Category: Energy

MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 25, 2025

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 25, 2025.

Bats get fat to survive hard times. But climate change is threatening their survival strategy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Wu, Lecturer in Wildlife Ecology, Murdoch University Rudmer Zwerver/Shutterstock Bats are often cast as the unseen night-time stewards of nature, flitting through the dark to control pest insects, pollinate plants and disperse seeds. But behind their silent contributions lies a remarkable and underappreciated survival strategy: seasonal

Japanese prime minister’s abrupt no-show at NATO summit reveals a strained alliance with the US
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Adjunct Lecturer, Faculty of Economics, Hosei University Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a clear signal to the Trump administration: the Japan–US relationship is in a dire state. After saying just days ago he would be attending this week’s NATO summit at The Hague,

Why have athletes stopped ‘taking a knee’?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ciprian N. Radavoi, Associate Professor in Law, University of Southern Queensland Eli Harold, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers kneel ahead of a game in 2016. Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images It’s almost a decade since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started

Nearly half of Kiwis oppose automatic citizenship for Cook Islands, says poll
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist A new poll by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union shows that almost half of respondents oppose the Cook Islands having automatic New Zealand citizenship. Thirty percent of the 1000-person sample supported Cook Islanders retaining citizenship, 46 percent were opposed and 24 percent were unsure. The question asked: The Cook

Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders discuss Middle East conflict before ceasefire
RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says the Middle East conflict was one of the discussions of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Suva this week — and Pacific leaders “took note of what is happening”. The Post-Courier reports Marape saying the “12 Day War” between Israel and Iran was based on

The ancients also had to deal with a cost-of-living crisis. Here’s how they managed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Louis Le Brun, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY Talk to anyone today, and they will probably have something to say about how expensive life has become. While the rate of inflation has

Video games can help trans players feel seen and safe. It all starts with design
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Toups Dugas, Associate Professor of Human-Centred Computing, Monash University Shano Liang There is a comfort in finding and being yourself. Video games offer opportunities for this comfort. They allow people to exist in safe spaces, to develop community, and to explore the self – as well

How old are you really? Are the latest ‘biological age’ tests all they’re cracked up to be?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University We all like to imagine we’re ageing well. Now a simple blood or saliva test promises to tell us by measuring our “biological age”. And then, as many have done, we can share how “young” we really are on social

Global rankings fuel hype, but students have more to consider when choosing a uni
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Message, Professor of Public Humanities and Director of the ANU Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University At this time of year, many year 12 students are seriously turning their minds to the future. Should they go to university next year? If so, which one? June is

Playful or harmful? David Seymour’s posts raise questions about what’s OK to say online
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Veale, Senior Lecturer in Media Studies, part of the Digital Cultures Laboratory in the School of Humanities, Media, and Creative Communication, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images Deputy Prime Minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour says he is being “playful” and

Shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien accepts invitation to government’s economic roundtable
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The federal opposition has accepted an invitation from Treasurer Jim Chalmers for shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien to attend the August economic roundtable. The acceptance contrasts with the position taken by former opposition leader Peter Dutton last term. He refused to

Fiji advocacy group slams Indonesian role in MSG as a ‘disgrace’
Asia Pacific Report A Fiji-based advocacy group has condemned the participation of Indonesia in the Melanesian Spearhead Group which is meeting in Suva this week, saying it is a “profound disgrace” that the Indonesian Embassy continues to “operate freely” within the the MSG Secretariat. “This presence blatantly undermines the core principles of justice and solidarity

Will the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel hold? One factor could be crucial to it sticking
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University Amir Levy/Getty Images After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that would bring to an end the most dramatic, direct conflict between the two nations in decades. Israel

Ramzy Baroud: The fallout – winners and losers from the Israeli war on Iran
COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud, editor of The Palestinian Chronicle The conflict between Israel and Iran over the past 12 days has redefined the regional chessboard. Here is a look at their key takeaways: Israel:Pulled in the US: Israel successfully drew the United States into a direct military confrontation with Iran, setting a significant precedent for

Iran and Israel agree to a fragile ceasefire. One factor could be crucial to it sticking
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University Amir Levy/Getty Images After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that would bring to an end the most dramatic, direct conflict between the two nations in decades. Israel

eSafety boss wants YouTube included in the social media ban. But AI raises even more concerns for kids
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies, Curtin University Irina WS/Shutterstock Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, today addressed the National Press Club to outline how her office will be driving the Social Media Minimum Age Bill when it comes into effect in December this year. The bill,

Trouble getting out of bed? Signs the ‘winter blues’ may be something more serious
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelvin (Shiu Fung) Wong, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology Justin Paget/Getty Winter is here. As the days grow shorter and the skies turn darker, you might start to feel a bit “off”. You may notice a dip in your mood or energy levels.

A carbon levy on global shipping promises to slash emissions. We calculated what that means for Australia’s biggest export
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Brear, Director, Melbourne Energy Institute, The University of Melbourne Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images Moving people and things around the world by sea has a big climate impact. The shipping industry produces almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions – roughly the same as Germany – largely

The war won’t end Iran’s nuclear program – it will drive it underground, following North Korea’s model
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Burke, Professor of Environmental Politics & International Relations, UNSW Sydney The United States’ and Israel’s strikes on Iran are concerning, and not just for the questionable legal justifications provided by both governments. Even if their attacks cause severe damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, this will only

Iran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohiuddin Ahmed, Senior Lecturer of Computing and Security, Edith Cowan University Dylan Carr/Unsplash In recent days, Iranians experienced a near-complete internet blackout, with local service providers – including mobile services – repeatedly going offline. Iran’s government has cited cyber security concerns for ordering the shutdown. Shutting off

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China emerges as central driver of global energy transition, says WEF expert

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

China has emerged as a central driver of global energy transition in view of its significant strides in renewable energy and its broader commitment to transforming its energy system, according to Nicholas Wagner, an energy expert with the World Economic Forum (WEF).

In a recent written interview with Xinhua, Wagner, manager of Energy and Industry Transition Intelligence at the WEF’s Center for Energy and Materials, said China’s recent progress in energy transition underscores both the scale of its commitment and its visionary long-term planning and investments.

China now leads the world in renewable energy capacity additions and is projected to account for about 60 percent of all new global capacity through 2030, said Wagner, citing the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The Energy Transition Index, part of the Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report released by the WEF, showed that China climbed five spots from the previous year to rank 12th out of 118 countries in 2025. It also placed fifth in transition readiness.

Wagner attributed this progress to China’s strong innovation ecosystem and supportive policy framework.

The government has backed this push with a wide range of policy tools, including support for large-scale and distributed renewable systems, a national emissions reduction plan, and a pledge to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, he explained.

He said that “China’s performance in advancing the global energy transition is both impressive and essential.” This has demonstrated the possibility of large-scale energy transition efforts alongside maintaining strong economic growth, he added.

Despite China’s achievements, the report also highlighted broader global challenges. Global investment in low-carbon energy systems reached a record 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024, an 11 percent increase from the previous year. However, this growth rate has slowed compared to the 24-29 percent annual increases seen from 2021 to 2023. Moreover, current investment levels remain significantly below the estimated 5.6 trillion dollars required annually through 2030 to meet international climate goals.

In 2024, global energy-related carbon emissions hit a record 37.8 billion tons, driven by a 2.2 percent increase in energy demand. This growth was largely fueled by the rise of artificial intelligence, data centers, increased cooling demand, and electrification, according to the report.

“One of the most critical challenges identified in this year’s Energy Transition Index is the disparity in financing conditions between advanced and emerging economies,” Wagner said.

“China has solidified its position as a global leader in clean energy investment,” Wagner said, noting that the country attracted 818 billion dollars in clean energy investments in 2024, a 20 percent increase from the previous year.

“This demonstrates sustained political commitment and a strong innovation ecosystem,” he emphasized.

Moreover, China continues to channel significant capital not only into mature technologies such as solar and wind, but also into emerging solutions like electric vehicles and energy storage.

“By maintaining this investment momentum, China plays a dual role,” Wagner said. “It helps drive down global technology costs through scale, and acts as a bridge between advanced and emerging economies in the global energy transition.”

In addition, Wagner stressed the need for more equitable global capital distribution if the energy transition is to succeed worldwide.

MIL OSI China News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Secures Decision Blocking the Trump Administration’s Unlawful Withholding of Billions in Funding for EV Charging Infrastructure

Source: US State of California

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement on a preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington blocking the Trump Administration from unlawfully withholding billions of dollars in funding approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

“It is no secret that the Trump Administration is beholden to the fossil fuel agenda. The administration cannot dismiss programs illegally, like the bipartisan Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula program, just so that the President’s Big Oil friends can continue basking in record-breaking profits,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We are pleased with today’s order blocking the Administration’s unconstitutional attempt to do so, and California looks forward to continuing to vigorously defend itself from this executive branch overreach.”

Background

In 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. One provision of the IIJA appropriated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program to facilitate a national network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the states, making clean cars accessible and convenient for more consumers and markets.

On Day One of his administration, President Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to immediately stop releasing certain funds appropriated through the IIJA, including $5 billion that Congress appropriated for electric vehicle charging stations under NEVI. Following that directive, the Federal Highway Administration effectively halted the NEVI program by, among other things, illegally withholding billions in funds that Congress had directed to the states for building EV infrastructure.

Last month, Attorney General Bonta, alongside California Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Department of Transportation, and the California Energy Commission, co-led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to ensure the proper flow of NEVI funds. Today’s court order blocks the Trump Administration’s action while the case continues through litigation.

A copy of the court order can be found here.

# # #

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell, Outdoor Rec Reps All Say America’s Public Lands Are Not For Sale
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
06.24.25

Cantwell, Outdoor Rec Reps All Say America’s Public Lands Are Not For Sale

Senate could vote later this week on proposal to force sale of millions of federally-owned acres across Western states, including iconic hiking, climbing, hunting spots

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, joined the mayor of Boise, professional climbers, a leader from outdoor gear retailer REI, and a spokesperson for a hunting and angling advocacy group for a virtual press conference to push back on the GOP’s plans to force the sale of millions of acres of public lands as part of a budget bill likely to be voted on by the full Senate later this week.

“The proposal we see so far would mandate a sale of 2 to 3 million acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land all across the West, and it would make up to 250 million acres of public lands eligible to be sold. Every Western state, that is, except for Montana — because … somehow there’s a ‘Big Sky Swindle’ in the deal,” Sen. Cantwell said. “We’re here to say that we want our public lands protected. We want to be able to continue to hike, fish, hunt and do as much as we can. We don’t want hunters to face a ‘no trespassing’ sign on lands that they’ve hunted on for generations. We don’t want anglers to be blocked from world-class fishing grounds. We don’t want places that climbers and hikers and outdoor recreationists have gone to for years, all of a sudden, to be turned into luxury resorts or golf courses. They are at their highest and best use, and they are beautiful places that have been preserved for all of the American people to enjoy.”

“The representatives voting for this are in deeply red — oftentimes — places, because that’s where BLM and national forest land is, and that’s where I spend the majority of my time,” said professional climber Tommy Caldwell. “They’re going to change the character of the places they care the most about, and it’s really their constituency that’s going to suffer the most.”

“I’m looking out of my office right now at two distinct areas that are put at risk with this proposal to sell off public lands,” said Boise Mayor Lauren McLean. “And for over 20 years, we have a legacy of putting forward ballot measures to protect these lands, so that they’re saved in perpetuity for generations after us. But the system that our residents have created that’s right up against our downtown core is at risk.”

The Senate Republican proposal comes as part of a larger Trump Administration push to privatize public lands. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has stated on multiple occasions that public lands should be recognized as valuable assets on the nation’s balance sheet and potentially used to generate revenue. Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order that described the nation’s natural resources and public lands as a “sum of asset value,” in the context of establishing a “Sovereign Wealth Fund.” Subsequently, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, proposed greenlighting the sale of over 250 millions of acres of public lands, which could constitute the “largest single sale of national public land in modern history.” While last night the Senate Parliamentarian rejected Lee’s opening gambit, deeming the proposal ineligible under budget reconciliation process rules, Lee responded, “I’m doing everything I can to support President Trump and move this forward.” He promised, “We’re just getting started.”

The original version of the bill would have required the federal government to sell or transfer at least 0.5% and up to 0.75% of land owned by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, or between 2.1 million and 3.2 million acres. The proposal would have also established a process for potential purchasers, states, and local governments to nominate federal land to be sold, endangering more than 250 million acres across 11 states, with public lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming eligible for sale. A political side deal exempted any sales of federal land in Montana. Senator Lee has indicated he has submitted a revised proposal to the parliamentarian, which may exclude Forest Service lands and modify the eligibility of Bureau of Reclamation parcels, but the legislative text detailing the size and scope of any proposed land sales will remain fluid and is unlikely to be finalized or available for public review until shortly before the Senate votes on the measure.

