With oil companies so flush with cash there is another big ticket merger in the

fossil fuel industry this morning. I'm David Brancatcher. There's news this

morning Chevron wants to buy another oil company New York based

Hess for 53 billion dollars worth of stock here's marketplace's Henry Epp

Hess started as a small oil delivery company in New Jersey in the 1930s.

Now it has oil drilling operations around the globe, including in South America and in the

Bakkin formation in North Dakota. Adding Hess's operations to its portfolio will allow Chevron

to grow its oil production and cash flow over the next five years according to a joint

press release from the two companies. This follows a move earlier this month by

Chevron's rival ExxonMobil, which announced the acquisition of another U.S. oil company

pioneered natural resources. That merger will significantly expand Exxon's oil drilling capacity.

Both Chevron and Exxon have said they'll cut their carbon emissions in the coming years

as oil and gas use continues to fuel the climate crisis.

But these acquisitions signal that both companies intend to keep extracting carbon intensive

fuels for the foreseeable future.

I'm Henry Aft for Marketplace.

There were 370 hours. future. I'm Henry App for Marketplace.

There were 370 applicants, but there's news today 31 places across the U.S. have won the distinction

of getting federal money to become regional technology hubs.

The Biden administration has $500 million to distribute to these winners so that more tech jobs

are centered beyond traditional hot spots like Seattle, Silicon Valley, and the Boston area.

These new hubs will stretch from Maine through Nevada, Florida, through Oregon.

...