NewzIntel.com

Category: DJF

  • MIL-OSI Canada: The Government of Canada funds projects in Alberta and the Northwest Territories to build a strong, sustainable economy

    Source: Government of Canada News

    The Government of Canada announced five projects receiving funding under the Low Carbon Economy Fund.

    The Low Carbon Economy Fund is an important part of Canada’s clean growth and climate action plans. It invests in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate clean growth, build resilient communities, and create jobs for Canadians.

    The Low Carbon Economy Fund consists of four funding streams: the Leadership Fund, the Challenge Fund, the Indigenous Leadership Fund, and the Implementation Readiness Fund. Three of the projects announced are being funded by the Challenge Fund, which aims to help organizations adopt proven, low-carbon technologies to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The other two projects are being funded under the Indigenous Leadership Fund, which supports Indigenous-owned and Indigenous-led renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon heating projects across Canada.

    List of projects

    Recipient: Sherritt International Corporation
    Project title: Boiler Economizer
    Project description: Sherritt operates a production facility in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, which refines nickel and cobalt and produces ammonia and ammonium sulphate fertilizer. Sherritt currently uses two natural gas-fired steam boilers to provide steam for process use and heating throughout the facility. This project adds economizers to both boilers to preheat the boiler feedwater using waste heat from the boiler stack exhaust. The boiler economizers will increase boiler efficiency, reduce natural gas use, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from combustion of natural gas.
    Province/Territory: Alberta
    Funding amount: $1,600,000
    Funding stream: Challenge 2023

    Recipient: Cavendish Farms Corporation
    Project title: Line 1 Fryer Heat Recovery – Lethbridge
    Project description: This project will recover heat energy from fryer exhaust and deposit it in various facility processes requiring heat. By using recovered heat energy, this project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from combustion of natural gas.
    Province/Territory: Alberta
    Funding amount: $1,375,000
    Funding stream: Challenge 2023

    Recipient: Taurus Canada Renewable Natural Gas Corp.
    Project title: Small-Scale Carbon Capture and Storage from Feedlot Manure Anaerobic Digestion
    Project description: This project involves the design and construction of a small-scale, remote carbon capture system connected to a 100% feedlot manure-based anerobic digestion facility on a feedlot site owned by the Kasko Cattle Co. This project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to investment and job creation in rural Alberta.
    Province/Territory: Alberta
    Funding amount: $3,405,000
    Funding stream: Challenge 2023

    Recipient: Denendeh Manor GP Ltd.
    Project title: Denendeh Manor Energy Efficiency Retrofit Project
    Project description: The project aims to improve energy efficiency and low carbon heating at Denendeh Manor, a four-storey, Indigenous-owned apartment building in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The upgrades will include a wood pellet biomass heating system, energy-efficient windows and doors, fire-smart siding, enhanced insulation, air sealing, better ventilation, LED lighting, and a rooftop solar hot water preheat array with a sewage heat recovery system. The goal is to increase the energy efficiency of the building and eliminate oil-fired heating, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering utility costs, and creating jobs.
    Province/Territory: Northwest Territories
    Funding amount: $2,330,000
    Funding stream: Indigenous Leadership Fund

    Recipient: Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
    Project title: ISR Renewable Energy Cabin Retrofit
    Project description: The ISR Renewable Energy Cabin Retrofit project is to be delivered by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. The project aims to supply ground-mounted solar installation kits to Inuvialuit-owned cabins in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), located in the Northwest Territories. To improve the accessibility, usability, and longevity of the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, the project would support solar panel installation and maintenance workshops in six Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities. The project would also include a call for project proposals for Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities with the intention of providing funding to one or more selected projects that would support greenhouse gas emission reductions, generate clean growth, and build capacity in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities. The primary object of the project is to increase accessibility to clean energy sources for Inuvialuit in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.
    Province: Northwest Territories
    Funding amount/Territory: $4,650,000
    Funding stream: Indigenous Leadership Fund

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: The Government of Canada funds projects in Alberta and the Northwest Territories to build a strong, sustainable economy

    Source: Government of Canada News

    The Government of Canada announced five projects receiving funding under the Low Carbon Economy Fund.

    The Low Carbon Economy Fund is an important part of Canada’s clean growth and climate action plans. It invests in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate clean growth, build resilient communities, and create jobs for Canadians.

    The Low Carbon Economy Fund consists of four funding streams: the Leadership Fund, the Challenge Fund, the Indigenous Leadership Fund, and the Implementation Readiness Fund. Three of the projects announced are being funded by the Challenge Fund, which aims to help organizations adopt proven, low-carbon technologies to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The other two projects are being funded under the Indigenous Leadership Fund, which supports Indigenous-owned and Indigenous-led renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon heating projects across Canada.

    List of projects

    Recipient: Sherritt International Corporation
    Project title: Boiler Economizer
    Project description: Sherritt operates a production facility in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, which refines nickel and cobalt and produces ammonia and ammonium sulphate fertilizer. Sherritt currently uses two natural gas-fired steam boilers to provide steam for process use and heating throughout the facility. This project adds economizers to both boilers to preheat the boiler feedwater using waste heat from the boiler stack exhaust. The boiler economizers will increase boiler efficiency, reduce natural gas use, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from combustion of natural gas.
    Province/Territory: Alberta
    Funding amount: $1,600,000
    Funding stream: Challenge 2023

    Recipient: Cavendish Farms Corporation
    Project title: Line 1 Fryer Heat Recovery – Lethbridge
    Project description: This project will recover heat energy from fryer exhaust and deposit it in various facility processes requiring heat. By using recovered heat energy, this project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from combustion of natural gas.
    Province/Territory: Alberta
    Funding amount: $1,375,000
    Funding stream: Challenge 2023

    Recipient: Taurus Canada Renewable Natural Gas Corp.
    Project title: Small-Scale Carbon Capture and Storage from Feedlot Manure Anaerobic Digestion
    Project description: This project involves the design and construction of a small-scale, remote carbon capture system connected to a 100% feedlot manure-based anerobic digestion facility on a feedlot site owned by the Kasko Cattle Co. This project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to investment and job creation in rural Alberta.
    Province/Territory: Alberta
    Funding amount: $3,405,000
    Funding stream: Challenge 2023

    Recipient: Denendeh Manor GP Ltd.
    Project title: Denendeh Manor Energy Efficiency Retrofit Project
    Project description: The project aims to improve energy efficiency and low carbon heating at Denendeh Manor, a four-storey, Indigenous-owned apartment building in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The upgrades will include a wood pellet biomass heating system, energy-efficient windows and doors, fire-smart siding, enhanced insulation, air sealing, better ventilation, LED lighting, and a rooftop solar hot water preheat array with a sewage heat recovery system. The goal is to increase the energy efficiency of the building and eliminate oil-fired heating, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering utility costs, and creating jobs.
    Province/Territory: Northwest Territories
    Funding amount: $2,330,000
    Funding stream: Indigenous Leadership Fund

    Recipient: Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
    Project title: ISR Renewable Energy Cabin Retrofit
    Project description: The ISR Renewable Energy Cabin Retrofit project is to be delivered by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. The project aims to supply ground-mounted solar installation kits to Inuvialuit-owned cabins in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), located in the Northwest Territories. To improve the accessibility, usability, and longevity of the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, the project would support solar panel installation and maintenance workshops in six Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities. The project would also include a call for project proposals for Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities with the intention of providing funding to one or more selected projects that would support greenhouse gas emission reductions, generate clean growth, and build capacity in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities. The primary object of the project is to increase accessibility to clean energy sources for Inuvialuit in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.
    Province: Northwest Territories
    Funding amount/Territory: $4,650,000
    Funding stream: Indigenous Leadership Fund

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Summer 2025 Newsletter – In The Flow

    Source: US Geological Survey

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was on the scene in Western Maryland to collect water data during and after the flooding caused by several inches of rain. Quantifying floods is vital for planning infrastructure that can withstand such extremes in the future.

    As the flooding occurred, USGS crews traversed the area, collecting high flow measurements at over two dozen locations in Garrett, Allegany, and Washington counties. The job was challenging as certain roads were difficult or impossible to pass due to flooding.

    USGS crews also attempted to measure high flow at Georges Creek, which was at the epicenter of flooding in the town of Westernport, Maryland, and near the site of the school evacuation, but it was too dangerous. Our crew returned when it was safer to collect two streamflow measurements while flows were still elevated, and then later when flooding subsided, identified high-water marks to estimate the volume of water during the peak of the flood.