Sen. Cantwell is strongly opposed to selling off federal lands. In a committee hearing on June 10, she took U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to task over the administration’s alarming budget proposal for the Department of the Interior: “We’re all amazed that you seem to be putting forth a budget that is basically saying, ‘I don’t want to acquire. I want to actually sell public lands,’” she said.

Sen. Cantwell was joined at today’s virtual press conference by:

Lauren McLean, Mayor of Boise

Susan Viscon, REI-Co-op Executive & Outdoor Industry Association Board Member

Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

Video of today’s virtual press conference is available HERE; a transcript is HERE.
MIL OSI USA News –
June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 2025 Summer Davos sees sustainability and AI meet global collaboration

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

Guests attend the parallel session “Checking In on the Energy Transition” during the 2025 Summer Davos Forum at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) in north China’s Tianjin Municipality, June 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

A premier barometer of global economic trends and industrial transformation, the 2025 Summer Davos Forum has seen record attendance for recent years, with over 1,700 participants traveling from around the world.

Its popularity is testament to both the convening power of the event, which is taking place from Tuesday to Thursday in north China’s Tianjin Municipality, and the unparalleled magnetism of China’s mega-scale market.

Also called the 16th Annual Meeting of New Champions of the World Economic Forum (WEF), this year’s forum is themed “Entrepreneurship for a New Era.”

“The theme, which builds on the DNA of this meeting since its inception, particularly focuses on how innovation, entrepreneurship and technological advancements can unlock growth, competitiveness and productivity,” Mirek Dusek, managing director of the WEF, said on Tuesday at the forum’s opening press conference.

The event spotlights five key areas: deciphering the world economy, outlook on China, industries disrupted, investing in people and the planet, and new energy and materials.

Unlike the annual meeting of the WEF held every January in Switzerland’s Davos, the Summer Davos Forum places greater emphasis on the future of business and technological advancement. This year’s edition not only demonstrates China’s achievements in high-quality economic development and its steadfast commitment to high-standard opening-up to the international community — it is also a platform for China to actively share the opportunities and dividends of its development with the world.

Green transformation

On the rooftop of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin), where the 2025 Summer Davos Forum is being held for the first time, solar panels supply continuous clean energy to power the venue during the event.

According to the State Grid Corporation of China, this edition of the forum has achieved a 100 percent green power supply for its venues, utilizing a total of 800,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity — equivalent to saving about 300 tonnes of standard coal combustion and cutting approximately 600 tonnes of carbon emissions.

The venue utilizes photovoltaic power generation and sponge city technologies, replacing conventional energy sources with renewables to reduce infrastructure carbon emissions, while significantly enhancing energy, water and material efficiency.

Sustainability is at the core of WEF events, said Severin Podolak, head of event management and operations for WEF, adding that the sofas and other furniture used in the venues are recycled materials from 2023, and some of the paints used for decoration were derived from renewable resources such as fishing nets.

Additionally, a fleet of hundreds of new energy vehicles (NEVs) from six leading carmakers, including Audi FAW, are facilitating eco-conscious transportation for forum participants, advancing the event’s carbon neutrality goals.

The concept of sustainability has been integrated thoroughly — from venue design to the forum’s agenda, with key topics such as Asia’s carbon markets and the next steps for climate resilience becoming focal points of discussions, addressing sustainable development directly.

Green nitrogen fixation has been named in the WEF’s Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025, alongside innovations like collaborative sensing and autonomous biochemical sensing, further solidifying sustainability as a global priority.

Today, China stands as the global leader in renewable energy investment. The nation has pioneered transformative technologies in the fields of batteries and electric vehicles, creating millions of high-quality jobs in these future-oriented sectors, according to Gim Huay Neo, managing director of the WEF.

“I think this is an area where there’s a lot of scope for us to learn from China’s experience, where there could actually be constructive partnerships between China and other parts of the world to also support the global energy transition,” Neo said. “The climate emergency and the planetary crisis cannot be resolved if we do not bring everybody along on this journey.”

AI revolution

A futuristic exhibition zone at the venue has become a major attraction, where cutting-edge AI products like humanoid robots, brain-computer interfaces and fully autonomous drone inspection systems are drawing large crowds of attendees. These innovations vividly showcase Chinese enterprises’ technological breakthroughs and pioneering applications of AI.

“China may have found the key to restarting global economic growth — its ‘AI Plus’ strategy,” said Liu Gang, chief economist of the Chinese Institute of New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies.

He explained that integrating artificial intelligence with the real economy yields remarkable economic benefits. For example, research conducted by his team shows that applying AI to the development of new materials can improve efficiency 100-fold to 1,000-fold.

Across various sessions at the 2025 Summer Davos, discussions on AI are unfolding with remarkable intensity, mirroring the fervent debates witnessed at other premier global forums. Notably, a dedicated session titled “Understanding China’s approach to AI” will be convened, underscoring the international community’s growing recognition of China’s pivotal role in the global AI development landscape.

“It will be like the industrial revolution,” former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said when talking about new technologies at the forum. Countries that embrace it go up, and countries that don’t go down, he said.

“I think how you understand, master and harness the technology revolution solution is the single biggest government challenge for the 21st century,” he noted.

Global synergy

According to the WEF, the global growth outlook has reached its lowest point in decades. Reigniting the spirit of cooperation will require greater commitment and creativity than ever before.

Professor Tong Jiadong at Nankai University, who has served as the long-term Chinese agenda research leader for the Tianjin Summer Davos Forum, observed that the event has evolved beyond a premier global thought leadership summit into a dynamic platform facilitating international exchange and cooperation.

Zhao Yan, chairman and general manager of Chinese firm Bloomage Biotech, has been a regular participant at the Summer Davos Forum. Over the years, the company has established a comprehensive global supply chain network across over 70 countries and regions.

“Despite navigating complex uncertainties, the enterprise has never resorted to isolationism, but instead strives to reshape global competition rules through open innovation,” Zhao said.

In the first five months of this year, the total volume of China’s imports and exports of goods grew 2.5 percent year on year, and the consumption enthusiasm of foreign visitors surged significantly.

“We value our cooperation with China very much. We’re seeing more and more interest and participation coming here,” said Borge Brende, president and CEO of the WEF. “I’m relatively optimistic for the Chinese economy, both in medium term and long term.”

MIL OSI China News –

June 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: FLINT Announces Voting Results from Shareholders’ Meeting

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CALGARY, Alberta, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FLINT Corp. (“FLINT”) (TSX: FLNT) is pleased to announce that all matters presented for approval at its annual meeting (the “Meeting”) of holders of common shares (“Common Shares”) held earlier today were approved. A total of 24,877,170 Common Shares, representing approximately 22.62% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, were represented at the Meeting.

All of the nominees listed in FLINT’s management information circular dated May 9, 2025 were elected as directors of FLINT to hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders or until their successors are elected or appointed. The results of the vote were:

	Votes For		Votes Withheld
Nominee	#	%	#	%
Barry Card	23,866,574	96.98	744,347	3.02
H. Fraser Clarke	23,866,574	96.98	744,347	3.02
Katrisha Gibson	23,867,798	96.98	743,123	3.02
Karl Johannson	23,413,621	95.14	1,197,300	4.86
Dean T. MacDonald	23,866,574	96.98	744,347	3.02
Sean D. McMaster	23,866,574	96.98	744,347	3.02

Ernst & Young LLP was appointed as FLINT’s auditor until the next annual meeting of shareholders, and the directors were authorized to fix their remuneration. The result of the vote was:

Votes For		Votes Withheld
#	%	#	%
24,800,533	99.69	76,536	0.31

About FLINT Corp.

With a legacy of excellence and experience stretching back more than 100 years, FLINT provides solutions for the Energy and Industrial markets including: Oil & Gas, (upstream, midstream and downstream), Petrochemical, Mining, Power, Agriculture, Forestry, Infrastructure and Water Treatment. With offices strategically located across Canada and a dedicated workforce, we provide maintenance, turnaround, construction, wear technology and environmental services that help our customers bring their resources to our world. For more information about FLINT, please visit www.flintcorp.com or contact:

The MIL Network –

June 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Griffith Advocates for Coal Miner Health and Safety Protections in Hearing with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, participated in a hearing entitled “The Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget.” The hearing, which featured U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., focused on the agency’s budget request for fiscal year 2026.

Congressman Griffith engaged Secretary Kennedy, Jr. on different topics, with some related to the HHS National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the agency’s approach to Black Lung Disease. To see the interaction, click here or on the link below.

BACKGROUND

This year, HHS announced that NIOSH will join the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) to improve coordination of health resources for Americans.

Other agencies a part of AHA include the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis, or Black Lung, is a disease that impacts our nation’s miners. Miners who are diagnosed with the disease are entitled to certain federal monetary and medical benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Program.

Congressman Griffith has visited facilities in Southwest Virginia that treat black lung disease, including Stone Mountain Health Services Black Lung Clinic in St. Charles, Virginia.

In 2019 and 2020, Congressman Griffith waived onto hearings held by the House Committee on Education & the Workforce to discuss protecting black lung benefits.

Congressman Griffith serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Coal Caucus.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Navigating Utility-Scale Energy Procurement Just Got Easier
Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

A New NREL Tool Can Help Public and Private Energy Buyers Make Informed, Cost-Effective Decisions

For commercial, industrial, academic, and public-sector organizations, navigating large-scale electricity procurement has never been more complex—or more critical.

Developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Procurement Analysis Tool (PAT) can help energy buyers cut through the complexity with data-driven insights tailored to their needs.

PAT is a web-based platform that supports early-stage planning and screening for off-site electricity procurement. The free tool empowers users to explore and compare utility-scale energy options across the United States. With its guided interface, users don’t need to be energy experts to get started.

With NREL’s new Procurement Analysis Tool, energy buyers can explore customized, utility-scale electricity options. Graphic by NREL

“Our goal with PAT is to make it easy for organizations to understand their options—whether they’re new to the process or have years of experience,” said NREL analyst Jeff Cook, who co-led the development of the tool. “Its easy-to-use interface walks users through a series of questions and identifies actionable, cost-informed energy procurement strategies that reflect their operational needs and priorities.”

PAT’s key features include:
- Scenario planning: Run simulations across multiple sites to compare energy solutions.
- Procurement options: Explore procurement options based on preferred load-serving entities.
- Technology insights: Access data on energy technologies and resource regions. PAT currently includes renewable energy technologies but has the ability to accommodate any energy technology in the future.
- Personalized results: Fine-tune your energy procurement options with filter questions to match your specific goals.
- Downloadable resources: Export resources with technology details for your next steps.
A Planning Edge for Energy Buyers Across the Market

Large-scale electricity procurement can be daunting. For many organizations—especially local governments, public institutions, and commercial buyers—without in-house expertise or technical support, it can be difficult to understand which options are available regionally, what technologies make sense locally, and how different procurement strategies compare.

“While a variety of mature tools are available for analyzing on-site energy options, there are very few tools available to evaluate off-site procurement options,” said NREL analyst Sushmita Jena, who co-led the development of the tool. “We built PAT not only to fill this gap but also to be as user-friendly as possible—ensuring it’s easy to understand and navigate.”

Through a secure, self-service interface, users enter basic information about their facilities and energy use, along with a few key preferences. In return, the tool delivers customized recommendations based on real-world market data and user-specific priorities.

Following its beta release in 2022, the NREL team improved PAT’s features based on broad stakeholder input, and the tool is already used by 180+ early adopters across counties, cities, and corporations. Its flexible design supports a wide range of potential users, including:
- Commercial and industrial buyers
- Federal, state, and local governments
- Colleges, universities, and campuses
- Electric service providers
- Regulators and public utility commissions.
Technical Foundation, Practical Results

PAT integrates several of NREL’s best-in-class datasets and modeling platforms, including the Annual Technology Baseline, Renewable Energy Supply Curves, Cambium, and the System Advisor Model. These tools provide the backbone for PAT’s regional cost estimates, resource assessments, and performance modeling.

With this technical foundation, PAT enables users to explore practical questions such as:
- What energy procurement options are available in my region?
  PAT shows options like power purchase agreements (PPAs) or utility programs available in a user’s location based on utility service areas and market structure.
- How do energy procurement options align with my objectives?
  The tool matches energy options to user priorities such as cost, targets, and technology preferences.
- How do different procurement strategies compare in cost and impact?
  The tool compares costs across technologies and procurement models to support informed decisions.
Try PAT Today—and Attend an Upcoming Webinar To Learn More

PAT is ready to help organizations take their first step toward informed electricity procurement. Visit the PAT website and create a free account to get started.

