Business in brief: Health authority announces grant
Proposals for a $100,000 grant that will support long-term improvements in the efficiency of health care services will be accepted until Thursday by the Health Sciences & Services Authority of Spokane County.
The grant, requiring a match, will be the third awarded by the authority, which the Washington Legislature created in 2007.
The Institute for Systems Medicine has received $675,000 to develop a human tissue bank and other resources to assist with bio-science research.
Project Access was awarded $225,000 to support its volunteer network of medical providers who treat low-income patients.
The new Woodworth Collaborative Health Services Delivery Challenge Grant recognizes the Avista Utilities vice president for his leadership during HSSA’s first year. The grant winner or winners will be announced in March.
Ukraine, Russia settle oil dispute
KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine and Russia resolved a dispute over oil shipment tariffs Monday, ensuring there would be no disruption in supplies to Eastern Europe over the New Year holiday, the Russian Energy Ministry said, according to a news agency.
The preliminary agreement over transit prices will be finalized and signed “within days,” ministry spokeswoman Irina Esipova told the ITAR-Tass news agency, without giving details of the new deal.
Russia has warned of possible disruption of oil shipments to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, saying Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz was seeking higher transit tariffs to reflect inflation and maintenance costs.
A year ago, Russia halted gas supplies through Ukraine for two weeks amid a price dispute with Kiev, resulting in a two-week supply cutoff to some Eastern European customers beyond Ukraine. Millions of Europeans were left without gas for two weeks in January.
Cold snap sends oil prices rising
NEW YORK – Oil prices rose above $79 barrel Monday for the first time in seven weeks as an extended cold snap triggered an end-of-year rally in energy futures.
Benchmark crude for February delivery added 63 cents to $78.68 a barrel in light, holiday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices rose as high as $79.12 earlier in the day, the highest since Nov. 5.
Futures contracts for oil, natural gas and heating oil have all become more expensive this month as snowstorms blanketed parts of the country and a sharp drop in supplies of crude and other fuels surprised traders.