    Days later, evidence of the damage caused by the flood were visible throughout Westernport and across towns in the area, including at Georges Creek, where flooding caused the ground to collapse beneath an unused train line, leaving rails that were twisted mid-air and dangling for several dozen yards, yet somehow still connected on the other side.

    The USGS, EPA, along with federal, state, and local partners collect water samples at over a hundred locations across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the Choptank River as seen here.

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently published flow-normalized trends in loads of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed from water years 1985 through 2023. This monitoring-based information provides federal, state, and local managers with accurate and timely information about the health of streams and rivers entering the Bay.

    Understanding changes in the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed is critical to understanding the health of the Bay. States in the Bay watershed recognized this and in 2004 they formed the Non-Tidal Network (NTN), a collection of 123 monitoring stations that follow standard sampling protocols and analysis methods.

    Spanning six states from New York to Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, the consistency of the NTN provides accurate information on conditions and changes in water quality.

    This is no small task and is only possible through teamwork from local, state, and federal partners who collect and analyze information from the 123 NTN stations. The total NTN dataset has over 51,000 samples — that’s about 3.5 samples collected every single day since 1985! The USGS plays a critical role in the NTN, providing information on how much water is flowing at the gages, collecting samples, and analyzing load and trend results.

    A map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed showing the distribution of Non-Tidal Network (NTN) stations as of 2023.

    But the data doesn’t collect itself. It takes dedicated people from federal, state, and local partner agencies, including the USGS, to sample all 123 stations routinely.

    On a chilly morning in early March 2024, Kelly McVicker and Shane Mizelle, two hydrologic technicians from the USGS, made their way out to the catwalk of the Conowingo Dam to collect water samples after a storm.

    Over the next hour, they repeatedly lowered a sampling bottle into the turbid, roaring waters some several dozen feet below, bringing it back up and transferring it to a larger container. They repeated this procedure at multiple points along the wide river to ensure that the sample would represent the conditions of the river at that particular point in time.

    Month after month, and sometimes more frequently as dictated by storms, technicians from the USGS and other agencies repeat this process across 123 stations. In each instance the technicians follow consistent sampling collection, storage and analysis to allow for comparison over the entire network.

    After the field, the samples are shipped to laboratories and analyzed, and laboratory staff run quality assurance tests.

    Next, the data are returned to the collecting agencies and reviewed by their staff. If the data are approved and nothing is out of line, they are submitted to the Chesapeake Environmental Data Repository where the data are reviewed before inclusion.

    Now, nutrient and sediment loads and trends can be calculated from the data.

    USGS scientists use a statistical method known as Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge and Season (WRTDS) to compute the flow-normalized load of nutrients and sediment at each station for each year the data are available. A station can have a load computed after 5 years of data, and after 10 years, the scientists will run a trend analysis to determine if the load is increasing, decreasing, or has no discernable trend.

    The results computed at the 123 stations include trends in suspended sediment and total and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus. Each year’s results are compared against the historic record to ensure a consistent dataset is used.

    Following the load and trend analyses, the data are published in a data release, updated on a website and the results are distributed to NTN partners and other Chesapeake Bay stakeholders.

    This tremendous effort would not be possible without the support of local and state governments and non-profits across the Chesapeake region.

    USGS installs three temporary groundwater stations to monitor drought conditions in Delaware

    Jacob Mavrogeorge builds a groundwater gage in Delaware.

    The U.S. Geological Survey installed groundwater stations in three locations across the state to monitor groundwater levels, doubling the number of active groundwater stations in Delaware operated by USGS from 3 to 6.

    Until June 2025, Delaware was in a state of drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and these sites were selected with the help of the Delaware Geological Survey to track groundwater levels throughout the state.

    Monitoring at these sites will continue through at least September 30, 2025.

    Funding was provided through the USGS Next Generation Water Observing System program (NGWOS) in response to drought conditions that had persisted since last summer.

    View data from these sites, DE-Cb12-10, DE-Gb55-08, DE-Ng11-37.

    Additional Updates to our Water Monitoring Network

    This Winter and Spring we added the following sites to our monitoring network:

    • Piscataway Creek at Joint Base Andrews, MD (01653521): Gage height, specific conductance, temperature, and turbidity.
    • Piscataway Creek Tributary at Joint Base Andrews, MD (01653522): Gage height, specific conductance, temperature, and turbidity.

    We also added HIVIS cameras to the following sites:

    • Whitemarsh Run at White Marsh, MD (01585100) 
    • Mattawoman Creek Near Pomonkey, MD (01658000) 
    • Beaverdam Creek Near Cheverly, MD (01651730) 
    • Watts Branch at Washington, DC (01651800) 
    Reductions to Data Collection at a Handful of Monitoring Sites

    Given proposed budget cuts from a cooperating agency, we foresee the following reductions to data collection at a handful of sites beginning on October 1, 2025. If there are questions concerning these sites, please email gs-w-mdtws_information@usgs.gov.

    The following sites will be fully discontinued. Although historical data will remain accessible, no new data will be collected:

    • Rock Creek at Sherrill Drive, Washington, DC (01648000): Continuous discharge.
    • Luzon Branch above Rock Creek at Washington, DC (01648011): Continuous discharge and water temperature.
    • Anacostia River at Kenilworth at Washington, DC (01651760): Continuous discharge water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity.
    • Anacostia River near Buzzard Point at Washington, DC (01651827): Continuous discharge, water temperature, specific conductance, and turbidity.

    Watts Branch at Washington, DC (01651800) will lose its continuous discharge reporting, but all other continuous measurements will remain.

    Discrete metals and bacteria water-quality analyses (cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, E. coli bacteria) at the following sites will be discontinued; however other water-quality parameters (phosphorus, nitrogen, and suspended sediment) will still be collected:

    • Rock Creek at Joyce Road, Washington, DC (01648010) 
    • Hickey Run at National Arboretum at Washington, DC (01651770)
    • Watts Branch at Washington, DC (01651800)

    Stay Up-To-Date On Our Latest Science

    These are the latest publications that our Center’s scientists contributed to:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Summer 2025 Newsletter – In The Flow

    Source: US Geological Survey

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was on the scene in Western Maryland to collect water data during and after the flooding caused by several inches of rain. Quantifying floods is vital for planning infrastructure that can withstand such extremes in the future.

    As the flooding occurred, USGS crews traversed the area, collecting high flow measurements at over two dozen locations in Garrett, Allegany, and Washington counties. The job was challenging as certain roads were difficult or impossible to pass due to flooding.

    USGS crews also attempted to measure high flow at Georges Creek, which was at the epicenter of flooding in the town of Westernport, Maryland, and near the site of the school evacuation, but it was too dangerous. Our crew returned when it was safer to collect two streamflow measurements while flows were still elevated, and then later when flooding subsided, identified high-water marks to estimate the volume of water during the peak of the flood.

    Days later, evidence of the damage caused by the flood were visible throughout Westernport and across towns in the area, including at Georges Creek, where flooding caused the ground to collapse beneath an unused train line, leaving rails that were twisted mid-air and dangling for several dozen yards, yet somehow still connected on the other side.

    The USGS, EPA, along with federal, state, and local partners collect water samples at over a hundred locations across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the Choptank River as seen here.

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently published flow-normalized trends in loads of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed from water years 1985 through 2023. This monitoring-based information provides federal, state, and local managers with accurate and timely information about the health of streams and rivers entering the Bay.

    Understanding changes in the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed is critical to understanding the health of the Bay. States in the Bay watershed recognized this and in 2004 they formed the Non-Tidal Network (NTN), a collection of 123 monitoring stations that follow standard sampling protocols and analysis methods.

    Spanning six states from New York to Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, the consistency of the NTN provides accurate information on conditions and changes in water quality.

    This is no small task and is only possible through teamwork from local, state, and federal partners who collect and analyze information from the 123 NTN stations. The total NTN dataset has over 51,000 samples — that’s about 3.5 samples collected every single day since 1985! The USGS plays a critical role in the NTN, providing information on how much water is flowing at the gages, collecting samples, and analyzing load and trend results.

    A map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed showing the distribution of Non-Tidal Network (NTN) stations as of 2023.