Register now

A free NREL webinar at 10 a.m. MT on July 22, 2025, will provide an overview of PAT’s features, walk through common use cases, and offer live Q&A with the development team.

Learn more about NREL’s energy analysis research, and sign up for NREL’s energy analysis newsletter.

MIL OSI USA News –
June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: IAEA Launches Management System Advisory Service to Support the Introduction of Nuclear Power, Conducts First Mission to Saudi Arabia

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

An IAEA team of experts visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to conduct the first IAEA Management Systems Advisory Service (IMSAS) mission. (Photo: DNEC).

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted its first-ever management systems advisory service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 19 to 22 May 2025.

The IAEA Management Systems Advisory Service (IMSAS) was established to support newcomer countries in developing robust and effective nuclear infrastructure, in response to findings from the Agency’s Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) missions that highlighted inconsistencies in the implementation of management systems among countries embarking on new nuclear power programmes.

As part of the IAEA’s broader commitment to support countries in introducing nuclear power in their energy mix, IMSAS helps nuclear organizations develop and maintain management systems appropriate to the current phase of the nuclear power programme. A management system is a set of interrelated or interacting elements — including organizational structure, responsibilities, resources, and processes — established to achieve organizational objectives in an efficient and effective manner.

Saudi Arabia is embarking on a nuclear power programme as part of its strategy to transition towards a diversified energy sector and building national capabilities in advanced energy technologies, all as part of its Vision 2030. In support of this plan, Saudi Arabia is following the IAEA’s Milestones Approach and actively cooperates with the IAEA through a coordinated Integrated Workplan to support its nuclear infrastructure development.

In November 2024, Duwayhin Nuclear Energy Company (DNEC), which is designated as the owner/operator for the first nuclear power plant, requested the IAEA to conduct the IMSAS mission to review whether the current management system in DNEC is appropriate and adequate to support its current and planned activities.

During its review, the IMSAS team – comprised of four external experts from Hungary, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as three IAEA staff members – reviewed documentation and conducted technical discussions with the DNEC in Riyadh.

“The IMSAS team found that DNEC has a well-developed management system that effectively supports the organization in carrying out its current and future activities. We commend DNEC on the efforts undertaken to date to develop its management system, which will help support the safe and effective implementation Saudi Arabia’s nuclear power programme,” said Liliya Dulinets, Section Head of the IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section.

In its draft final report, issued at the closing session, the mission team identified four good practices by DNEC. These included the development of its management system using a structured, project-based approach that ensures effective planning and coordination; the clear documentation of governance and management frameworks, which provides staff with a solid understanding of roles and responsibilities; and the transition to a fully electronic management system to enhance accessibility and usability.

Two recommendations and four suggestions were also noted. These included opportunities for improvement related to enhancing the consistency of the management system documentation, formalizing the approach to process development, and elevating the level of ownership of the management system within the organization.

“Our objective in requesting the mission was to have the IAEA conduct a cold-eye review of how we manage our day-to-day operations, particularly our management system,” said Khalid Al Gazlan, DNEC CEO. “The results of the mission were excellent, and the recommendations and suggestions provided will greatly support our continuous improvement efforts. We remain committed to cooperating with the IAEA through the Integrated Work Plan across all phases of our project, to ensure the establishment of a competent Owner-Operator; we thank the IAEA and the IMSAS team for this constructive and productive mission. This mission was a testament that the Kingdom is moving confidently towards building a sustainable civil nuclear program, supported by national competencies and strong international partnership.”

The final mission report will be provided to DNEC within three months.

About IMSAS

IMSAS was established to support the review of management systems in countries embarking on new nuclear power programmes. It provides a structured approach for the self-assessment of the management systems of the regulatory body and owner/operator organization, as well as an independent review conducted by IAEA and international experts.

IMSAS missions help organizations develop and maintain effective management systems consistent with the current phase of the nuclear power programme. It assists these organizations in aligning their management systems with IAEA standards and international good practices to support the implementation of current and planned activities. Additionally, IMSAS enables the identification of strengths and weaknesses through a combination of self-assessment and independent review, providing recommendations for improvement and highlighting good practices.

The IAEA offers its Member States a wide array of review services. For the introduction of nuclear power, the Agency’s peer review service include, for example, the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) and the Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Service for Nuclear Power Programmes (SEAS).

MIL OSI NGO –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Making the UK the best place to do business: Modern Industrial Strategy set to deepen global collaboration
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
World news story

Making the UK the best place to do business: Modern Industrial Strategy set to deepen global collaboration

English

Español de América Latina

Modern Industrial Strategy will make the UK the best country to invest in and grow a business, delivering on the Plan for Change.
UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy

Strategy developed in partnership with business, marking a new era of collaboration between government and high growth industries.

New Industrial Strategy to unlock billions in investment and support 1.1 million new well-paid jobs over the next decade. *New Global Talent Taskforce and £54m fund will attract world-class researchers, top talent and their teams to the UK.

Electricity costs for thousands of businesses to be slashed by up to 25%.

The plan focuses on 8 high growth sectors, including Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Digital and Technologies, Financial Services and Life Sciences, where there is potential for faster growth.

The modern Industrial Strategy unveiled today, Monday 23 June, sets out a ten-year plan to boost investment, create good skilled jobs and make Britain the best place to do business.

It includes targeted support for the areas of the country and economy that have the greatest potential to grow, while introducing reforms that will make it easier for all businesses to get ahead.

The Strategy’s bold plan of action includes:

Slash electricity costs by up to 25% from 2027 for electricity-intensive manufacturers in growth sectors and foundational industries in their supply chain, bringing costs more closely in line with other major economies in Europe.

Unlocking billions in finance for innovative business, especially for SMEs by increasing British Business Bank financial capacity to £25.6 billion, crowding in tens of billions of pounds more in private capital. The includes an additional £4bn for Industrial Strategy Sectors, crowding in billions more in private capital. By investing largely through venture funds, the BBB will back the UK’s most high-growth potential companies.

Reducing regulatory burdens by cutting the administrative costs of regulation for business by 25% and reduce the number of regulators.

Boosting R&D spending to £22.6bn per year by 2029-30 to drive innovation across the IS-8, with more than £2bn for AI over the Spending Review, and £2.8bn for advanced manufacturing over the next ten years. This will leverage in billions more from private investors. Regulatory changes will further clear the path for fast-growing industries and innovative products such as biotechnology, AI, and autonomous vehicles.

Attracting elite global talent to our key sectors, via visa and migration reforms and the new Global Talent Taskforce. The Taskforce and a £54m Global Talent Fund will support top talent to relocate to the UK.

Deepening economic and industrial collaboration with our partners, building on our Industrial Strategy Partnership with Japan and recent deals with the US, India, and the EU.

Reducing planning timelines and cutting costs for developers, by hiring more planners, streamlining pre-application requirements and combining environmental obligations, removing burdens on businesses as well as accelerating house building.

Revolutionising public procurement and reducing barriers for new entrants and SMEs to bolster domestic competitiveness.

Supporting the UK’s city regions and clusters by increasing the supply of investible sites through a new £600m Strategic Sites Accelerator, enhanced regional support from the Office for Investment, National Wealth Fund, and British Business Bank, and more.

Upskilling the nation with an extra £1.2 billion each year for skills by 2028-29, and delivering more opportunities to learn and earn in our high-growth sectors including new short courses in relevant skills funded by the Growth and Skills Levy and skills packages targeted at defence digital and engineering.

Supporting 5,500 more SMEs to adopt new technology through the Made Smarter programme while centralising government support in one place through the Business Growth Service.

The plan focuses on 8 sectors where the UK is already strong and there’s potential for faster growth: Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital and Technologies, Financial Services, Life Sciences, and Professional and Business Services. Each growth sector has a bespoke 10-year plan that will attract investment, enable growth and create high-quality, well-paid jobs.

Five sector plans have been published in tandem:

Advanced Manufacturing

Backing the Advanced Manufacturing sector with up to £4.3 billion in funding, including up to £2.8 billion in R&D over the next five years, with the aim of anchoring supply chains in the UK – from increasing vehicle production to 1.35, to leading the next generation of technologies for zero emission flight.

Clean Energy Industries

Doubling investment in Clean Energy Industries by 2035, with Great British Energy helping to build the clean power revolution in Britain with a further £700 million in clean energy supply chains, taking the total funding for the Great British Energy Supply Chain fund to £1 billion.

Creative Industries

Maximizing the value of the UK’s Creative Industries through a £380 million boost for film and TV, video games, advertising and marketing, music and visual and performing arts will improve access to finance for scale-ups and increase R&D, skills and exports.

Digital and Technologies

Making the UK the European leader for creating and scaling Digital and Technology businesses, with more than £2 billion to drive the AI Action Plan, including a new Sovereign AI Programme, £187 million for training one million young people in tech skills and targeting R&D investment at frontier technologies such as cyber security in Northern Ireland, semiconductors in Wales and quantum technologies in Scotland.

Professional and Business Services

Ensuring the UK’s Professional and Business Services becomes the world’s most trusted adviser to global industry, revolutionising the sector across the world through adoption of UK-grown AI and working to secure mutual recognition of professional qualifications agreements overseas.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

This Industrial Strategy marks a turning point for Britain’s economy and a clear break from the short-termism and sticking plasters of the past.

In an era of global economic instability, it delivers the long-term certainty and direction British businesses need to invest, innovate and create good jobs that put more money in people’s pockets as part of the plan for change.

This is how we power Britain’s future – by backing the sectors where we lead, removing the barriers that hold us back, and setting out a clear path to build a stronger economy that works for working people. Our message is clear – Britain is back and open for business.

Regarding the launch of the New Industrial Strategy, British Ambassador to Chile, Louise de Sousa, said:

The UK’s modern Industrial Strategy is our ten-year plan to strengthen infrastructure, reduce costs for businesses and simplify regulation.

With a highly skilled workforce and unrivalled global business connectivity, the UK provides an ideal location to scale, invest and grow business, by accessing the G7’s lowest corporation tax and a generous R&D tax.

This being and internation strategy from the start, the plan will provide local businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators the stability and ease needed to make long-term investment decisions, which, in turn will help strengthening the already strong economic ties between UK and Chile.

The Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to promote business investment and growth and make it quicker, easier and cheaper to do business in the UK, giving businesses the confidence to invest and create 1.1 million good, well-paid jobs in thriving industries – delivering on the UK Government’s Plan for Change.

Further information

If you want to know more about this matter, please contact the Communications Office.

For more information about the activities of the British Embassy in Santiago, follow us on:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Flicker

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 24 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: IAEA Launches Management System Advisory Service to Support the Introduction of Nuclear Power, Conducts First Mission to Saudi Arabia

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

An IAEA team of experts visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to conduct the first IAEA Management Systems Advisory Service (IMSAS) mission. (Photo: DNEC).

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted its first-ever management systems advisory service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 19 to 22 May 2025.

The IAEA Management Systems Advisory Service (IMSAS) was established to support newcomer countries in developing robust and effective nuclear infrastructure, in response to findings from the Agency’s Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) missions that highlighted inconsistencies in the implementation of management systems among countries embarking on new nuclear power programmes.

As part of the IAEA’s broader commitment to support countries in introducing nuclear power in their energy mix, IMSAS helps nuclear organizations develop and maintain management systems appropriate to the current phase of the nuclear power programme. A management system is a set of interrelated or interacting elements — including organizational structure, responsibilities, resources, and processes — established to achieve organizational objectives in an efficient and effective manner.

Saudi Arabia is embarking on a nuclear power programme as part of its strategy to transition towards a diversified energy sector and building national capabilities in advanced energy technologies, all as part of its Vision 2030. In support of this plan, Saudi Arabia is following the IAEA’s Milestones Approach and actively cooperates with the IAEA through a coordinated Integrated Workplan to support its nuclear infrastructure development.

In November 2024, Duwayhin Nuclear Energy Company (DNEC), which is designated as the owner/operator for the first nuclear power plant, requested the IAEA to conduct the IMSAS mission to review whether the current management system in DNEC is appropriate and adequate to support its current and planned activities.

During its review, the IMSAS team – comprised of four external experts from Hungary, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as three IAEA staff members – reviewed documentation and conducted technical discussions with the DNEC in Riyadh.

“The IMSAS team found that DNEC has a well-developed management system that effectively supports the organization in carrying out its current and future activities. We commend DNEC on the efforts undertaken to date to develop its management system, which will help support the safe and effective implementation Saudi Arabia’s nuclear power programme,” said Liliya Dulinets, Section Head of the IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section.

In its draft final report, issued at the closing session, the mission team identified four good practices by DNEC. These included the development of its management system using a structured, project-based approach that ensures effective planning and coordination; the clear documentation of governance and management frameworks, which provides staff with a solid understanding of roles and responsibilities; and the transition to a fully electronic management system to enhance accessibility and usability.

