W. Brown.

US Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation to remove the corn ethanol mandate as a way to address problems with the federal Renewable Fuels Standard. They offered their measure as an amendment on Jan. 16 to the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline approval bill now before the Senate.