    But the data doesn’t collect itself. It takes dedicated people from federal, state, and local partner agencies, including the USGS, to sample all 123 stations routinely.

    On a chilly morning in early March 2024, Kelly McVicker and Shane Mizelle, two hydrologic technicians from the USGS, made their way out to the catwalk of the Conowingo Dam to collect water samples after a storm.

    Over the next hour, they repeatedly lowered a sampling bottle into the turbid, roaring waters some several dozen feet below, bringing it back up and transferring it to a larger container. They repeated this procedure at multiple points along the wide river to ensure that the sample would represent the conditions of the river at that particular point in time.

    Month after month, and sometimes more frequently as dictated by storms, technicians from the USGS and other agencies repeat this process across 123 stations. In each instance the technicians follow consistent sampling collection, storage and analysis to allow for comparison over the entire network.

    After the field, the samples are shipped to laboratories and analyzed, and laboratory staff run quality assurance tests.

    Next, the data are returned to the collecting agencies and reviewed by their staff. If the data are approved and nothing is out of line, they are submitted to the Chesapeake Environmental Data Repository where the data are reviewed before inclusion.

    Now, nutrient and sediment loads and trends can be calculated from the data.

    USGS scientists use a statistical method known as Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge and Season (WRTDS) to compute the flow-normalized load of nutrients and sediment at each station for each year the data are available. A station can have a load computed after 5 years of data, and after 10 years, the scientists will run a trend analysis to determine if the load is increasing, decreasing, or has no discernable trend.

    The results computed at the 123 stations include trends in suspended sediment and total and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus. Each year’s results are compared against the historic record to ensure a consistent dataset is used.

    Following the load and trend analyses, the data are published in a data release, updated on a website and the results are distributed to NTN partners and other Chesapeake Bay stakeholders.

    This tremendous effort would not be possible without the support of local and state governments and non-profits across the Chesapeake region.

    USGS installs three temporary groundwater stations to monitor drought conditions in Delaware

    Jacob Mavrogeorge builds a groundwater gage in Delaware.

    The U.S. Geological Survey installed groundwater stations in three locations across the state to monitor groundwater levels, doubling the number of active groundwater stations in Delaware operated by USGS from 3 to 6.

    Until June 2025, Delaware was in a state of drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and these sites were selected with the help of the Delaware Geological Survey to track groundwater levels throughout the state.

    Monitoring at these sites will continue through at least September 30, 2025.

    Funding was provided through the USGS Next Generation Water Observing System program (NGWOS) in response to drought conditions that had persisted since last summer.

    View data from these sites, DE-Cb12-10, DE-Gb55-08, DE-Ng11-37.

    Additional Updates to our Water Monitoring Network

    This Winter and Spring we added the following sites to our monitoring network:

    • Piscataway Creek at Joint Base Andrews, MD (01653521): Gage height, specific conductance, temperature, and turbidity.
    • Piscataway Creek Tributary at Joint Base Andrews, MD (01653522): Gage height, specific conductance, temperature, and turbidity.

    We also added HIVIS cameras to the following sites:

    • Whitemarsh Run at White Marsh, MD (01585100) 
    • Mattawoman Creek Near Pomonkey, MD (01658000) 
    • Beaverdam Creek Near Cheverly, MD (01651730) 
    • Watts Branch at Washington, DC (01651800) 
    Reductions to Data Collection at a Handful of Monitoring Sites

    Given proposed budget cuts from a cooperating agency, we foresee the following reductions to data collection at a handful of sites beginning on October 1, 2025. If there are questions concerning these sites, please email gs-w-mdtws_information@usgs.gov.

    The following sites will be fully discontinued. Although historical data will remain accessible, no new data will be collected:

    • Rock Creek at Sherrill Drive, Washington, DC (01648000): Continuous discharge.
    • Luzon Branch above Rock Creek at Washington, DC (01648011): Continuous discharge and water temperature.
    • Anacostia River at Kenilworth at Washington, DC (01651760): Continuous discharge water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity.
    • Anacostia River near Buzzard Point at Washington, DC (01651827): Continuous discharge, water temperature, specific conductance, and turbidity.

    Watts Branch at Washington, DC (01651800) will lose its continuous discharge reporting, but all other continuous measurements will remain.

    Discrete metals and bacteria water-quality analyses (cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, E. coli bacteria) at the following sites will be discontinued; however other water-quality parameters (phosphorus, nitrogen, and suspended sediment) will still be collected:

    • Rock Creek at Joyce Road, Washington, DC (01648010) 
    • Hickey Run at National Arboretum at Washington, DC (01651770)
    • Watts Branch at Washington, DC (01651800)

    Stay Up-To-Date On Our Latest Science

    These are the latest publications that our Center’s scientists contributed to:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Announces $3.7 Million for Airport Upgrades Across Louisiana from His Infrastructure Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is awarding Louisiana a total of $3,657,455.00 in funding from his Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) for critical airport improvements in Tallulah, Slidell, Lake Charles, Farmerville, Sulphur, and Jena.
    “Upgrading airport infrastructure improves safety, efficiency, and the experience for travelers,”said Dr. Cassidy. “These investments will help local airports grow, better serve their regions, and support economic development across Louisiana.”

    Grant Awarded
    Recipient
    Project Description

    $1,068,750.00
    Vicksburg Tallulah Regional Airport (Tallulah)
    This grant will provide federal funding to reconstruct culverts and a water lift station to improve drainage and stormwater management.

    $332,500.00
    City of Slidell
    This grant will provide federal funding to reseal 5,002 feet of Runway 18/36 pavement to extend its useful life.

    $1,300,000.00
    Airport Authority District No. 1 (Lake Charles)
    This grant will provide federal funding to construct a terminal parking lot and reconstruct 2,600 feet of access roads serving the terminal and general aviation facilities.

    $300,000.00
    Union Parish Police Jury (Farmerville)
    This grant will provide federal funding to construct an 8,400 square foot sponsor-owned T-hangar complex to support airport self-sufficiency.

    $89,205.00
    Chennault International Airport Authority (Lake Charles)
    This grant will provide federal funding to design the rehabilitation of 1,425 feet of paved taxiways to maintain pavement integrity.

    $534,850.00
    West Calcasieu Airport Managing Board (Sulphur)
    This grant will provide federal funding to acquire and install a new automated weather observing system to provide accurate, site-specific weather information.

    $32,150.00
    LaSalle Economic Development District (Jena)
    This grant will provide federal funding to reconstruct the airport’s drainage system to correct failing infrastructure.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brothers Sentenced for Violent Assault and Firearm Confrontation on Navajo Nation

    Source: US FBI

    ALBUQUERQUE – Two brothers from Fruitland, New Mexico were sentenced for their roles in a violent assault and subsequent confrontation with law enforcement on the Navajo Nation.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court records, on March 23, 2024, Justin Tso, 38, and his brother Walliford Tso, 37, enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, went to the residence of John Doe, where Doe lived with his girlfriend and her son. As the brothers were departing the home, Justin took a machete without permission and walked away. John Doe armed himself with an axe and demanded the return of the machete. In response, Justin and Walliford charged at John Doe, leading to a violent altercation.

    The brothers pursued John Doe back into the residence, where they assaulted him in front of his family, punching him and throwing objects, including a tire rim, pipe, and large rock. John Doe was able to escape and call police. During the incident, the brothers caused significant property damage, including smashing car windows and damaging vehicles.

    Navajo Nation Police responded to the scene. During the attempt to apprehend the suspects, Walliford pointed a rifle at officers before surrendering. Walliford and Justin were both found to be intoxicated at the time of the incident.

    Walliford and Justin each pled guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and were sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa: Select Committee on Education Sends Deepest and Heartfelt Condolences to East London “Pens Down” Party Victims


    Download logo

    The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries has learnt with shock of the deaths that occurred following a “pens-down” party in East London. The committee sends its deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.

    Two people were reported dead and seven others were injured on the weekend following what seems to be a deliberate attack on party revelers in Nompumelelo Township, just outside East London. A group of local young men, suspected to be a gang, gatecrashed a “pens-down” party and started attacking those at the tavern.

    Mr Feni said the incident, the second in a short space of time in the same area, calls for parental guidance and serious reflection on situations in which learners have free access to alcohol. “It is sad that fatal alcohol-related incidents that often involve learners are becoming a common but worrying occurrence in the country. Social gatherings where learners are allowed to use alcohol should be criminalised. The violence that characterises our society is condemned,” the Chairperson said.