Two recommendations and four suggestions were also noted. These included opportunities for improvement related to enhancing the consistency of the management system documentation, formalizing the approach to process development, and elevating the level of ownership of the management system within the organization.

“Our objective in requesting the mission was to have the IAEA conduct a cold-eye review of how we manage our day-to-day operations, particularly our management system,” said Khalid Al Gazlan, DNEC CEO. “The results of the mission were excellent, and the recommendations and suggestions provided will greatly support our continuous improvement efforts. We remain committed to cooperating with the IAEA through the Integrated Work Plan across all phases of our project, to ensure the establishment of a competent Owner-Operator; we thank the IAEA and the IMSAS team for this constructive and productive mission. This mission was a testament that the Kingdom is moving confidently towards building a sustainable civil nuclear program, supported by national competencies and strong international partnership.”

The final mission report will be provided to DNEC within three months.

About IMSAS

IMSAS was established to support the review of management systems in countries embarking on new nuclear power programmes. It provides a structured approach for the self-assessment of the management systems of the regulatory body and owner/operator organization, as well as an independent review conducted by IAEA and international experts.

IMSAS missions help organizations develop and maintain effective management systems consistent with the current phase of the nuclear power programme. It assists these organizations in aligning their management systems with IAEA standards and international good practices to support the implementation of current and planned activities. Additionally, IMSAS enables the identification of strengths and weaknesses through a combination of self-assessment and independent review, providing recommendations for improvement and highlighting good practices.

The IAEA offers its Member States a wide array of review services. For the introduction of nuclear power, the Agency’s peer review service include, for example, the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) and the Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Service for Nuclear Power Programmes (SEAS).

MIL OSI United Nations News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Ruiz Slams Secretary Robert F. Kennedy for False Citations in the MAHA Report

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raul Ruiz (36th District of California)

Washington, DC – During today’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-25) directly challenged Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his role in leading the Make American Health Again (MAHA) Commission and the commission’s release of a report riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation.

Congressman Ruiz pressed Kennedy on whether he had reviewed and fact-checked the report’s sources prior to publication:

Congressman Ruiz: “Mr. Secretary Kennedy, you’re listed as the chair of the [MAHA] Commission. Did you read the report and fact check its sources prior to publication?”

Secretary Kennedy: “All of the factual studies…”

Congressman Ruiz: “Did you read the reports and did you yourself fact check them, sir?”

Secretary Kennedy: “I did not fact check.”

Video and Photos can be found here.

Congressman Ruiz, an emergency medicine physician and longtime advocate for public health and science-based policy, condemned the MAHA report for misleading the public and undermining trust in medical science.

“While public health leaders work around the clock to protect families and children, this kind of dishonesty from the Secretary of Health and Human Services is unacceptable,” said Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz. “Secretary Kennedy’s entire agenda is built on misrepresentations and falsehoods, citing studies that don’t exist to push dangerous personal beliefs and vendettas. This violates basic scientific rigor, honesty, and trust in his agenda. Kennedy must be held to a higher standard when lives are at stake.”

The hearing comes as Kennedy continues to spread dangerous misinformation about vaccines and public health, claims that have been widely discredited by the medical community.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Ciscomani Urges the Senate to Protect Medicaid

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Juan Ciscomani (Arizona)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani and 15 colleagues are urging Senate and House leaders to protect Medicaid, firmly opposing legislation that limits access to Medicaid coverage for vulnerable individuals or jeopardizes the ability for hospitals to provide care.

“Throughout the budget process, we have consistently affirmed our commitment to ensuring that reductions in federal spending do not come at the expense of our most vulnerable constituents,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson. “We write to reiterate that commitment to those we represent here in Washington… The proposal released by the Senate Finance Committee on June 16 includes provisions that go beyond H.R. 1. The House’s approach reflects a more pragmatic and compassionate standard, and we urge that it be retained in the final bill.”

The lawmakers continued: “Protecting Medicaid is essential for the vulnerable constituents we were elected to represent. Therefore, we cannot support a final bill that threatens access to coverage or jeopardizes the stability of our hospitals and providers.”

In April, Ciscomani joined a letter to House Republican leadership making it clear that they would not support a reconciliation package that reduces Medicaid coverage for those who need it and who have limited options for health coverage, such as single mothers, those with disabilities, the working poor, and the elderly.

Following this letter, Ciscomani met with the White House, Republican leadership, and the Energy and Commerce Committee to prevent changes to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), a decrease in Arizona’s provider tax, and per capita caps from being included in the final House reconciliation package. Those provisions were not included in the bill that Ciscomani voted for.

In February, Congressman Ciscomani was among members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference who sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, saying that cutting Medicaid “would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities where hospitals and nursing homes are already struggling to keep their doors open.”

The most recent letter was written by Congressman David Valadao (R-CA) and includes Reps. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), Chuck Edwards (R-NC), Young Kim (R-CA), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Don Bacon (R-NE), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Rob Wittman (R-VA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Jeff Hurd (R-CO).

Find the full letter here or below:

Dear Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Thune,

As Members of Congress who helped secure a Republican majority, we believe it is essential that the final reconciliation bill reflects the priorities of our constituents—most importantly, the critical need to protect Medicaid and the hospitals that serve our communities. Throughout the budget process, we have consistently affirmed our commitment to ensuring that reductions in federal spending do not come at the expense of our most vulnerable constituents. We write to reiterate that commitment to those we represent here in Washington.

We support the Medicaid reforms in H.R. 1, which strengthen the program’s ability to serve children, pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities. The proposal released by the Senate Finance Committee on June 16 includes provisions that go beyond H.R. 1. The House’s approach reflects a more pragmatic and compassionate standard, and we urge that it be retained in the final bill.

The Senate proposal also undermines the balanced approach taken to craft the Medicaid provisions in H.R. 1—particularly regarding provider taxes and state directed payments. The Senate version treats expansion and non-expansion states unfairly, fails to preserve existing state programs, and imposes stricter limits that do not give hospitals sufficient time to adjust to new budgetary constraints or to identify alternative funding sources.

We are also concerned about rushed implementation timelines, penalties for expansion states, changes to the community engagement requirements for adults with dependents, and cuts to emergency Medicaid funding. These changes would place additional burdens on hospitals already stretched thin by legal and moral obligations to provide care.

Protecting Medicaid is essential for the vulnerable constituents we were elected to represent. Therefore, we cannot support a final bill that threatens access to coverage or jeopardizes the stability of our hospitals and providers.

We appreciate your ongoing leadership in advocating for our members’ priorities as you engage in negotiations with the Senate. We look forward to discussing these issues further and working together toward a solution that reflects our conference’s goals.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: So Alberta, what’s next?
[.

Chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, the Alberta Next panel will bring together a broad mix of leaders, experts, and community voices to gather input, discuss solutions, and provide feedback to government on how Alberta can better protect its interests, defend its economy, and assert its place in Confederation.

The panel will consult across the province over the summer and early fall to ensure that those living, working, doing business and raising families are the ones to drive Alberta’s future forward. The work will include identifying solutions advanced by Albertans on how to make Alberta stronger and more sovereign within a united Canada that respects and empowers the province to achieve its full potential. It will also include making recommendations to the government on potential referendum questions for Albertans to vote on in 2026.

It will consider and hear from Albertans on the risks and benefits of ideas like a establishing an Alberta Pension Plan, using an Alberta Provincial Police Service rather than the RCMP for community policing, whether Albertans should consider pursuing constitutional changes, which (if any) changes to federal transfer payments and equalization Albertans should demand of the federal government, potential immigration reform that would give the provincial government more oversight into who comes to the province, and changes to how Alberta collects personal income tax. Albertans will also have the opportunity to put forward their own ideas for discussion.

“This isn’t just about talk. It’s about action. The Alberta Next Panel is giving everyday Albertans a direct say in the direction of our province. It’s time to stand up to Ottawa’s overreach and make sure decisions about Alberta’s future are made here, by the people who live and work here.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

“Right now, there is a need to restore fairness and functionality in the country. Years of problematic policy and decisions from Ottawa have hurt Albertan and Canadian prosperity. I am honoured to be asked by Premier Smith to participate in the Alberta Next Panel. This panel is about listening to Albertans on how we build a stronger Alberta within a united Canada, to which I, and the Business Council of Alberta, are firmly committed.”

Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta

Chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, the panel includes 13 additional members, including elected officials, academics, business leaders and community advocates:
- Honourable Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas of Alberta
- Brandon Lunty, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont
- Glenn van Dijken, MLA for Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock
- Tara Sawyer, MLA-elect for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
- Bruce McDonald, former justice, Court of Appeal of Alberta
- Trevor Tombe, director of fiscal and economic policy, the University of Calgary School of Public Policy
- Adam Legge, president, Business Council of Alberta
- Andrew Judson, vice chairman (prairies), Fraser Institute
- Sumita Anand, vice president, Above and Beyond Care Services
- Melody Garner-Skiba, business and agricultural advocate
- Grant Fagerheim, president and CEO, Whitecap Resources Inc.
- Dr. Akin Osakuade, physician and section chief, Didsbury Hospital
- Dr. Benny Xu, community health expert
- Michael Binnion, president, Questerre Energy
Albertans have a choice: let Ottawa continue calling the shots—or come together to chart our own course. What’s next? You decide.

Key facts:
- Town hall dates and sites, along with other opportunities to participate in this engagement, are available online at Alberta.ca/Next. Exact locations will be posted in the weeks ahead of the event, and Albertans will be asked to RSVP online.
- The panel’s recommendations will be submitted to government by Dec. 31, 2025.
- It is anticipated that the panel will add additional members in the coming weeks.
Related information
- Alberta.ca/Next
- Panel member biographies
Related news
- Alberta Next: Albertans to choose path forward (May 5, 2025)
Multimedia
- Watch the news conference
MIL OSI Canada News –
June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Secretary Wright Issues Emergency Order to Secure Southeast Power Grid Amid Heat Wave

Source: US Department of Energy

WASHINGTON—The Department of Energy (DOE) today issued an emergency order authorized by Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to address potential grid shortfall issues in the Southeast U.S. The order, issued amid surging power demand, will help mitigate the risk of blackouts brought on by high temperatures across the Southeast region.

“As electricity demand reaches its peak, Americans should not be forced to wonder if their power grid can support their homes and businesses. Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Energy will use all tools available to maintain a reliable, affordable, and secure energy system for the American people,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “This order ensures Duke Energy Carolinas can supply its customers with consistent and reliable power throughout peak summer demand.”

The Order authorizes Duke Energy Carolina to utilize specific electric generating units located within the Duke Energy Carolina area to operate at their maximum generation output levels due to ongoing extreme weather conditions and to preserve the reliability of bulk electric power system.

Orders such as this, issued by the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), are in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order: Declaring a National Energy Emergency and will ensure the availability of generation needed to meet high electricity demand and minimize the risk of blackouts. The order is in effect from June 24 – June 25, 2025.

Background:

FPA Section 202(c) gives DOE the ability to support energy companies to serve their customers during times of emergencies when they would otherwise not be capable of supplying Americans with reliable, consistent power by providing a waiver of federal, state, or local environmental laws and regulations. The waivers have limitations to ensure public safety and interest are prioritized.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Pennsylvania gas plant to bring hundreds of jobs for Boilermakers

Source: US International Brotherhood of Boilermakers

When the hiring process starts, we’ll be ready to go. We want to give them qualified men and women.

Shawn Steffee, L-154 Business Agent

On April 2, Homer City Redevelopment and Kiewit Power Constructors Co. announced plans to redevelop the former Homer City Generating Station site. Once the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania, the 3,200-acre property will be transformed into a natural-gas-powered data center campus.

The new facility will meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Top technology companies are hungry for more computing power and this project aims to deliver.

Construction will generate hundreds of new jobs for the Boilermakers, according to L-154 (Pittsburgh) Business Agent and Homer City native Shawn Steffee. In addition to Boilermakers, the project will employ thousands of unionized skilled trade workers during the build.

The closure of the coal plant in 2022 was a major blow to Homer City and the local workforce.

“The shutting of coal-fired plants and refineries caused a noticeable drop in our membership and the loss of many skilled Boilermakers to other trades,” said L-154 Business Manager Michael Stanton. “However, we are encouraged by the natural gas industry and excited about signs of a coal resurgence in America.”

Steffee remembers how damaging it was for friends when Homer City closed the coal plant.

“I knew the people who worked here, and the closure was devastating,” said Steffee, who’s thrilled at the prospect of work for Boilermakers in his local. “The Homer City Energy Campus will be a series of natural-gas plants that will power a massive data center campus. What’s really interesting is that this is going to be 4.5 gigawatt, the largest in North America, when it’s done.”

