[naviga:h3]VW emissions deal clears 1st hurdle [/naviga:h3]

SAN FRANCISCO — A nearly $15 billion settlement over Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal cleared a key hurdle Tuesday, with a federal judge giving preliminary approval to the deal that includes an option for owners to have the carmaker buy back their vehicles.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer called the settlement an “enormous effort” by attorneys from both sides and urged Volkswagen owners who may want to opt out and pursue their own lawsuits to consider the deal’s environmental achievements.

“Because that’s significant, and that’s part of what you’re attempting to achieve in this settlement,” said Breyer, who is overseeing consumer lawsuits and government allegations that Volkswagen’s diesel engines cheated on U.S. emissions tests.

The German carmaker has agreed to spend up to $10 billion buying back or repairing about 475,000 Volkswagens and Audi vehicles with 2-liter diesel engines and paying their owners an additional $5,100 to $10,000 each. Details about the vehicle repairs have not been finalized.

The settlement also includes $2.7 billion for unspecified environmental mitigation and an additional $2 billion to promote zero-emissions vehicles.

[naviga:h3]Nintendo posts $232 million loss[/naviga:h3]

TOKYO — Japanese video game maker Nintendo sagged into a loss of $232 million for the fiscal first quarter through June, despite the global success of the “Pokemon Go” augmented reality game.

The result today was worse than the $6.4 million profit forecast by analysts surveyed by FactSet.

The Kyoto-based company’s quarterly sales fell 31 percent to $586 million.

[naviga:h3]Consol Energy will fire up drilling rigs[/naviga:h3]

CANONSBURG — Despite continued weakness for energy prices, Consol Energy reported narrowing losses in the second quarter and said Tuesday that it would put two drill rigs in the shale plays of the Northeast back into action this year.

The company has been slashing costs and selling assets for a couple of years, and executives at the company, based outside of Pittsburgh, believe that now is the time to get ready for what they expect will be a more robust environment for drillers.

Consol is putting two rigs back in operation in the Utica and the Marcellus shale plays in August, drilling eight wells in Ohio and two in Washington County, where the company is based.

Consol lost $469.8 million, or $2.05 per share, compared with $603.3 million, or $2.64 for the same period in 2015.

[naviga:h3]US Steel reports $46 million 2Q loss[/naviga:h3]

PITTSBURGH — United States Steel Corp. on Tuesday reported a loss of $46 million in its second quarter.

On a per-share basis, the Pittsburgh-based company said it had a loss of 32 cents. Losses, adjusted for nonrecurring costs, came to 31 cents per share.

The steel maker posted revenue of $2.58 billion in the period.