    “Society must not tire in condemning the pens-down culture. This is so reminiscent of the recent Enyobeni incident, which is subject of an inquiry, that resulted in the deaths of 21 learners in the same vicinity. We condemn these actions, whether learners were involved or not; law enforcement must also leave no stone unturned in this,” Mr Feni said.

    Mr Feni said the Eastern Cape Department of Education must assist and determine if any learner had been affected by the incident and provide the necessary support.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Shanghai Launches Multifunctional Easy Go Platform for Foreign Visitors

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    SHANGHAI, July 2 (Xinhua) — East China’s Shanghai Municipality launched Easy Go, a multi-functional digital service platform for foreign tourists, on Wednesday. The city has recently attracted more overseas visitors thanks to its expanded visa-free regime and instant tax refund policy.

    The platform, developed by the Shanghai People’s Government External Affairs Office and the People’s Bank of China Shanghai Office together with other relevant city departments, relies on the international version of Alipay and integrates consumer services and tourism information, eliminating the need to download multiple apps and eliminating language barriers.

    Overseas users can register with one click and gain access to 30 mini-programs in four key areas: dining, transportation, sightseeing, and shopping. Key features include food delivery, restaurant recommendations, public transportation information, taxi hailing, travel recommendations, ticket booking, luggage storage, and tax refund point information. The platform operates primarily in English and offers real-time translation into multiple languages.

    Easy Go has a “Tax Refund” feature that integrates a map of city tax refund points, and provides updated Shanghai travel guides and travel tips. The platform also features videos from media and bloggers promoting Shanghai and China.

    “Easy Go is a very convenient platform because it brings together different daily services,” said Clarisse Le Guernic from France. “Foreign tourists coming to Shanghai don’t need to download many different apps, they can make a payment, translate a phrase, order food and use a bike rental on one platform.”

    As of June, citizens of 55 countries can enjoy 240-hour visa-free transit in China. In addition, China unilaterally expanded the visa-free entry program, allowing travelers from 47 countries to stay in the country visa-free for up to 30 days. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese brands offer consumers around the world more choice – Chinese Foreign Ministry

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) — Chinese brands are offering consumers around the world more choices by expanding into overseas markets, and China itself welcomes more high-quality foreign brands to enter its market, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular briefing for reporters on Wednesday.

    Mao Ning made the remarks when asked about the expansion of many Chinese brands globally. Chinese beverage brands such as Mixue Bingcheng and Chagee have recently filed for initial public offerings (IPOs) overseas, attracting increased attention.

    “Indeed, many Chinese brands are winning over more and more overseas consumers due to their scientific content, cultural content, inspiring design and emotional value that unites China and other countries,” Mao Ning said.

    According to her, the transition from “Made in China” to “Chinese brands” is an inevitable result of China’s high-quality development, driven by China’s complete industrial system, fair and open market environment, and long-term innovative development.

    The diplomat also noted that China welcomes more high-quality foreign brands to enter the Chinese market to achieve common prosperity and enable people from all countries to truly benefit from economic globalization. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: D. Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    NEW YORK, July 2 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he had just concluded a trade deal with Vietnam after talking with General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam.

    “This will be a great deal of cooperation between our two countries. The terms stipulate that Vietnam will pay the United States a customs duty of 20 percent on all goods shipped to our territory, without exception, and 40 percent on all transhipments,” the American leader wrote.

    As noted in the publication, in exchange, Vietnam will do something it has never done before, namely, provide the United States with full access to its market for trade.

    The country will “open its market to the United States,” meaning “we will be able to sell our products to Vietnam at zero tariff rates,” D. Trump said. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee welcomes new Vietnam-US trade deal

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    HANOI, July 2 (Xinhua) — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam welcomed the new trade agreement between Vietnam and the United States during a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

    To Lam called on Washington to recognize Vietnam as a market economy as soon as possible and lift restrictions on the export of some high-tech goods.

    The two leaders also discussed the main directions for further strengthening the Vietnam-US comprehensive strategic partnership in the coming years and related measures. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Global Conference on Digital Economy underway in Beijing

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) — High-ranking guests from China and abroad gathered in Beijing for the 2025 Global Conference on Digital Economy, calling for international cooperation to develop the digital economy and build “digital cities” around the world.

    Global industry leaders gathered at the event, which opened in the Chinese capital on Wednesday, to build consensus on digital development through city-level collaboration, technology innovation and adoption, and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth.

    Stressing the key role of digital technology in urban development, Zhuang Rongwen, director of the Office of the Central Cybersecurity and Information Technology Commission, said the internet has unique advantages that promote global cooperation.

    Cities around the world should leverage these advantages to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of digital economy and artificial intelligence, thereby creating a favorable environment and greater opportunities for their development, he said.

    Fu Hua, director general of Xinhua News Agency, noted that Xinhua, as China’s state media, has long been covering China’s digital development and is willing to expand cooperation with all interested parties in promoting the digital economy.

    Fu Hua said the news agency will strive to comprehensively cover China’s progress in developing digital cities and tell vivid stories about the interactions between cities in China and other countries.

    UNDP Resident Representative in China Beate Trankmann praised Beijing’s achievements in digital development. She noted that the Chinese capital has taken many innovative steps that have provided important lessons for the global community, such as using digital technologies to improve urban governance.

    “Beijing, as a pioneer in building a global digital city, has not only integrated the concept of digital adaptation into its urban development strategy, but also set an example for the world by introducing a number of innovative practices,” said Zhang Xiangchen, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

    According to him, the transformation in the digital era represents not only technological breakthroughs, but also an evolution of the concept of global cooperation. Zhang Xiangchen promised that the WTO will continue to play its role as a connecting multilateral platform through which technological advances can more effectively contribute to human well-being and global development. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China completes list of key construction projects for 2025 worth 800 billion yuan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) — Chinese authorities have finalized and released a complete list of key construction projects for this year aimed at implementing major national strategies and enhancing security capabilities in priority areas, the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China said on Wednesday.

    The department noted that after the recent allocation of more than 300 billion yuan for the third / final / group of projects in 2025, the total amount of allocated funds amounted to 800 billion yuan / about 111.8 billion US dollars /.

    The NSC said the funds will support 1,459 projects in priority areas including restoration of the Yangtze River basin ecosystem, major transportation infrastructure projects along the Yangtze River, the new western land-sea corridor, high-standard farmland, major water conservancy projects and urban underground pipelines.

    The department promised to speed up new reform measures in priority areas, including improving the financing models for the Yangtze River railway, establishing and improving the operation mechanisms of underground pipelines, and optimizing the planning of national logistics hubs.

    China is making efforts to expand effective investment and stimulate consumption. In addition to the implementation of the above-mentioned significant projects, support for large-scale equipment renewal programs and trade-in for consumer goods is also being increased.

    In 2025, to support the trade-in program, the Chinese authorities issued ultra-long special treasury bonds totaling 300 billion yuan, with the first two tranches of financing totaling 162 billion yuan allocated in January and April, respectively. The third tranche is scheduled for July.

    China’s gross domestic product grew 5.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025. The economic growth target for this year is around 5 percent. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Task Team Focuses on Community Recovery

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on July 2, 2025

    The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s (SPSA) Recovery Task Team is working with communities and their residents impacted by the challenging start to the 2025 wildfire season, supporting communities as they begin to rebuild.

    Steps for Individuals Impacted by Wildfires

    Impacted residents of lost or damaged property due to wildfires may be eligible for support and assistance during the recovery process:

    1. Insurable Losses
    Residents are encouraged to reach out to their private insurance to determine what coverage and additional support is available.   

    2. Long-term Displacement Assistance
    Residents that are displaced beyond 30 days may be eligible for assistance through Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP). Once a community has been established as an eligible community, long-term displaced residents can reach out to their home community for an application form. Find more information here: Provincial Disaster Assistance Program | SPSA.

    About the Recovery Task Team

    The Recovery Task Team has been formed to identify areas of need to ensure communities devastated by wildfires are provided assistance and post-disaster supports in the rebuilding process.

    The team includes representatives from the SPSA and other provincial ministries, including representatives from the ministries of Environment, Social Services, Government Relations and others as needed. This team will focus on the most severely impacted communities and those whose permanent residences were lost due to wildfire. 