The power block build itself is a $10 billion investment. Another $10 to $15 billion is planned for investment in data centers.

The build can’t be done with renewables. According to Steffee, it would take 75 million solar panels across 230 sq. miles to generate the kind of output the new power block will provide. For wind, the numbers are 5,000 wind turbines across 1,875 sq. miles of land. He said the American people need to understand where reliable power comes from when they switch on a light. And renewables aren’t reliable.

The Homer City project brings security to the grid and eliminates reliability issues.

“Natural gas, coal and nuclear, these are reliable power,” he said. “What’s really great for the state of Pennsylvania is using the Marcellus and Utica formation. The plant will take 530 million cubic feet of gas per day.”

The local is up for the task of recruiting and training the needed number of Boilermakers for this job. Stanton said they indentured a new apprentice class in May and are actively recruiting through job fairs, school visits and community outreach.

“To strengthen our recruitment efforts, we utilized the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund to partner with a media team to enhance our social media presence and outreach, showcasing the benefits of a Boilermaker career.”

The local will need more Boilermakers because Steffee sees even more work coming. So, he’s keen on being the best craft on the project and fully manning it.

“When the hiring process starts, we’ll be ready to go. We want to give them qualified men and women. We want to build more. We want to build our numbers back up. This project is just the beginning,” he said. “This is just the beginning for us. I couldn’t be happier for our local. We needed the good news.”

To strengthen our recruitment efforts, we utilized the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund to partner with a media team to enhance our social media presence and outreach, showcasing the benefits of a Boilermaker career.

Michael Stanton, L-154 Business Manager

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs: Attack on Al-Udeid Base Unacceptable, Qatar Adheres to Policy of Good Neighborliness

Source: Government of Qatar

Doha, June 24

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani reiterated the State of Qatar’s strongest condemnation of the attack on Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Monday, stressing that it is an unacceptable act that violates Qatar’s policy of good neighborliness.

In a joint press conference with HE Prime Minister of the sisterly Republic of Lebanon Dr. Nawaf Salam, His Excellency said that Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the attack that occurred Monday on the Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and Qatar denounces such behavior by a neighboring country with which Qatar has relied on a policy of good neighborliness and transparency, and with which it continues to adhere and maintain a policy of good neighborliness.

His Excellency pointed out that the State of Qatar condemned the Israeli attacks on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran from the first day. The Iranian people are a neighboring people, and Qatar does not wish them harm. Qatar wants them to rise and develop. However, the act of attacking the State of Qatar is unacceptable.

His Excellency added that Qatar has been making significant diplomatic efforts with its regional and international partners to calm the situation, but unfortunately, Qatar was surprised by such an attack on a base in a fraternal country to Iran.

In his remarks, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs praised the role played by Qatar’s Armed Forces, under the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in confronting the attack. He said that HH the Amir was constantly informed and closely monitoring the situation from the time intelligence information was received about the anticipated attack on bases hosting US forces in the region, until the attack was repelled.

His Excellency added that he would like to point out in particular that Qatar’s Armed Forces performed a heroic act in repelling these attacks, as was explained Monday at the press conference, as Qatari air defenses intercepted all missiles except for one that fell in an open area.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also expressed the State of Qatar’s deep gratitude to its sisterly and friendly countries for their solidarity with Qatar and their rejection of the attack, especially the brothers in the GCC countries, who were quick to express their support for Qatar and stand with it.

His Excellency said that Doha will host, at the request of the fraternal State of Kuwait, the current chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the 49th extraordinary meeting of the GCC Ministerial Council to discuss this dangerous development in the region.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to view the events taking place in the region with the utmost responsibility and wisdom, adding that the blatant Israeli attacks witnessed against several countries in the region, including the Islamic Republic of Iran (despite the attacks against Qatar), are clear evidence that random and irresponsible actions only generate instability in the region and may lead the region to an even more difficult situation.

His Excellency noted that after the attack on Al-Udeid Air Base, the armed forces, under the directives of the Supreme Commander, HH the Amir, studied the scenarios through which such an attack could be responded to. However, Qatar prefers diplomacy and wisdom and prioritizes the public interest of the region above all else.

He added that the message Qatar is trying to deliver first is that the State of Qatar, with the capabilities available to its armed forces, has been able to prove to everyone that it can defend itself, its citizens, and its residents. Everyone here is one people and has stood together.

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani emphasized that the precautionary measures taken by Qatar on Monday were sound and helped spare the country any losses or casualties. He urged everyone not to be swayed by rumors and false news and to obtain their information from official sources.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that HH the Amir received numerous calls following the attack on Al-Udeid Air Base, including one from US President Donald Trump. He noted that the conversation between the two leaders was extensive and focused on the events, their repercussions, and how to deal with them.

His Excellency also referred to the US President’s announcement of a complete ceasefire on all fronts, saying that the United States asked the State of Qatar to communicate with the Iranian side to determine their readiness for a ceasefire, and that Qatar made the necessary contacts that resulted in the announcement made by the US President.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed the State of Qatar’s welcome of this announcement, “despite the violations seen today of the ceasefire.” Qatar hopes the ceasefire will continue and that the matter will return to its diplomatic track, and Qatar urges the parties to adhere to what was agreed upon.

His Excellency also urged the American and Iranian sides to return immediately to the negotiating table to resume nuclear talks and reach a diplomatic solution, which Qatar has long called for and sought to achieve.

His Excellency added that Qatar wants a safe zone free of nuclear weapons, and wants this to be based on an agreement that guarantees the security and interests of all, as well as the interests of Iran, which is, after all, Qatar’s neighbor.

His Excellency also noted that HH the Amir received a phone call on Tuesday from the Iranian President, who expressed his regret that the target that was attacked on Monday was in Qatar.

His Excellency said that Qatar made it clear to the Iranian President that the State of Qatar is, after all, a neighboring country and has always relied on good neighborliness in its relations with Iran and did not expect such an action.

His Excellency stressed that despite all attempts to inflame this situation, the State of Qatar will always handle matters wisely, while affirming that the violation of its sovereignty is unacceptable, and that all diplomatic and legal measures will be taken in this regard.

His Excellency also expressed hope that the issue will be contained as quickly as possible and that this chapter will be in the past. He added that it must not be forgotten at this point that everything happening in the region is an expansion of the conflict and aggression against Gaza.

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said that the State of Qatar has sought from day one to prevent the escalation of this conflict and to stop the bombing of the people of Gaza. He stressed that these efforts are continuing, in partnership with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States, to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible.

His Excellency added that Qatar is engaged in ongoing negotiations that have not ceased, even under the difficult circumstances the region has been experiencing. Qatar’s goal is to reach a ceasefire and lift the injustice suffered by the people of the Gaza Strip. Qatar believes it is time for the world to stand together and put an end to Israel’s irresponsible actions in the region, to halt this aggression against the Strip, and to stop the use of humanitarian aid as a tool for political blackmail.

His Excellency also said that Monday’s attack on Al-Udeid Air Base was a shock not only to the government but to the people of Qatar, and Qatar considers it a violation of the good-neighbor policy that Qatar has adopted from the beginning.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed Qatar’s ability to defend itself and deter anyone who attempts to undermine its security, while maintaining peaceful relations with neighboring countries based on friendship, mutual interest, and benefit, and striving to avoid disputes.

His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar does not adopt an escalatory policy and always calls for and resorts to diplomacy. He added that what happened Monday will have an impact on the relationship with Iran, but with time, Qatar hopes everyone will learn the lesson, and that relations between neighboring countries must not be violated.

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani also affirmed that the attack on Al-Udeid Air Base will have no impact on relations with the United States, noting that the two countries have enjoyed a close alliance and partnership for decades, and that events have proven that this partnership is beneficial to both countries, as well as to security and stability in the region.

HE added that Qatar’s Armed Forces demonstrated Monday their ability to defend and ensure the protection of everyone, including Americans and others. He said that he does not believe that the attack will affect relations between Qatar and the United States, except that the partnership between the two countries will grow.

His Excellency voiced his hope that good-neighborly relations with Iran would return to normal as soon as possible, and that no hostile operations will be witnessed in the future.

His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar always seeks peaceful good neighborliness, and that the Gulf states are a center of stability in the region, and that challenges and threats are shared. He noted that the opportunity is ripe for a better future for everyone in the Gulf region. He said that Qatar would like to see Iran share this vision and enter into partnerships with Qatar and the Gulf states based on the principle of good neighborliness and partnership for the prosperity of all.

In response to a question about the legal and diplomatic measures Qatar will take regarding Monday’s attack, His Excellency indicated that Qatar is still studying them. Qatar submitted a briefing to the Security Council Monday night about what happened, and today, the emergency meeting of the GCC Ministerial Council will be held. He reiterated that the State of Qatar does not seek to escalate its stance, but rather seeks sustainable diplomatic solutions and always seeks to end any crisis through dialogue, and will not be a spearhead in escalating any stance.

He added that as he said, geography imposes this on Qatar. Iran is a neighboring country, and the Iranian people are fraternal. Ultimately, Qatar wants good neighborly relations with them. Qatar would like there to be a very clear understanding that any attack on Qatar or infringement on the sovereignty of any Gulf state is completely rejected and condemned, and that everyone will stand together.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also called for a clear mechanism for dealing with neighboring countries in the future, and for a unified regional security system to prevent any party from attacking another.

Regarding Gaza, His Excellency indicated that Qatar, following the calls between HH the Amir and both the US President on Monday and the Iranian President today, sought to ensure a continuation of the ceasefire, but ultimately, the matter depends on the parties involved.

His Excellency said that today, the situation remains murky, and no party wants to be the one to receive or end the final blow. However, what Qatar hopes for is a serious stance, for all parties to deal responsibly with the security of the region, just as the State of Qatar dealt responsibly with the attack launched against it on Monday, and for there to be a complete ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

His Excellency also called for full pressure on Israel to immediately cease fire in Gaza, noting that discussions on this issue are ongoing in cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt, and that communication is ongoing with the Israeli side and Hamas to try to find a compromise formula and common ground based on the American paper.

His Excellency stressed that various achievements had been made in recent weeks, adding that unfortunately, the Israeli escalation and aggression against Iran disrupted and hindered these efforts for a period.

His Excellency added that Qatar is continuing its efforts and is looking for an opportunity within the next two days to hold indirect negotiations between the two parties (Israel and Hamas) to reach an agreement.

His Excellency urged the Israeli side not to exploit the ceasefire with Iran to continue bombing Gaza. He also called on the international community to pressure Israel to implement a ceasefire and for Hamas to accept a deal that ends the war and releases all hostages and prisoners.

Regarding the discussions with HE Prime Minister of the sisterly Republic of Lebanon Dr. Nawaf Salam, His Excellency indicated that the discussions focused on bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries.

His Excellency also said that the two sides discussed ways to support Lebanon and enhance its stability, noting that the energy issue and how to work together to develop and restore the energy infrastructure was one of the most important issues discussed. In this context, he referred to the discussions held between the energy ministers of the two countries, saying that these discussions will be followed by an action plan, as Qatar promised HE the Prime Minister, in the coming months.

In a related context, His Excellency noted that the discussions addressed the urgent need to provide energy to the brothers in Lebanon during the summer, indicating that this issue will be discussed with the Qatar Fund for Development and QatarEnergy to ensure that whatever is available is provided.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also noted that the discussions with HE Dr. Nawaf Salam addressed support and cooperation in the transportation and air navigation sectors, as well as possible efforts for reconstruction, particularly in areas destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces.

His Excellency said that the meeting was an opportunity to discuss regional developments, expressing in this context the State of Qatar’s full condemnation of Israel’s violations of the ceasefire agreement and its continued violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon.

His Excellency added that this is clearly and explicitly unacceptable and condemned, and Qatar looks forward to the Security Council fulfilling its role and working to halt these irresponsible Israeli actions in the region.

His Excellency indicated that the discussions also covered developments in Lebanese-Syrian relations, wishing them a better future. He said that Qatar understands HE Dr. Nawaf Salam’s utmost keenness to develop relations with Arab countries, especially neighboring countries, including Syria, and the State of Qatar fully supports these paths.

HE Prime Minister of the Republic of Lebanon, Dr. Nawaf Salam renewed his country’s gratitude to the State of Qatar and to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, for the continued support and assistance extended to Lebanon – particularly through the Quintet Committee for political support, which remained active for over two years.

Speaking during the press conference following his official talks in Doha on Tuesday, HE Dr. Salam expressed appreciation for Qatar’s backing across several fields, most notably its support for the Lebanese army and various development projects. He noted that both sides agreed to continue discussions aimed at reaching an executive framework for Qatari support in key sectors, including energy and the supply of gas to Lebanon.