    The current focus of the Recovery Task Team is working with communities to support debris management, living accommodations and mental health supports. The team will continue to share what resources are available to community leadership and work together to determine what gaps can be filled.  

    Additional recovery supports will be announced in the coming days.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rural Grocery Sustainability Grant Applications Open July 9

    Source: US State of North Dakota

     The North Dakota Department of Commerce today announced that applications for the Rural Grocery Store Sustainability Grant will open Wednesday, July 9, at 3 p.m. CDT. This competitive grant program is designed to enhance food access and support the long-term sustainability of grocery services and food co-ops in rural North Dakota communities.

    With funding of up to $150,000 available per applicant, the program seeks to strengthen local food systems, support economic resilience and foster collaborative community development efforts. A 20% non-state match is required and can include in-kind support.

    “This grant supports grocery stores, but it’s more including food security, local partnerships and investing in the sustainability of our rural communities,” said Commerce Community Services Director Maria Effertz.

    Eligible applicants include political subdivisions, tribal entities and regional councils serving communities with populations of 4,500 or fewer. Preference will be given to proposals that demonstrate regional cooperation and collaboration between food providers, schools, restaurants and other local entities.

    Projects must be completed within 18 months of award and funding will prioritize initiatives that demonstrate long-term sustainability through strong business plans and community impact.

    Key Dates:

    • Applications open: Wednesday, July 9, at 3 p.m. CDT
    • Application deadline: Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 5 p.m. CDT
    • Award notification: Wednesday, Sept. 17 

    Applications must be submitted through the online portal. For more details and to preview application questions, visit ndgov.link/rural-grocery.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Qatar Condemns Statements by Israeli Minister of Justice Regarding Annexation of Occupied West Bank

    Source: Government of Qatar

    Doha, July 2, 2025

    The State of Qatar condemns the statements made by the Israeli Minister of Justice concerning the annexation of the occupied West Bank. Qatar considers these remarks an extension of the occupation’s settlement, colonial, and racist policies, and a blatant violation of international law and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the urgent need for solidarity from the international community to confront the occupation’s escalating and dangerous policies that threaten regional security. These include ongoing crimes in the West Bank, violations of religious sanctities, plans to Judaize Jerusalem, and restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.

    The Ministry reiterates the State of Qatar’s firm and unwavering position in support of the Palestinian cause and the steadfastness of the brotherly Palestinian people. This stance is based on international legitimacy resolutions and the two-state solution, ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News in Brief: Littoral Combat Ships – Surface Warfare Mission Package

    Source: United States Navy

    The Surface Warfare (SUW) Mission Package (MP) installed on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) provides fleet protection from small boats and other asymmetrical threats. The SUW MP can also be used to provide operational security in interdiction missions against terrorist suspects and high seas pirates and can provide defense against shore attacks while operating in the littorals. These capabilities, when joined together, permit the ship’s crew and the fleet commander to operate with confidence and address threats to the fleet while operating in the littorals and in constrictive environments. The SUW MP augments the core LCS sensor and weapons capabilities with gun, missile and aviation systems, providing a layered defense capability for rapidly detecting, tracking and prosecuting small boat threats. Ultimately, this MP enhances the safety of the Sailors while permitting the mission commander to maintain operational flexibility.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Blasts Paramount’s $16 Million Settlement with Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Calls for full Commission vote on Paramount’s pending merger

    Washington (July 2, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, released the following statement after Paramount Global, the parent of CBS News, agreed to pay $16 million to settle a frivolous lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump. Paramount reportedly had pushed for the settlement to help facilitate approval of its merger with Skydance Media, which is currently being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

    “Paramount’s decision to pay $16 million to settle Trump’s baseless lawsuit is a blow to journalistic independence. With the FCC currently reviewing Paramount’s merger with Skydance, this timing also raises serious questions about FCC independence and Paramount’s true reason for settling with Trump. The public deserves to have complete confidence that the FCC’s merger review is free from political interference. For that reason, the FCC must proceed with the utmost transparency, and Chairman Carr must hold a full Commission vote on the merger. I will be watching the Commission’s next steps very closely.”

    Senator Markey has aggressively pushed back on the Trump administration’s efforts to attack news organizations and intimidate the media. In May 2025, Senators Markey and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) wrote to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, urging the FCC to take a vote on the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. In March 2025, Senators Markey and Luján, along with Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), introduced the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act, legislation that would prohibit the FCC from revoking broadcast licenses or taking action against broadcasters based on the viewpoints they broadcast. In February 2025, Senators Markey and Luján, along with Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), wrote to Chairman Carr and then-Commissioner Nathan Simington regarding the FCC’s recent, politically motivated actions against broadcasters and public media.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito, Justice Applaud Appointment of Matt Harvey and Moore Capito as U.S. Attorneys for West Virginia by President Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) released a statement following President Donald Trump’s nomination of Moore Capito as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia and Matt Harvey as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia:

    “As a respected attorney and former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates where he served as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Moore Capito understands the issues that matter most to Appalachian communities—from combating the opioid epidemic to protecting our energy jobs and securing economic opportunity. His proven leadership and legal expertise make him the ideal candidate to uphold justice in the Southern District. As a dedicated prosecutor and leader in the Eastern Panhandle, Matt Harvey has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public safety. His experience and proven leadership in addressing violent crime, drug trafficking, and community security aligns precisely with the needs of the Northern District,” Senator Capito said.

    “I am thrilled and extremely proud that President Trump has chosen these two stellar candidates to be West Virginia’s next U.S. Attorneys. I look forward to supporting their confirmations quickly so they can get to work on behalf of West Virginia,” Senator Capito continued.

    “Moore Capito and Matt Harvey are rock solid picks by President Trump for U.S. Attorney in West Virginia. These guys are serious conservatives, have lengthy experience in the legal realm, and are qualified beyond belief – which is why I’m proud to have recommended them to the President for their respective positions. I extend my congratulations to both Moore and Matt, I wish them the best of luck in their roles, and know they will do great things while serving as U.S. Attorney because they are truly both sons of West Virginia,” Senator Justice said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE, law enforcement partner investigation results in a significant prison sentence for a South Texas man convicted of kidnapping illegal aliens

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    SAN ANTONIO — A La Pryor man was sentenced July 1 to 120 years in prison for one count of conspiracy to kidnap and two counts related to harboring illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing the life of a person in jeopardy. He was sentenced to the maximum of 20 years on each of the harboring counts and was sentenced to 80 years on the kidnapping count, with the sentences to run consecutively. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with assistance from the San Antonio Police Department.

    Joshua Lee Balderas, 33, was sentenced for to various counts related to human smuggling. He was arrested Oct. 28, 2022, and found guilty on all counts by a federal jury on Oct. 11, 2024.

    “This sentence, undoubtedly keeping Balderas confined for the remainder of his life, reflects the egregious nature of these human smuggling crimes,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons. “It should send a clear message throughout the nation and across our borders that we take these prosecutions very seriously and will aggressively seek to deliver justice.”

    “The sentencing of this defendant to 120 years in prison marks a significant victory in our ongoing fight against human smuggling,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “This severe penalty reflects the gravity of the crimes committed and serves as a stern warning to those who exploit vulnerable individuals for profit. I commend the agents and our San Antonio Police Department partners for their hard work during this successful investigation.”

    According to court documents, in March 2022, Balderas and other conspirators transported and harbored a group of seven aliens, including one woman, who had recently crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. When the group was picked up by the smugglers, the woman was suffering from significant injuries to her feet and was severely dehydrated. Balderas transported the group from La Pryor to San Antonio, where the aliens were held captive in hotel rooms and ransomed to their families for thousands of dollars. One family member was forced to pay $7,000 for an alien’s release.

    Balderas and one of his co-conspirators, Kaylen Alexander Brondo, 26, of San Antonio, frequently brandished firearms in the hotel rooms to ensure compliance from the migrants and at trial, a victim testified that Balderas pointed a firearm directly at her to ensure her obedience during a ransom call.

    While the aliens were being held for ransom, Balderas sexually assaulted one of them while threatening her with a firearm.

    Brondo was arrested Oct. 24, 2022, and pleaded guilty on Sept. 30, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to kidnap. Brondo is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 26. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery is presiding over the cases for both defendants.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Western District of Texas Amanda Brown and Adrian Rosales prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE, law enforcement partner investigation results in a significant prison sentence for a South Texas man convicted of kidnapping illegal aliens

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    SAN ANTONIO — A La Pryor man was sentenced July 1 to 120 years in prison for one count of conspiracy to kidnap and two counts related to harboring illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing the life of a person in jeopardy. He was sentenced to the maximum of 20 years on each of the harboring counts and was sentenced to 80 years on the kidnapping count, with the sentences to run consecutively. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with assistance from the San Antonio Police Department.

    Joshua Lee Balderas, 33, was sentenced for to various counts related to human smuggling. He was arrested Oct. 28, 2022, and found guilty on all counts by a federal jury on Oct. 11, 2024.

    “This sentence, undoubtedly keeping Balderas confined for the remainder of his life, reflects the egregious nature of these human smuggling crimes,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons. “It should send a clear message throughout the nation and across our borders that we take these prosecutions very seriously and will aggressively seek to deliver justice.”

    “The sentencing of this defendant to 120 years in prison marks a significant victory in our ongoing fight against human smuggling,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “This severe penalty reflects the gravity of the crimes committed and serves as a stern warning to those who exploit vulnerable individuals for profit. I commend the agents and our San Antonio Police Department partners for their hard work during this successful investigation.”

    According to court documents, in March 2022, Balderas and other conspirators transported and harbored a group of seven aliens, including one woman, who had recently crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. When the group was picked up by the smugglers, the woman was suffering from significant injuries to her feet and was severely dehydrated. Balderas transported the group from La Pryor to San Antonio, where the aliens were held captive in hotel rooms and ransomed to their families for thousands of dollars. One family member was forced to pay $7,000 for an alien’s release.

    Balderas and one of his co-conspirators, Kaylen Alexander Brondo, 26, of San Antonio, frequently brandished firearms in the hotel rooms to ensure compliance from the migrants and at trial, a victim testified that Balderas pointed a firearm directly at her to ensure her obedience during a ransom call.

    While the aliens were being held for ransom, Balderas sexually assaulted one of them while threatening her with a firearm.

    Brondo was arrested Oct. 24, 2022, and pleaded guilty on Sept. 30, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to kidnap. Brondo is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 26. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery is presiding over the cases for both defendants.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Western District of Texas Amanda Brown and Adrian Rosales prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Celebrating Independence Day: a Message from IAM International President Brian Bryant

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    Dear IAM Family,

    As we celebrate Independence Day and Canada Day, we recognize the powerful ideals that gave rise to our nations: liberty, equality, and the belief that ordinary people should have a voice in shaping their future.

    For us in the IAM Union, these values are more than national pride—they are the very heart of the labor movement. The freedom to organize a union, to stand together in solidarity, and to demand fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignity on the job is a freedom worth celebrating—and protecting.

    Our ability to organize and collectively bargain has lifted generations of working families out of poverty and into the middle class. Every time a group of workers stands up and says, “We deserve better,” they are honoring the legacy of those who came before—and blazing a trail for those who will come after.

    These freedoms weren’t just given to us. They were fought for—by our brave men and women in uniform, and by union members who walked picket lines, who faced down powerful corporations, and who refused to back down in the face of injustice.

    As we celebrate, let’s recommit to the struggle. Because these rights must belong to everyone—no matter who you are, who you love, or where you come from. Solidarity is our strength, and together, we will continue building a fairer, freer world for all working people.

    Sincerely,

    Brian Bryant
    IAM Union International President

    The post Celebrating Independence Day: a Message from IAM International President Brian Bryant appeared first on IAM Union.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Celebrating Independence Day: a Message from IAM International President Brian Bryant

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    Dear IAM Family,

    As we celebrate Independence Day and Canada Day, we recognize the powerful ideals that gave rise to our nations: liberty, equality, and the belief that ordinary people should have a voice in shaping their future.

    For us in the IAM Union, these values are more than national pride—they are the very heart of the labor movement. The freedom to organize a union, to stand together in solidarity, and to demand fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignity on the job is a freedom worth celebrating—and protecting.

    Our ability to organize and collectively bargain has lifted generations of working families out of poverty and into the middle class. Every time a group of workers stands up and says, “We deserve better,” they are honoring the legacy of those who came before—and blazing a trail for those who will come after.

    These freedoms weren’t just given to us. They were fought for—by our brave men and women in uniform, and by union members who walked picket lines, who faced down powerful corporations, and who refused to back down in the face of injustice.

    As we celebrate, let’s recommit to the struggle. Because these rights must belong to everyone—no matter who you are, who you love, or where you come from. Solidarity is our strength, and together, we will continue building a fairer, freer world for all working people.

    Sincerely,

    Brian Bryant
    IAM Union International President

    The post Celebrating Independence Day: a Message from IAM International President Brian Bryant appeared first on IAM Union.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to New York Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Severe Storms and Flooding

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in New York of the Aug. 1 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses due to severe storms and flooding occurring on Aug. 8-10, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, St. Lawrence and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York.

    Under this declaration SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return economic injury applications is Aug. 1, 2025.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to New York Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Severe Storms and Flooding

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in New York of the Aug. 1 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses due to severe storms and flooding occurring on Aug. 8-10, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, St. Lawrence and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York.

    Under this declaration SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return economic injury applications is Aug. 1, 2025.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Professor John Mathieu to Receive Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Lifetime Achievement Award

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    An Expert on Team Dynamics, Mathieu Says His Specialty is Critical as Workplace Norms Change Rapidly

    Professor John Mathieu will receive the 2025 Academy of Management’s Organizational Behavior Lifetime Achievement Award later this month recognizing his impactful work in the field.

    Mathieu, a UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, is an expert in organizational behavior, team effectiveness and optimization, and leadership. His work has ranged from investigating the dynamics of teamwork in a space capsule, to aligning strategy among multiple military organizations, to synchronizing the delivery of care for cancer patients.

    The Academy’s pinnacle career-achievement award recognizes Mathieu among an elite group of international scholars. It is the third time he has received such a prestigious academic achievement honor in the last decade.

    Subhead: Walking in the Footsteps of Giants

    Mathieu said he is humbled by the recognition.

    “The people who were the early winners of this award were gurus when I was coming into the field. They were the top scholars of the day, and they shared their time and expertise with me. They were role models, sources of support, and great people,’’ he said. “From them I aspired to pay it forward and to help and develop other professionals in organizational behavior.’’

    His most recent research has focused on the cancer-care continuum, a topic he is passionate about.

    “Healthcare is a very complex system and until a few years ago it was very broken,’’ he said. “But now the big cancer centers, such as Sloan-Kettering, Dana Farber, Anderson, and others, are developing networks for cancer care, to make it a more integrated process from early diagnosis to treatment to recovery.’’

    The Workplace Is Ever-More Complicated

    Leadership and teams research is growing in significance today, particularly in the workplace, he said.

    “The world is getting more chaotic and it is spinning quickly,’’ Mathieu said. “The old, bureaucratic structures aren’t cutting it anymore. The face of work is changing, the way we conduct work is evolving, and the way we interact at work is becoming more complex.’’

    “Fewer of us work in an office five days a week; we assemble clusters of people to collaborate on a project, then disband them; and there is more pressure to be versatile, nimble and manage people effectively. In addition, new tools, like AI, are changing the ways we work and learn,’’ he said.

    “Leaders need to invest in employee talent, enable them, and then unleash them, in order to reap the most benefit,’’ he said. “Employees need to be adaptable and learn on the fly in order to be effective.”

    Mathieu Nominated by 30 Peers

    Travis Grosser, the interim department head in the Boucher Management & Entrepreneurship Department at the School of Business, said Mathieu is most deserving of the recognition.

    “With this award, John joins an elite group of eminent organizational behavior scholars at the pinnacle of the field. I cannot think of a more deserving person for this career-defining award,’’ he said.

    “Beyond his exceptional research contributions, John has served as an exemplary role model, mentor, and collaborator for numerous generations of UConn doctoral students and faculty,’’ Grosser said. “This honor reflects the caliber of excellence that defines our department and our university.’’

    Mathieu was nominated for the award by a team of former Ph.D. students, who contacted 30 professional acquaintances and asked them to submit recommendations to the 21,000-member Academy.
    While Mathieu said he is proud to see the impact of his work, he is equally excited to have mentored so many outstanding students.