HE Prime Minister shared that during his visit, he briefed HH the Amir and HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs on the Lebanese government’s recent reform achievements. These include a legislative focus on transparency, competitiveness, and the restructuring of public administration, in addition to efforts to ensure judicial independence – all aimed at creating a more attractive climate for investment.

HE Dr. Salam also reiterated Lebanon’s strong condemnation of the attack that targeted Qatar on Monday, calling it a violation of Qatari sovereignty and international law. He expressed hope for regional de-escalation and praised Qatar’s efforts in halting military operations, voicing his wish for a renewed path of diplomatic engagement.

Furthermore, he condemned the Israeli aggression against Iran, describing it as a breach of Iran’s sovereignty and international law – a stance that Lebanon has upheld from the outset.

The Lebanese Prime Minister stressed that the government is committed to asserting full state authority across all Lebanese territory, using its own national resources and in line with Taif Agreement. He emphasized the need for Israel to withdraw from five remaining occupied points along the southern border and to cease its near-daily violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

He affirmed that Lebanon is actively working to rally political and diplomatic support – from Arab states to permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the United States – to compel Israel to end its aggression and occupation. He stated that there can be no real security in Lebanon, as long as Israel continues to occupy Lebanese territory, urging the international community to exert pressure on Israel to achieve this goal.

MIL OSI Africa –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: DeGette Statement Following RFK Jr. Testimony Before Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (CO-01) released the following statement after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Health Subcommittee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2026 HHS budget request.

“Today’s testimony from Secretary Kennedy showed either an effort to obfuscate his agenda for the department or a complete lack of knowledge of the cuts that are happening under his leadership. He didn’t know what vaccine guidance is on his own website and didn’t know the impact of the HIV and Alzheimer’s studies he is cutting.

“Since Secretary Kennedy entered office, he has caused nothing but chaos and destruction. The Department of Health and Human Services is vital to our country, helping to keep Americans healthy while pioneering new cures and treatments for diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. The United States has long been the gold standard for medical research — RFK Jr. has tarnished that reputation.

“He failed to aggressively respond to the measles outbreak while hawking unproven treatments like cod liver oil, he released an error-ridden report with fabricated sources, he replaced experts on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices with anti-vaxxers, he fired some of the leading medical researchers in the world, he failed to respond to outreach from Democrats on the Energy & Commerce Committee, and he is setting American biomedical research back a generation.

“Now, his proposed budget would only further hamper our ability to pursue lifesaving cures and groundbreaking treatments. The FY26 budget request cuts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by nearly 54 percent, National Institutes of Health by nearly 40 percent, Food and Drug Administration by 11 percent, among other cuts to mental and behavioral health and primary care. This is an unacceptable reduction in funding for agencies that are carrying out lifesaving work.

“His budget request is a blueprint to make American sicker and poorer, and his stewardship of HHS is having devastating consequences to our public health. Today’s hearing showcased his ineptitude, inexperience, and inability to string together coherent and cogent responses on the issues that fall under his department’s jurisdiction.”

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Annual Maritime and Oil Pollution Levies collection

Source: Maritime New Zealand

The annual Maritime and Oil Pollution Levies for the year 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 will be invoiced in late July 2025.

Make sure your contact details are up to date

Domestic commercial operators of applicable vessels can expect to receive their annual levy invoices via email or post in late July 2025. Please notify us if your contact and vessel details, including email and postal address, have changed so that you receive the right invoice. If you have recently bought or sold a commercial vessel, or you have stopped operating, please notify us. This will ensure that your annual levy invoice is correct.

How to notify Maritime NZ and update your details

Complete this Change of vessel status or ownership form and email it to [email protected]. If the change applies to more than one vessel, please complete a separate form for each one.

Find out more about these levies, why we collect them, current rates and how they’re calculated.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA News: One Big Beautiful Bill Will Protect American Jobs, Unleash Economic Growth
Source: US Whitehouse
President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is a generational opportunity to restore America’s economic strength and reward our hardworking citizens. With provisions designed to support the backbone of our nation — families, farmers, job creators, and law enforcement — the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver meaningful results for Americans across the country.

Everyday Americans joined top lawmakers to detail how the One Big Beautiful Bill will affect their livelihoods:
- Toni McAllister, executive director of the Louisiana Loggers Association, says the One Big Beautiful Bill will give small logging businesses a chance to thrive: “It will finally give small businesses like ours a better opportunity to not just survive, but to grow and succeed … This legislation will lower the effective tax rate for producing in America, increase and make permanent the small business deduction, double immediate small business expensing, and reduce reporting burdens for small businesses.”
- Paul Danos, CEO of his family-owned offshore energy service company, says the One Big Beautiful Bill is key for American energy dominance: “This bill is a lifeline for American energy and restores the kind of predictably that businesses like ours need to invest and grow.”
- Sam Palmeter, an executive at one of the last remaining laser technology companies fully owned and operated in America, says the tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill will give them a chance to expand: “This will immediately allow us to double our manufacturing space … This bill incentivizes us to create new jobs in the U.S. and we are incentivized to manufacture in the USA.”
- Sheriff (Ret.) James Stuart, CEO of the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, says the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver needed support for law enforcement: “No Tax on Overtime pay would benefit our protectors all across the country in tremendous ways. The increase in take home pay for these deputies and officers rewards the extra hours and the extra efforts that they devote to protecting their communities, impacting their own lives in significant ways. That is more money in their pockets to save, to invest, and to grow.”
Agricultural leaders outlined how the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver for America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers.
- Michael Hunt, fifth-generation Wisconsin farmer: “The single biggest threat to family farm operations in the United States right now is the Estate Tax limitations. There’s no possible way, with the rising real estate values that are occurring in rural America, for production agriculture to shoulder the cost burden of estate tax when the first generation passes on.”
- Ethan Lane of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association: “That big chunk of the farm bill that’s in this reconciliation bill, including those animal health provisions that we have worked on for so long in the cattle industry, that is a huge win for cattle producers.”
- National Pork Producers Council: “These investments and policy extensions offer critical support to agriculture, ensuring stability and long-term growth for farmers, ranchers, and the rural economy.”
The National Association of Manufacturers launched a new ad campaign to highlight what’s at stake if the Trump Tax Cuts aren’t extended in the One Big Beautiful Bill: “If Congress doesn’t act, manufacturers will be hit with the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Six million jobs could be lost — that’s our neighbors, our communities, our futures.”

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright discussed how the One Big Beautiful Bill ENDS the Biden-era Green New Scam: “It’s going to get rid of these subsidies and distortions that have hurt not just our electricity market, but our broader energy markets … The One Big Beautiful Bill — it is big. There are a lot of things in it, but a lot of them are just cleaning out underbrush and nonsense so it’s easier to build things in our country again, remove the distortions from the energy markets, unleash American businesses to build energy productions of all different kinds — but kinds that work, without subsidies.”

Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, says extending the Trump Tax Cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill is a top priority for preventing American jobs from being exported to foreign countries: “These tax rates were meant to get the U.S. competitive on taxes on corporations … Remember back to people were exporting business outside the United States for lower tax rate reasons … All that’s been gone for the last seven or eight years, and so we need to make sure these extend or that will start up again.”
MIL OSI USA News –
June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Capito, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Create Cybersecurity Office Related to Critical Infrastructure
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and John Curtis (R-Utah) in reintroducing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act, a bipartisan bill to modernize and codify the NTIA’s work in cybersecurity.

The NTIA’s Office for Policy Analysis and Development would be renamed the Office for Policy Development and Cybersecurity to better align with the agency’s 21st century mission of helping secure the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

“Cyberattacks and breaches of private data ultimately hurt American consumers, and as technology and the telecommunications industry continues to advance, so do the threats from hackers and bad actors. Provisions must be in place to strengthen NTIA’s Office for Policy Analysis and Development, and protect the private information of the public they serve. I’m proud to reintroduce bipartisan legislation that takes necessary, proactive steps to develop cybersecurity guidance, identify potential vulnerabilities, and promote collaboration between the public and private sectors with the ultimate goal of protecting consumers,” Senator Capito said.

In recent years, the NTIA has increasingly adapted to better reflect the rising importance of cybersecurity to our critical infrastructure and daily functions. The senators’ bill would codify, strengthen, and provide Congressional guidance to NTIA’s ongoing cybersecurity activities, as well as outline responsibilities of an Associate Administrator.

The redesignated office would be led by an associate administrator and be responsible for:
- Developing cybersecurity policy as it relates to telecommunications, the internet, consumer software services, and public media.
- Creating guidance and support for implementing cybersecurity and privacy measures for internet and telecommunication companies.
- Promoting collaboration between security research and industry.
- Preventing and mitigating future software vulnerabilities in communications networks.
- Removing barriers for implementing, understanding, and investing in cybersecurity for communications and software providers.
- Providing technical assistance on cybersecurity practices to small and rural communications service providers.
In the House, a companion bill passed out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Senators Capito and Hickenlooper originally introduced the legislation in the 117th Congress.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.
MIL OSI USA News –
June 25, 2025

MIL-OSI Europe: Draft agenda – Tuesday, 8 July 2025 – Strasbourg

Source: European Parliament

Draft agenda

Strasbourg

Monday, 7 July 2025 – Thursday, 10 July 2025

Tuesday, 8 July 2025

Version: Tuesday, 24 June 2025, 15:29

09:00 – 10:30 Debate

10:30 – 11:50 Debate

Presentation of the programme of activities of the Danish Presidency
Council and Commission statements
[2025/2538(RSP)]

12:00 – 13:00 VOTES

(possibly) Votes on requests for urgent procedure (Rule 170)

Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro on 1 January 2026
Report: Eva Maydell
[COM(2025)0304 – C10-0110/2025 – 2025/0158(NLE)]
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Expected date of adoption: 24/06

***I

The role of gas storage for securing gas supplies ahead of the winter season
Report: Borys Budka (A10-0079/2025)
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938 as regards the role of gas storage for securing gas supplies ahead of the winter season
[COM(2025)0099 – C10-0041/2025 – 2025/0051(COD)]
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

***I

Temporary derogation from certain provisions of Regulations (EU) 2017/2226 and (EU) 2016/399
Report: Assita Kanko (A10-0082/2025)
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a temporary derogation from certain provisions of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 and Regulation (EU) 2016/399 as regards a progressive start of operations of the Entry/Exit System
[COM(2024)0567 – C10-0207/2024 – 2024/0315(COD)]
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

VAT: taxable persons, special scheme and special arrangements for declaration and payment, relating to distance sales of imported goods
Report: Ľudovít Ódor
Report on the proposal for a Council directive amending Directive 2006/112/EC as regards VAT rules relating to taxable persons who facilitate distance sales of imported goods and the application of the special scheme for distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries and special arrangements for declaration and payment of import VAT
[COM(2023)026208710/2025 – C9-0174/2023 C10-0084/2025 – 2023/0158(CNS)]
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

***

EU-Greenland and Denmark Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement: Implementing Protocol 2025-2030
Recommendation: Emma Fourreau (A10-0099/2025)
Recommendation on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Implementing Protocol (2025-2030) to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark
[COM(2024)047914652/2024 – C10-0227/2024 – 2024/0263(NLE)]
Committee on Fisheries

EU-Greenland and Denmark Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement: Implementing Protocol 2025-2030 (Resolution)
Report: Emma Fourreau (A10-0103/2025)
Report containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Implementing Protocol (2025-2030) to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of Greenland and the Government of Denmark
[2024/0263M(NLE)]
Committee on Fisheries

***

EU-Kyrgyz Republic Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement
Recommendation: Nacho Sánchez Amor (A10-0105/2025)
Recommendation on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Kyrgyz Republic, of the other part
[10724/2022COM(2022)0277 – C10-0057/2024 – 2022/0184(NLE)]
Committee on Foreign Affairs

EU-Kyrgyz Republic Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (Resolution)
Report: Nacho Sánchez Amor (A10-0111/2025)
Report containing a motion for a non-legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Kyrgyz Republic, of the other part
[2022/0184M(NLE)]
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Security of energy supply in the EU
Report: Beata Szydło
[2025/2055(INI)]
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Expected date of adoption: 25/06

Texts on which debate is closed

55		The role of gas storage for securing gas supplies ahead of the winter season Borys Budka (A10-0079/2025)
	–	Amendments; rejection	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
39		Temporary derogation from certain provisions of Regulations (EU) 2017/2226 and (EU) 2016/399 Assita Kanko (A10-0082/2025)
	–	Amendments; rejection	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
61		VAT: taxable persons, special scheme and special arrangements for declaration and payment, relating to distance sales of imported goods Ľudovít Ódor
	–	(if requested) Amendments	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
30		EU-Greenland and Denmark Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement: Implementing Protocol 2025-2030 (Resolution) Emma Fourreau (A10-0103/2025)
	–	Amendments	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
31		EU-Kyrgyz Republic Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (Resolution) Nacho Sánchez Amor (A10-0111/2025)
	–	Amendments	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
44		Security of energy supply in the EU Beata Szydło
	–	(possibly) Amendments by the rapporteur, 71 MEPs at least; Alternative motions for resolutions	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
	–	(possibly) Joint alternative motions for resolutions	Thursday, 3 July 2025, 12:00
22		Public procurement Piotr Müller
	–	(possibly) Amendments	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
19		2023 and 2024 reports on Albania Andreas Schieder (A10-0106/2025)
	–	Amendments	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
18		2023 and 2024 reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina Ondřej Kolář (A10-0108/2025)
	–	Amendments	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
46		2023 and 2024 reports on North Macedonia Thomas Waitz
	–	(possibly) Amendments	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
17		2023 and 2024 reports on Georgia Rasa Juknevičienė (A10-0110/2025)
	–	Amendments	Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 13:00
Separate votes – Split votes – Roll-call votes
Texts put to the vote on Tuesday			Friday, 4 July 2025, 12:00
Texts put to the vote on Wednesday			Monday, 7 July 2025, 19:00
Texts put to the vote on Thursday			Tuesday, 8 July 2025, 19:00
Motions for resolutions concerning debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 150)			Wednesday, 9 July 2025, 19:00

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 25, 2025

MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Commission President’s participation at the WEF – E-000243/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament

1. On 20, 21 and 23 January 2025, the President of the Commission participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. At the WEF 2025, the President of the Commission met with Her Excellency Karin Keller-Sutter, President of the Helvetic Confederation, and the President of the United States National Academy of Medicine.

The President participated in the following events:

— Opening remarks and question and answer (Q&A) session at ‘Deutsche Meets Davos’ Event;

— Opening remarks and Q&A session ‘Europe‘s Competitiveness Compass: A Conversation with Ursula von der Leyen and International Business Council’;

— Opening remarks at the launch of the Energy Transition Forum ‘All Hands on Deck for the Energy Transition’, together with the President of Peru;

— Opening remarks and Q&A session at Financial Times lunch;

— Remarks at the ‘Scaling Up Renewables in Africa’ high-level event, organised by Global Citizen as a follow up to the campaign launched with South Africa in November 2024.

3. The President’s mission costs will be published on a dedicated website[1].

2. At the WEF 2025, the President of the Commission delivered a keynote speech, where she addressed topics like competitiveness, simplification, decarbonization, energy supplies and the relations with China and the United States[2]. Following her address, she provided more details by replying to questions by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Chairman of the World Economic Forum. The keynote address and the exchange can be watched online[3].
- [1] https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/mission.do?host=a2c7c963-a9ad-4c47-aa73-4bb46b06dd5d.
- [2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_25_285.
- [3] https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-265956.
MIL OSI Europe News –
June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: U.S. hydropower generation expected to rise in 2025 following last year’s relative low

Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

May 19, 2025

We expect U.S. hydropower generation will increase by 7.5% in 2025 but will remain 2.4% below the 10-year average in our May Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). Hydropower generation in 2024 fell to 241 billion kilowatthours (BkWh), the lowest since at least 2010; in 2025, we expect generation will be 259.1 BkWh. This amount of generation would represent 6% of the electricity generation in the country.

About half of the hydropower generating capacity in the country is in the western states of Washington, Oregon, and California, so we closely monitor precipitation patterns in this region to inform our hydropower outlook.

Precipitation conditions have been mixed across the western United States since October. According to the WestWide Drought Tracker, more precipitation than normal has fallen in northern California, Oregon, and the eastern half of Washington state. Some areas in southeastern Oregon received record precipitation between October 2024 and April 2025. In contrast, precipitation was below normal in parts of Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Southern California.

Accumulation from winter precipitation tends to peak by April 1. The snowpack accumulation at higher elevations serves as a natural reservoir that melts gradually as temperatures rise in the late spring and early summer, leading to increased waterflow through dams.

Northwest and Rockies
We expect hydropower generation in the Northwest and Rockies region to be 125.1 BkWh, which is a 17% increase compared with 2024 and 4% less than the 10-year average. Our hydropower forecast is informed by the water supply outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northwest River Forecast Center (NWRFC).

On May 1, NWRFC released its latest April–September water supply forecast for the Pacific Northwest, part of the larger Northwest and Rockies region as modeled in the STEO. The NWRFC forecasts the region will have a below-normal water supply compared with the past 30 years in the northern portion of the basin, which includes the Upper Columbia River Basin, and above- to near-normal water supply in the southern portion, which includes the Snake River Basin. Water supply conditions at The Dalles Dam, located near the mouth of the Columbia River on the border between Washington and Oregon, reflect those of the upstream Columbia River system. The forecast at The Dalles Dam as of May 1 was 85% of normal for the same period.

California
We forecast hydropower generation in California to be 28.5 BkWh in our May STEO, which is 6% less than last year’s generation. This total would be 15% more than the 10-year average.

As of April 1, reservoir levels in most major reservoirs in California were above the historical average for this time of year. The two largest reservoirs in the state, Shasta and Oroville, were at 113% and 121% of the historical average, respectively. According to the California Department of Water Resources, snowpack conditions as of April 1 were at 118% of normal for the Northern Sierra Nevada, 92% for Central Sierra, and 83% in Southern Sierra Nevada regions. Warmer-than-normal temperatures in April led to some early snowmelt across the state. As of the beginning of May, snowpack conditions were at 81% of normal for the Northern Sierra Nevada, 73% for Central Sierra, and 53% for the Southern Sierra portion.

Principal contributor: Lindsay Aramayo

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – Gas storage: deal with Council on refill flexibility to bring down prices

Source: European Parliament

The draft legislation aims to address speculation on the gas market and bring down prices, by introducing greater flexibility in rules on gas storage refilling.

MEPs and the Polish Presidency of the Council reached an informal agreement on Tuesday to extend the EU’s 2022 gas storage scheme until 31 December 2027, as it would otherwise have expired at the end of 2025. The provision is designed to ensure gas supply security ahead of the winter season.

MEPs and Council also introduced several amendments to ease tensions in the gas market, as speculation surrounding the existing mandatory 90% fill rate target by 1 November each year was driving the cost of refilling during the summer.

Refilling flexibilities

The agreed text will allow Member States to achieve the 90% filling target at any point in time between 1 October and 1 December, taking into account the start of the Member States withdrawal period. Once the 90% target is met, it should not be required to maintain that level until 1 December.

Member States should have the possibility to deviate by up to ten percentage points from the filling target in case of difficult market conditions, such as indications of speculation hindering cost-effective storage filling.

The Commission may further increase this deviation by delegated act, for one filling season, if these market conditions persist.

Towards full independence from Russian imports

The competent authority monitoring gas refilling shall also include information on the share of gas originating in the Russian federation being stored in that Member State, in line with the 17 June proposals from the European Commission, which will help in monitoring whether Russian gas is stored in the EU.

Quote

“The 2022 legislation showed that Europe was able to protect its citizens in a situation where Russia was using gas as a weapon of blackmail”, said rapporteur Borys Budka (EPP, Poland). “This revision will provide for more flexibility and less bureaucracy but above all to bring Europe’s gas prices down, while we continue towards energy independence from unreliable suppliers” he said.

Next steps

The informal agreement will be put to a vote in the Industry, Research and Energy committee on the 26th of June.

Background

Gas-storage facilities provide for 30% of the Union’s gas consumption during winter months. The EU’s energy security has been a critical concern in recent years, not least in light of its dependence on non-EU countries for primary energy supplies. The 2022 energy crisis, exacerbated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent weaponisation of gas supplies, highlighted the urgent need for additional measures to ensure stable and affordable energy supplies.

In response, the EU introduced new gas storage rules. However, the global gas market remains tight, with increased competition for liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies and persistent price volatility.

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Trahan to RFK Jr.: “You Don’t Have a Grip on Your Department”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, pressed U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a congressional hearing on how Medicaid cuts proposed by Republicans in Congress and supported by President Donald Trump will cause hospital closures and service cuts.
“People are going to die. These hospitals are going to close. Labor and delivery units are going to disappear. If mental health services are stripped away, that’s the consequence of your policies,” Congresswoman Trahan said. “And you’ve already shown that you don’t have a grip on your department. You don’t know basic things that are on your website or programs that are closing.”
CLICK HERE or the image below to view Trahan’s line of questioning. A transcript is embedded below.

According to an analysis issued by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the Republican reconciliation proposal backed by the Trump Administration will place more than 300 rural hospitals at risk of closure or severe service reductions. Specifically, steep cuts to Medicaid and provisions limiting states’ ability to invest in hospitals that serve predominantly lower-income and Medicaid-covered patient populations will undermine rural and community hospitals that already operate on the thinnest of margins. In Massachusetts, at least one rural hospital – Bay State Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield – will be at immediate risk of closing or cutting services.
Other community hospitals, particularly those operating in Gateway Cities, will also be devastated. According to Third Way, Massachusetts hospitals will lose over $177 million in hospital revenue under the GOP legislation, including $19 million for Massachusetts General Hospital, $19 million for Boston Medical Center, $15 million for UMass Memorial Medical Center, $11.8 million for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, $4.3 million for Lowell General Hospital, $3.4 million for Lawrence General Hospital, and $2 million for Holy Family Hospital.
Republicans’ reconciliation package, crafted behind closed doors with President Trump and voted on in the House just hours after the text was released, would strip health care away from 16 million Americans and cut billions in federal Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funding to states. According to the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will explode the deficit by $3.8 trillion due to its tax provisions that will increase incomes for the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans while decreasing take home pay for the poorest 10 percent. A separate analysis projects 5.4 million people will be forced into medical debt under the legislation, increasing the total medical debt held by Americans by $50 billion.
—————————————
Congresswoman Lori Trahan
Remarks as Delivered
House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: “The Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget”
June 24, 2025
Trahan: Thank you. Mr. Secretary, during your confirmation, you told Senator Barrasso that rural hospitals are “closing at an extraordinary rate.” You called them economic drivers – lifelines in our communities – and you gave your word to protect them.
Republicans on this Committee also promised they wouldn’t support a bill that led to more closures. Yet here we are. The Republican tax bill slashes Medicaid and the ACA by over a trillion dollars, leaving 16 million more people uninsured and driving up uncompensated care.
At the same time, it guts provider taxes and state-directed payments, the few tools that states have to keep hospitals afloat.
Cutting coverage and cutting payments – well that’s a perfect storm for closures, Mr. Secretary. So yes or no, with Republicans in Congress set to cut more than a trillion dollars and counting from our health care system, will hospitals be forced to cut services or close altogether?
Kennedy: We’re not cutting coverage for any American patient.
Trahan: Well, it sounds like you don’t want to admit the reality that your department –
Kennedy: I’m happy to explain if you want to give me a chance.
Trahan: Well, that’s part of my next question. I want to hear what your funding mechanism looks like, because hospitals across the country have warned that this bill is what they referred to as a “death knell,” even before Republicans in the Senate doubled the cuts in provider taxes and state directed payments, bringing estimates of hospital uncompensated care alone to more than $443 billion.
Hospitals are raising a huge warning flag that the Big Ugly Bill will result in closures and service reductions across the country, in all our communities. I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record several of their statements and analyses.
Mr. Secretary, if you claim the hospitals in our districts that are already operating in the red and serving mostly Medicaid and Medicare patients are going to survive then where exactly is that money going to come from? What is your plan to keep them open and deliver the same level of service?
Kennedy: Well the issue of state directed payments, I think as you understand, is a complicated one because the essential agreement under Medicare is that the states will pay a certain amount and the federal government will pay a certain amount. The states have learned to game that – some states – have learned to game that system so the federal government is paying a hundred percent.
Trahan: If you could just get to the part where when that revenue stream is cut, how are you going to ensure that services aren’t cut and hospitals don’t close? I mean, many times there’s just no alternative on the table for a funding mechanism. So, what’s your plan?
Kennedy: Well, that is a decision ultimately that’s got to come from Congress, so that’s going to be up to you. But what I would say to you is that I would like to work with you on this because it’s a complicated issue. It’s not that simple.
Trahan: I’m happy to work with you on this, Mr. Secretary, but this is going to happen in the next couple of weeks. And if there isn’t a funding mechanism in place – if there isn’t an act of Congress to replace that revenue stream – hospitals are going to close. People are going to die.
When hospitals are pushed to the brink, they cut maternity wards, they cut mental health, they cut emergency rooms. That’s who they cut first. This isn’t hypothetical – it’s already happening. From 2011 to ‘23, dozens of hospitals in states like Iowa and Texas eliminated obstetrics entirely. These are Medicaid-department services, and under Donald Trump’s bill, they’re the first to go.
And it’s not just rural hospitals. We’re seeing it in my district, too. The only maternity ward in North Central Massachusetts shut down last year. Then the collapse of Steward forced two more hospitals to close, including one that served thousands of families. Boston Children’s, one of the best in the country, is also at risk.
Your budget slashes Medicaid, which covers over 40 percent of kids, and eliminates programs that trains most pediatricians. Hospitals are already bracing – they’re pausing projects, they’re canceling expansions, they’re shelving cost-saving investments. The chaos that your budget creates, including decimating NIH, is driving up costs.
Kennedy: We’re not cutting Medicaid. There’s no cuts to Medicaid. There’s simply restrictions to the growth of Medicaid over the next decade.
Trahan: People are going to lose their coverage. Uncompensated care is going to rise. Hospitals are not prepared for that reality. Look, here’s the truth. People are going to die. These hospitals are going to close. Labor and delivery units are going to disappear. If mental health services are stripped away, that’s the consequence of your policies.
And you’ve already shown that you don’t have a grip on your department. You don’t know basic things that are on your website or programs that are closing.
###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NREL Publishes Method for Recycling All Components in Carbon Fiber Composites

Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Technology Helps Overcome Affordability Barriers to Wider Use and Manufacturing of a High-Value Material Found in Aircraft, Bicycles, Cars, and More

Ajinkya Pal (left), Sydney Reiber, Stephen Dempsey, and Ciaran Lahive are part of a team of researchers from the BOTTLE consortium at NREL that is developing a robust method to break down composite carbon fibers, keeping the waste out of landfills. Photo by Joe DelNero, NREL

Deconstructing epoxy resins with hot acetic acid has the potential to provide a scalable and affordable solution for recycling a material used in a range of high-value consumer products, according to new research from the Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) consortium.

Carbon fiber composites (CFCs) are high-strength, low-weight materials made from epoxy-amine resins that encase long carbon fibers. CFCs enable lighter and more efficient bicycles, planes, and automobiles and are a critical component of the pressure vessels used for compressed natural gas shipping and storage. However, the cost and energy-intensive production of CFCs limits their application, and there is a near total lack of scalable and economically viable recycling methods for these important materials.

CFCs are generally made with epoxy-amine resins, similar in chemistry to many epoxies commonly found in hardware stores. These composites form a stiff and resistant plastic, but also one that cannot be dissolved or melted. While the resins are relatively cheap, the fibers they surround are not, so the resulting composites are quite expensive—many CFCs can cost well over $50 per pound.

“For a reasonable analogy, imagine a cake,” said Stephen Dempsey, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and one of the first authors of the study. “Once the egg, flour, and sugar are in the batter and that cake is baked, it’s basically impossible to get them back out. It is similar here: The resin is chemically interlocked, and the bonds are quite strong. We have to do something intense to get the fibers out, but we also must be careful not to degrade the chemicals in the resin beyond what’s necessary, as that would waste all the time, energy, and raw materials that went into making them in the first place.”

But even then, there is a bit more complexity than in baking, because these resins are often made of highly complex mixtures of molecules. Some of these compounds are common, and shared across many industries that use CFCs, but others are not. In addition, it is currently challenging to identify exactly what the resin chemistry is before recycling. A recycling method for CFCs must therefore be extremely robust and capable of handling diverse resin formulations.

The BOTTLE team’s solution ended up being surprisingly simple. Hot acetic acid, the same compound that is found in vinegar, can cleave all the key bonds within these resins. Former NREL postdoctoral researcher Ciaran Lahive (now at University of Manchester), and co-first author on this study, demonstrated this reaction during an intensive reaction screening effort for another project.

The team learned something remarkable: Not only do the polymer networks in the resin solubilize rapidly, but the acetic acid also stabilizes their chemical components, enabling high yields of reusable chemical building blocks. Extensive optimization work from NREL interns Katie Stevenson (now at Columbia University) and Sydney Reiber (now at the University of Graz) led to a process effective on end-of-life waste from a variety of industries.

Importantly, the researchers also determined there was no impact on the strength of the recycled carbon fibers (rCF), which is critical to ensuring they retain their value after being extracted from the composite. To demonstrate this, they took 80 grams of a scrap mountain-bike frame made of composite material and deconstructed it. Using the carbon fibers they had just extracted, they then made new composites that exhibited more than twice the strength-to-weight ratio of steel.

Not only is the cost of rCF predicted to be quite low compared to virgin fiber, with a price of just $1.50 per kilogram, but the energy consumption is also practically zero when factoring in the recovered epoxy building blocks. The process is not limited to CFC only—glass fiber composites like those found in turbine blades, boat hulls, or automobile bumpers and hoods could also be treated.

“Long-term, this technology could be used to create value from challenging composite waste streams that are currently piling up in landfills,” said BOTTLE CEO Gregg Beckham, the senior author of the study and a senior research fellow at NREL. “Current technologies are not yet able to make a dent in that waste stream, but we think that this process could be useful for this application as well.”

The discovery holds the potential to energize the U.S. composite manufacturing industry.

“If we can scale this process and deploy it in the real world, we see no reason that whole panels on cars or trains couldn’t be made of rCF composites instead of steel or aluminum,” Dempsey said.

The paper, “Acetolysis of epoxy-amine resins for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer recycling,” appears in the journal Nature. The other coauthors from NREL are William Michener, Hannah Alt, Kelsey Ramirez, Erik Rognerud, Clarissa Lincoln, Ryan Clarke, Nicholas Rorrer, and Katrina Knauer.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office and Bioenergy Technologies Office, the work was performed as part of the BOTTLE consortium. Additional funding was provided as part of a BOTTLE funding opportunity announcement with the University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Information Concerning Medicaid-Related Provisions in Title IV of H.R. 1

Source: US Congressional Budget Office

CBO responds to a request for information from the Honorable Jodey Arrington and the Honorable Brett Guthrie concerning Medicaid-related provisions in title IV, Energy and Commerce, of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: About one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz
Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

June 24, 2025

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, World Bank, and Global Energy Monitor, Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker
Note: LNG=liquefied natural gas, FSRU=floating storage regasification unit
- In 2024, about 20% of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade transited the Strait of Hormuz, primarily from Qatar. The strait is a critical route for oil and petroleum products as well.
- Qatar exported about 9.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of LNG through the Strait of Hormuz in 2024, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) exported about 0.7 Bcf/d, accounting for nearly all LNG flows from the Persian Gulf through Hormuz.
- We estimate that 83% of the LNG that moved through the Strait of Hormuz in 2024 went from Persian Gulf countries to Asian markets. China, India, and South Korea were the top destinations for LNG moving through the Strait of Hormuz, accounting for 52% of all Hormuz LNG flows in 2024. In 2024, disruptions to LNG flows through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, and more U.S. LNG exports to Europe pushed LNG exports from Qatar away from Europe to Asia.
- Kuwait and the UAE imported LNG that originated outside of the Persian Gulf, including from the United States and West Africa. Bahrain began operating an LNG import terminal in April 2025 and also received cargoes that transited Hormuz from outside of the Persian Gulf, including recent cargoes in April and June that originated from the United States.
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration analysis based on Vortexa tanker tracking data
Note: 1Q25=first quarter of 2025. figure data

Principal contributors: Candace Dunn, Justine Barden

MIL OSI USA News –
June 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: UK plan to cut energy bills for industrial firms threatens to leave small businesses out in the cold

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sam Hampton, Researcher, Environmental Geography, University of Oxford

The UK government aims to cut energy bills for large businesses by up to a quarter over four years, thanks to a £2 billion investment within its new industrial strategy. The aim is to make British manufacturers of steel, cars, chemicals, glass and other industrial sectors more competitive with foreign firms.

UK businesses pay some of the highest energy prices in Europe. Under the new scheme, roughly 7,000 energy-intensive businesses will be exempt from paying green levies on their electricity bills. These levies raise funds to support the deployment of renewable energy and to enact energy-efficiency measures like the insulation of low-income households.

The exemption should make it a bit easier for British companies to switch from fossil fuels to electricity by making the latter cheaper – an important step in the decarbonisation of the economy to tackle climate change. And it may lower costs enough to bring them within orbit of prices paid elsewhere in Europe.

However, heavy industry in the UK is already largely shielded from many of the levies applied to the average energy bill. The British Industry Supercharger scheme, which since April 2024 has exempted energy-intensive industries from renewable energy policy costs and provided discounted network charges, is set to save British manufacturers between £320 million and £410 million in 2025 alone.

Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

The supercharger scheme fully exempts eligible firms from paying several costs linked to encouraging renewable energy investment and production. Industrial energy users covered under this scheme also enjoy a 60% reduction in network charges, compared with businesses outside the scheme.

The government’s new “modern industrial strategy” sets out plans to raise this discount to 90% from 2026.

Modelling conducted before the government’s announcement suggested that, if the major green levies on electricity were removed, average non-domestic electricity bills could fall by around 15%.

While significant, this reduction is unlikely to fully resolve the competitiveness challenges facing most businesses, as even discounted energy prices would remain high by international standards.

There are other limitations with the strategy. To start, more could be done to encourage firms to switch from fossil fuels to electricity by not just cutting electricity levies but shifting some onto gas bills.

The cost of expanding and upgrading the grid to support more electrification and renewables is another concern. These investments in power lines and wind farms will be essential, but they won’t come cheap. Reducing the contribution made by big businesses to these costs means the burden for these essential upgrades will fall on smaller businesses and households.

There are several options for addressing these challenges, however. One is to make energy demand more flexible, by financially incentivising businesses to use electricity when its supply from renewable sources is generally greater.

Another way to cut network costs for businesses is to offer grid connection arrangements with a less secure electricity supply. These arrangements include allowing the network operator to reduce maximum capacity during times of grid congestion, and sharing a connection with several other businesses.

Most importantly, the UK needs to move away from a system where the cost of gas sets the price of electricity most of the time, even though less than half of the country’s electricity now comes from gas. This can be achieved by expanding renewable energy storage (in the form of grid-scale batteries for example), so that grid operators are less reliant on gas power plants to fill gaps in electricity supply from wind and solar.

Reform to Britain’s energy market and its pricing structure would make a real difference too, though this will also require significant investment in grid infrastructure and careful regulatory change.

Read more:
How gas keeps the UK’s electricity bills so high – despite lots of cheap wind power

No relief for smaller businesses

While the government’s priority is energy savings for larger businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) typically pay the highest rates for their energy. This is even despite most smaller firms being exempt from green levies.

Energy-intensive sectors, such as hospitality and retail, remain highly vulnerable to energy costs. Average non-domestic electricity prices increased by over 75% between 2021 and 2024, while gas prices more than doubled. This has contributed to a surge in business failures: in June 2024, company insolvencies were 17% higher than a year earlier, reaching the third highest monthly total since 2000.

Unfortunately, support for SMEs is heading in the wrong direction. Having funded a pilot energy advice service in the West Midlands, the government’s June spending review did not include funding to expand support for energy efficiency or renewable installations to SMEs nationwide. This leaves millions of smaller businesses exposed to high energy prices, without help to cut costs or emissions.

The government’s new strategy may help some of the UK’s largest manufacturers compete internationally. But without targeted support for smaller firms, the benefits could be unevenly shared. The UK’s wider economy will continue to struggle with high energy costs and business failures as a result.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Sam Hampton receives funding from the Economics and Social Research Council.

Jan Rosenow is affiliated with the Regulatory Assistance Project.

– ref. UK plan to cut energy bills for industrial firms threatens to leave small businesses out in the cold – https://theconversation.com/uk-plan-to-cut-energy-bills-for-industrial-firms-threatens-to-leave-small-businesses-out-in-the-cold-259707

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 25, 2025

Category: Energy

Cantwell, Outdoor Rec Reps All Say America’s Public Lands Are Not For Sale

Senate could vote later this week on proposal to force sale of millions of federally-owned acres across Western states, including iconic hiking, climbing, hunting spots

A New NREL Tool Can Help Public and Private Energy Buyers Make Informed, Cost-Effective Decisions

A Planning Edge for Energy Buyers Across the Market

Technical Foundation, Practical Results

Try PAT Today—and Attend an Upcoming Webinar To Learn More

Register now

About IMSAS

Making the UK the best place to do business: Modern Industrial Strategy set to deepen global collaboration

Advanced Manufacturing

Clean Energy Industries

Creative Industries

Digital and Technologies

Professional and Business Services

Further information

Share this page

Updates to this page

About IMSAS

Key facts:

Related information

Related news

Multimedia

Technology Helps Overcome Affordability Barriers to Wider Use and Manufacturing of a High-Value Material Found in Aircraft, Bicycles, Cars, and More

No relief for smaller businesses