    “Having the work that I produced be recognized is rewarding and gratifying,’’ he said. “But what is more exciting is that now I can watch my former students train future generations of scholars. That’s a huge force multiplier, directly or indirectly touching hundreds or thousands of faculty researchers. It’s gratifying to have created those ripples.’’

    Advised Fortune 500 Companies, NASA and More

    This is the third time that Mathieu has received a lifetime career award. He received the Joseph E. McGrath Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Study of Groups from the Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research in 2015, and the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in 2017. He has also been recognized with the Academy of Management’s Mentorship Award in 2017 and the Academy of Management’s Research Methods Division Distinguished Career Award in 2022.

    He is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, American Psychological Association, and the Academy of Management. He joined the UConn faculty in 1999 and is the GE Professor in Business. He has worked with many Fortune 500 companies, three branches of the Armed Services, federal and state agencies, including NASA and the FAA, and numerous public and private organizations.

    Mathieu has produced more than 150 publications, given some 250 presentations at national and international conferences, and has been a principal investigator or co-investigator on more than $11.5 million in grants and contracts. He has also serves on the editorial boards of top journals.

    Mathieu will deliver a keynote address at the Academy’s 2026 conference in Philadelphia.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Thumbs up: good or passive aggressive? How emojis became the most confusing kind of online language

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brittany Ferdinands, Lecturer in Digital Content Creation, Discipline of Media and Communications, University of Sydney

    The Conversation, CC BY

    Emojis, as well as memes and other forms of short-form content, have become central to how we express ourselves and connect online. Yet as meanings shift across different contexts, so too does the potential for misunderstanding.

    A senior colleague of mine recently encountered some commentary about the “slightly smiling” face emoji: 🙂

    They approached me, asking whether it represented joy, as they had assumed, or if it had a more ominous meaning.

    As a chronically-online millennial, who unironically identifies as a gen Z, I bore the news that I, along with most younger internet users, only ever use it sarcastically.

    “It doesn’t actually signify happiness – more so fake happiness, or dry humour,” I explained.

    I also told them how the thumbs up emoji is often interpreted as passive aggressive, and that the only time I’d use the laughing-crying (“face with tears of joy”) emoji is under duress.

    Despite seeming like a universal language – and sometimes they do function that way – emojis can be at once more vague, and more specific, than words. That’s because you can’t separate the meaning of a smiley from the person who sent it, nor from the person receiving it.

    Markers of age and identity

    While emojis were originally developed in the late 1990s by Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita to add emotional nuance to text-based messaging, their function has since evolved.

    Today, emojis are not just emotional cues; they also operate as cultural symbols and markers of identity.

    Research published last year highlights how these symbols can create subtle communication barriers across age groups. For instance, a study of Chinese-speaking WeChat users found younger and older people differed not only in how frequently they used emojis, but in how they interpreted and aesthetically preferred them.

    One emoji that’s increasingly becoming a distinct marker of age is the previously mentioned laughing-crying emoji (😂). Despite being named Oxford Dictionary’s 2015 word of the year, and frequently topping the most-used emoji charts, this smiley is on the decline among gen Z – who decided in 2020 that it wasn’t cool anymore.

    Instead, they prefer the skull emoji (💀), which is shorthand for the gen Z catch phrase “I’m dead”. This means something is funny (not that they’re literally deceased).

    Such shifts may understandably be perplexing for older generations who are unfamiliar with evolving norms and slang.

    A digital body language

    Emojis can also take on distinct meanings on different platforms. They are embedded within “platform vernaculars”: the ever-evolving styles of communication that are unique to specific digital spaces.

    For example, a thumbs up emoji (👍) from your boss at work is seemingly more acceptable, and less anxiety inducing, than from a romantic interest you’ve just sent a risky text to.

    This dilemma was echoed in a recent viral TikTok by user @kaitlynghull, which prompted thousands to comment about their shared confusion over emoji use in the workplace.

    This reaction highlights a deeper communication issue.

    A survey of 10,000 workers across the US, France, Germany, India and Australia, conducted by YouGov and software company Atlassian, found 65% of workers used emojis to convey tone in the workplace. But while 88% of gen Z workers thought emojis were helpful, this dropped to 49% for baby boomers and gen X.

    The survey concluded some emojis can be interpreted in multiple ways, and these double meanings aren’t always safe for work.

    In with the ‘it’ crowd

    Another example of platform-specific emoji use comes from social media content creators who deploy emojis to curate a certain aesthetic.

    Under the Tiktok tag #emojicombo, you’ll find thousands of videos showcasing emoji combinations that provide aesthetic “inspo”. These combinations are used to represent different online identities or subcultures, such as “that girl”, “clean girl” or “old money”.

    Users may include the combinations in their captions or videos to signal their personal style, or to express the mood or vibe of their online persona. In this way, the emojis help shape how they present themselves on the platform.

    This example of emoji use is also a display of symbolic capital. It signals social alignment, in an environment where a user’s visibility (and popularity) is determined by their platform fluency.

    Emojis, then, aren’t just tools for expression. They are badges of identity that index where a user stands in the online cultural hierarchy.

    There’s a fragmentation in how we relate

    A single emoji might communicate irony, sincerity or sarcasm, depending on who is using it, what platform they’re using it on, and what generation they belong to.

    This gap points to deeper questions around online access and participation, and the systems that shape online cultures.

    And when the meaning of an emoji is platform-dependent and socially stratified, it can become as much about fitting in with a cultural in-group than conveying emotion.

    Brittany Ferdinands does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Thumbs up: good or passive aggressive? How emojis became the most confusing kind of online language – https://theconversation.com/thumbs-up-good-or-passive-aggressive-how-emojis-became-the-most-confusing-kind-of-online-language-259151

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s superannuation regulator is worried about your fund’s spending. Should you be?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Melatos, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney

    GettyImages skynesher/Getty

    Australia’s superannuation regulator has written to Australian superannuation funds raising concerns their spending might not be benefiting members.

    The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority is not just concerned with the type of expenses, but with the corporate governance around their approval, evaluation and reporting.

    The letter refers to a “lack of robust governance and oversight of fund expenditure” and funds making “decisions not supported by an expenditure management framework”.

    Concern about funds’ spending and governance has grown since construction industry super fund, CBUS, last year admitted it spent A$387,000 of members’ retirement savings on a 40th birthday bash attended by 750 guests.

    At the same time the fund was being criticised for its links with the Construction, Forestry, Maritime Employees Union as three of its board members were members. The union was alleged to have been infiltrated by criminal elements.

    Protecting members

    Since July 1 2021, legislation requires regulated superannuation funds – industry and retail funds, but not self-managed funds – to act in the best financial interests of their members. This is referred to as their “best financial interest duty”.

    In the superannuation industry, what economists call the principal-agent problem – in this case, ensuring super fund trustees (agents) protect the financial interests of members (principals) whose retirement savings they manage – is particularly acute.

    Compared to public company shareholders, for example, super fund members have little opportunity to monitor and challenge management decisions. This includes spending decisions that affect their super balance. There is no annual general meeting at which members can vote or question their fund’s trustees.

    Fund members also cannot rely to the same extent as shareholders on the market to optimise the performance of management. The threat of takeover and replacement of executives tends to be lower than for publicly listed companies. Apart from switching funds, the regulator’s oversight and enforcement are the main protection for members against trustee maladministration or malfeasance.

    There is also a significant public interest in ensuring each super fund meets its financial duty obligations. The squandering of a member’s retirement savings increases the likelihood they will need to rely on the public pension, a cost for all taxpayers.

    Can super fund expenses be justified?

    It has been reported that spending under the regulator’s microscope includes “sports sponsorships, travel, conferences and other payments to affiliated unions or employer groups”.

    Whether or not such expenses are compatible with members’ best financial interests is often difficult to judge. That is why funds are being asked to report and justify expenses more transparently.

    For example, a fund’s spending on marketing and travel might be consistent with best financial interest duty if there is scope associated with increased membership and funds under management.

    There are significant fixed administration and regulatory costs associated with running a super fund.

    Core customer service functions, such as processing death benefit claims, require sensitive (and expensive) handling.

    Spreading such costs over more members likely helps reduce fees charged to members and can encourage investment in improved customer service.

    Large super funds are increasingly investing in alternative assets such as private equity and taking direct stakes in bespoke projects (such as airport ownership and apartment construction). While such investments can enhance returns, they usually require access to significant financial firepower.

    Bigger may not always be better

    In short, if size matters, and if, for example, sports sponsorship allows super funds to grow cost-effectively, then marketing and travel expenses may be compatible with best financial interest requirements. That might even include an executive’s travel to the AFL Grand Final to network with potential co-investors.

    Neverthless, there may also be disadvantages associated with increased fund size. Larger funds are likely to find it harder to outperform the market and their peers, at least when investing in listed equities. So spending to grow membership may not always be in members’ interests.

    Whether super fund payments to affiliated unions or employer groups are justifiable is complicated by legislative requirements. While a fund cannot give benefits to an employer or union, it can give benefits to a firm’s employees or a union’s members. This might include preferential death benefits or financial literacy seminars.

    Questionable expenses

    Some fund expenses might reflect the pursuit of “private benefits” by super fund executives or trustees. They might, for example, approve questionable investments that burnish their CVs for their next corporate gig. Or they might approve sponsorship of a football team so they can network with potential future employers or business partners at a game.

    More innocently, but no less perniciously, the executive remuneration consultants super funds hire may define key performance indicators that are inappropriate for super fund executives (for example, membership growth at all costs).

    What can the regulator do?

    The superannuation regulator has broad powers to license and supervise superannuation funds to ensure they “keep the financial promises” made to their members.

    Ultimately, a fund’s trustees are responsible for ensuring the fund is meeting its financial interests obligations.

    One tool at the regulator’s disposal is to seek a court enforceable undertaking from an offending fund. This is a legal promise to address governance and legislative breaches. Failure to deliver can jeopardise a fund’s licence to operate.

    Ultimately, the legal burden of proof in any civil legal action to show they have met their best financial interests responsibilities, now lies with the trustees.

    Now the Prudential Regulation Authority has put super funds on notice to lift their game.

    Mark Melatos does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Australia’s superannuation regulator is worried about your fund’s spending. Should you be? – https://theconversation.com/australias-superannuation-regulator-is-worried-about-your-funds-spending-should-you-be-259881

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: More and more tourists are flocking to Antarctica. Let’s stop it from being loved to death

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darla Hatton MacDonald, Professor of Environmental Economics, University of Tasmania

    VCG via Getty Images

    The number of tourists heading to Antarctica has been skyrocketing. From fewer than 8,000 a year about three decades ago, nearly 125,000 tourists flocked to the icy continent in 2023–24. The trend is likely to continue in the long term.

    Unchecked tourism growth in Antarctica risks undermining the very environment that draws visitors. This would be bad for operators and tourists. It would also be bad for Antarctica – and the planet.

    Over the past two weeks, the nations that decide what human activities are permitted in Antarctica have convened in Italy. The meeting incorporates discussions by a special working group that aims to address tourism issues.

    It’s not easy to manage tourist visitors to a continent beyond any one country’s control. So, how do we stop Antarctica being loved to death? The answer may lie in economics.

    Future visitor trends

    We recently modelled future visitor trends in Antarctica. A conservative scenario shows by 2033–34, visitor numbers could reach around 285,000. Under the least conservative scenario, numbers could reach 450,000 – however, this figure incorporates pent-up demand from COVID shutdowns that will likely diminish.

    The vast majority of the Antarctic tourism industry comprises cruise-ship tourism in the Antarctic Peninsula. A small percentage of visitors travel to the Ross Sea region and parts of the continent’s interior.

    Antarctic tourism is managed by an international set of agreements together known as the Antarctic Treaty System, as well as the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).

    The Treaty System is notoriously slow-moving and riven by geopolitics, and IAATO does not have the power to cap visitor numbers.

    Pressure on a fragile continent

    About two-thirds of Antarctic tourists land on the continent. The visitors can threaten fragile ecosystems by:

    • compacting soils
    • trampling fragile vegetation
    • introducing non-native microbes and plant species
    • disturbing breeding colonies of birds and seals.

    Even when cruise ships don’t dock, they can cause problems such as air, water and noise pollution – as well as anchoring that can damage the seabed.

    Then there’s carbon emissions. Each cruise ship traveller to Antarctica typically produces between 3.2 and 4.1 tonnes of carbon, not including travel to the port of departure. This is similar to the carbon emissions an average person produces in a year.

    Global warming caused by carbon emissions is damaging Antarctica. At the Peninsula region, glaciers and ice shelves are retreating and sea ice is shrinking, affecting wildlife and vegetation.

    Of course, Antarctic tourism represents only a tiny fraction of overall emissions. However, the industry has a moral obligation to protect the place that maintains it. And tourism in Antarctica can compound damage from climate change, tipping delicate ecosystems into decline.

    Some operators use hybrid ships and less polluting fuels, and offset emissions to offer carbon-neutral travel.

    IAATO has pledged to halve emissions by 2050 – a positive step, but far short of the net-zero targets set by the International Maritime Organization.

    Can economics protect Antarctica?

    Market-based tools – such as taxes, cap-and-trade schemes and certification – have been used in environmental management around the world. Research shows these tools could also prevent Antarctic tourist numbers from getting out of control.

    One option is requiring visitors to pay a tourism tax. This would help raise revenue to support environmental monitoring and enforcement in Antarctica, as well as fund research.

    Such a tax already exists in the small South Asian nation of Bhutan, where each tourist pays a tax of US$100 (A$152) a night. But while a tax might deter the budget-conscious, it probably wouldn’t deter high income, experience-driven tourists.

    Alternatively, a cap-and-trade system would create a limited number of Antarctica visitor permits for a fixed period. The initial distribution of permits could be among tourism operators or countries, via negotiation, auction or lottery. Unused permits could then be sold, making them quite valuable.

    Caps have been successful at managing tourism impacts elsewhere, such as Lord Howe Island, although there are no trades allowed in that system.

    Any cap on tourist numbers in Antarctica, and rules for trading, must be based on evidence about what the environment can handle. But there is a lack of precise data on Antarctica’s carrying capacity. And permit allocations amongst the operators and nations would need to be fair and inclusive.

    Alternatively, existing industry standards could be augmented with independent schemes certifying particular practices – for example, reducing carbon footprints. This could be backed by robust monitoring and enforcement to avoid greenwashing.

    Looking ahead

    Given the complexities of Antarctic governance, our research finds that the most workable solution is a combination of these market-based options, alongside other regulatory measures.

    So far, parties to the Antarctic treaty have made very few binding rules for the tourism industry. And some market-based levers will be more acceptable to the parties than others. But doing nothing is not a solution.

    The authors would like to acknowledge Valeria Senigaglia, Natalie Stoeckl and Jing Tian and the rest of the team for their contributions to the research upon which this article was based.

    Darla Hatton MacDonald receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Forest and Wood Innovations Centre, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and the Soils CRC. She has received in-kind support from Antarctic tour operator HX.

    Elizabeth Leane receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Dutch Research Council, and DFAT. She also receives in-kind support and occasional funding from Antarctic tourism operator HX and in-kind support from other tour operators.

    – ref. More and more tourists are flocking to Antarctica. Let’s stop it from being loved to death – https://theconversation.com/more-and-more-tourists-are-flocking-to-antarctica-lets-stop-it-from-being-loved-to-death-258294

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Mfume, Team Maryland Statement on Administration Attempt to Reprogram FBI Headquarters Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Kweisi Mfume, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies and Representative Steny Hoyer, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, along with Governor Wes Moore, Senator Angela Alsobrooks and Representatives Glenn Ivey, Jamie Raskin, Sarah Elfreth, and Johnny Olszewski (all D-Md.), and Prince George’s County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy released the following statement regarding the Administration’s attempt to reprogram funding intended for the new FBI Headquarters in Greenbelt, Md. 

    “The FBI deserves a headquarters that meets their security and mission needs – and following an extensive, thorough, and transparent process, Greenbelt, Maryland, was selected as the site that best meets those requirements. Not only was this decision final, the Congress appropriated funds specifically for the purpose of the new, consolidated campus to be built in Maryland. Now the Administration is attempting to redirect those funds – both undermining Congressional intent and dealing a blow to the men and women of the FBI – since we know that a headquarters located within the District would not satisfy their security needs. Simply moving down the street would ignore the real threats the Bureau faces and further jeopardize the safety of those protecting our communities. That’s why we will be fighting back against this proposal with every tool we have.” 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –