NewzIntel.com

Category: Environment

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Pingree: Abrupt Cancellation of NEA Grants Jeopardizes Jobs, Main Streets, and a $1.2 Trillion Industry

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

    Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s abrupt termination of arts grants nationwide:

    The Trump Administration’s sudden cancellation of hundreds of previously awarded National Endowment for the Arts grants—just hours after the President proposed eliminating the agency entirely in his budget—is an outrageous attack on our nation’s cultural heritage and a reckless decision that will hurt local economies across the country. 

    My office is already hearing from treasured Maine arts organizations that were notified late last night that their grants had been abruptly terminated. These organizations, like countless others, had already made programming decisions for the upcoming season and were counting on these funds to pay artists and workers.

    Clearly, President Trump fundamentally misunderstands the role of the Endowment—which, through its relatively small budget, underpins the $1.2 trillion economic powerhouse that is the arts and cultural sector. These grants create jobs, support institutions that anchor Main Streets in even the smallest and most rural communities and generate significant additional private investment.

    The claim that these grants are being redirected to ‘align with the President’s priorities’ is both disingenuous and concerning. This appears to be yet another attempt to force a cultural institution to serve the President’s pet projects rather than its sacred and longstanding mission to serve the American people. 

    As co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus and as Ranking Member on the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the NEA, I will do everything in my power to fight back against this illegal and disgraceful decision. I call on my Republican colleagues—many of whom are longtime supporters of the Endowment—to join me in standing up for our local arts organizations, which drive economic growth and enhance quality of life in every corner of the country. The arts aren’t partisan—they’re essential to who we are as Americans, and vital to the fabric of our communities.

     

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Pingree: Trump’s EPA Purge an Unconscionable Attack on Science and Public Health

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

    Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD):

    Dismantling the EPA’s Office of Research and Development is an unconscionable attack on science and public health. This so-called ‘reorganization’ is a thinly veiled attempt to extinguish the agency’s world-renowned scientific expertise by shuffling scientists to process chemical reviews for industry.

    EPA seems to be jumping at the chance to appease DOGE by eliminating federal programs that research new and emerging threats to America’s air and water, jeopardizing public health for the sake of “efficiency.”

     The administration’s claim that this restructuring serves the public interest ignores the basic facts: More than 1,000 critical scientific positions face elimination, including irreplaceable chemists, toxicologists, and environmental biologists. This action violates both congressional intent and federal law. Congress explicitly appropriated funds for EPA’s science and technology initiatives in the current budget—funds that cannot be legally impounded or diverted.

    ORD’s work is critical to addressing environmental hazards like PFAS contamination, assessing the health impacts of toxic chemicals, and responding to natural disasters. States rely on the expertise from ORD to meet their regulatory obligations, and dismantling this office will not only stall vital research but also strip the EPA and State partners of their ability to make informed, science-based decisions that protect public health. 

    This move follows a disturbing pattern of politically motivated purges within the EPA, where allegiance to the president and his fossil fuel allies takes precedence over expertise and public service. We’re witnessing the transformation of a vital regulatory agency into a rubber stamp for corporate polluters, with career scientists being displaced while industry influence expands. Such actions jeopardize the health and safety of all Americans, particularly those in vulnerable and underserved communities already bearing disproportionate environmental burdens.

    I have formally opposed this reckless plan and urge Administrator Zeldin to reverse course immediately. The integrity of the EPA’s scientific research must be preserved to ensure sound policymaking and the continued protection of public health and the environment. The American people will not stand by while their fundamental right to clean air, water, and a healthy environment is sacrificed for the profits of a few.

    In March, Pingree, alongside Senate Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), sounded the alarm over the EPA’s plans to dismantle ORD. In a scathing letter to EPA Administrator Zeldin, the ranking members warned this proposal is not just illegal, but would have devastating consequences for human health and the environment.  

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján Statement on President Trump’s 2026 Budget Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    Heinrich and Luján: “Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s budget will further tank the economy and throw working families under the bus. As New Mexico’s senators, we’ll fight back”
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) released the following statement onPresident Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Preliminary Budget Request, which proposes slashing critical investments that benefit New Mexico families to fund massive tax cuts for billionaires like Elon Musk:
    “Donald Trump’s budget doesn’t put New Mexico families first — it jeopardizes Medicaid and slashes nutrition programs and services hardworking people rely on, all to fund massive tax handouts to Trump, Elon Musk, and their billionaire donors.
    “This proposal would drive up the cost of health care, groceries, housing, and utilities; gut public school and pre-K funding; defund cancer research; weaken law enforcement’s ability to fight drug trafficking; and strip resources from wildland firefighters, farmers, Tribes, and rural communities. It also threatens our public lands — paving the way for Republicans’ massive sell-off. 
    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s budget will further tank the economy and throw working families under the bus. As New Mexico’s senators, we’ll fight back — to protect Medicaid and Social Security, defend every dollar we’ve secured for our communities, and keep putting New Mexico families first.”
    Among all of his proposed cuts, President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Preliminary Budget Request:
    HEALTH:
    Slashes funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by $33 billion (-26%).
    Slashes funding for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by $674 million. CMS helps ensure over 100 million Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health insurance by overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
    Cuts funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $18 billion or more than 40% — decimating funding for lifesaving medical treatments and cures.
    Decimates funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by cutting $3.6 billion — hollowing out the agency’s ability to save lives and protect Americans from health threats.
    Guts funding for substance use prevention and treatment and mental health services by $1 billion (roughly –15%) and eliminates the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — the agency with expertise in tackling the substance use and mental health crises.
    Eliminates the Title X program, which helps nearly 3 million patients get preventative care, birth control, cancer screenings, and more in every state.
    EDUCATION:
    Guts funding for the U.S. Department of Education by $12 billion (-15%).
    Eliminates all funding for Preschool Development Grants, which help states strengthen their early childhood education system and get parents the child care and pre-K they need.
    Eliminates and cuts dozens of elementary and secondary education programs (the vast majority of which are not specified), underscoring that President Trump’s vision for returning education to the states means state and local taxpayers will pay more to support students and educators at their local schools as a result of major cuts in federal funding.
    Eliminates several higher education programs, including TRIO, GEAR UP, Federal Work Study, Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS), and more, which help Americans pursue a postsecondary education and further their careers.
    Slashes funding for the U.S. Department of Labor by $4.6 billion (-35%).
    Proposes to “Make America Skilled Again” by cutting workforce training programs that help Americans develop skills and secure good-paying jobs by roughly a third. 
    Eliminates Job Corps and the Senior Community Service Employment Program.
    Eliminates AmeriCorps, which enables over 200,000 Americans to help serve communities across the country, including by responding to natural disasters, supporting veterans, fighting the opioid epidemic, helping older Americans age with dignity, and working in our schools, educating and supporting students.
    HOUSING:
    Eviscerates the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with a 43.6% cut.
    Slashes HUD rental assistance programs by 42.8% while foisting responsibility over those programs onto state and local governments. Over 10 million Americans rely on HUD rental assistance, the vast majority of whom are seniors, people with disabilities, and children. This will rip the roofs off Americans’ heads and put even more families at risk of homelessness.
    Eliminates or cuts federal programs most targeted to build more affordable housing and address this country’s housing supply shortage, including in Tribal country. 
    Eliminates the Community Development Block Grant that cities and towns across the country use to improve the quality of life for their citizens every day.
    PUBLIC SAFETY:
    Slashes the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) budget by at least $3.7 billion (-10%).
    Guts funding for grants to help keep communities safe by over $1 billion (-26%).
    Cuts funding for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) salaries and expenses by $545 million (-5%), endangering Americans’ safety.
    Cuts funding for Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) salaries and expenses by $212 million (-7%), weakening the agency’s capacity to crack down on drug trafficking. Also proposes shuttering major DEA offices in countries around the world, noting that those countries “are equipped to counter drug trafficking on their own.”
    Cuts funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) salaries and expenses by $468 million (-29%) as part of the administration’s ongoing attempt to dismantle the agency in charge of enforcing our country’s gun laws.
    Cuts $1.386 billion (-22%) from the U.S. Forest Service, gutting grant funding for state and Tribal wildfire risk reduction, volunteer fire departments, and much more. The proposal would cut at least 2,000 National Forest System staff positions, which will severely harm the administration’s stated goals of improving forest management.
    Cuts funding for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement account by $1.3 billion (-91%) which helps prevent human trafficking, stop drug trafficking, and much more, with direct implications for American communities.
    Proposes a reckless $209 million cut for NOAA’s weather satellites, which play a critical role in ensuring Americans have accurate weather forecasting and will result in a gap in observations when the current satellites retire early in the next decade.
    NUTRITION:
    Eliminates the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food assistance to low-income individuals 60 years of age and older to supplement diets and addressing potential nutrient deficiencies. The preliminary budget request does not mention any of the other 16 Nutrition Programs, including WIC, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the National School Lunch Program.
    PUBLIC LANDS:
    Cuts $900 million (- 30%) from National Park Service operations, abandoning national parks the administration says should now be transferred to the states, while providing no funding for states to manage massive new obligations that such a dramatic move would entail. This would incentivize states to sell off public lands to the highest bidder, threatening valued open space and areas of natural and historical value to local communities.
    AGRICULTURE:
    Guts funding for agricultural research, which is critical to ensuring American agriculture is competitive with the rest of the world and provides key resources to help farmers and ranchers prepare and adapt in an uncertain environment. Zeroes out foreign food aid that supports American farmers and is a lifeline for people living in extreme poverty across the world.
    TRIBES:
    Slashes $911 million (-24%) for core Tribal programs that uphold the federal government’s legally-obligated and court-ordered trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal nations. 
    Decimates core Tribal programs, including road maintenance, housing, and programs for children and families. 
    Nearly eliminates funding for construction of Tribal schools, which are already too often dilapidated, and cuts Tribal law enforcement funding by 20%.
    RURAL COMMUNITIES:
    Slashes investments in core Rural Development programs by $721 million, including investments in safe drinking water, affordable housing, and resources to bolster the rural economy.
    Cuts funding for the U.S. Department of Commerce by $1.9 billion (-18%). Outright eliminates the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), which helps economically distressed communities across America get ahead.
    Eliminates all Community Services Block Grant funding ($770 million) for community-based anti-poverty programs that help individuals and families access services to alleviate the causes of poverty.
    Eliminates funding to 27 states by zeroing out funding for 6 of 7 regional commissions, which provide grants in economically distressed communities for disaster mitigation, opioid crisis support programming, workforce training, and much more. This includes eliminating the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC).
    The Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC) is one of eight authorized federal regional commissions and authorities, which are congressionally-chartered, federal-state partnerships created to promote economic development in their respective regions. Congress first authorized the establishment of the SBRC in 2008 to promote economic development in the southern border regions of New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas.
    Last year, Heinrich secured an expansion of the SBRC’s jurisdiction to include the following counties in New Mexico: Bernalillo, Cibola, Curry, De Baca, Guadalupe, Roosevelt, Torrance, Lea, and Valencia. These are in addition to Catron, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Sierra, Socorro, Lincoln, Otero, Eddy, Doña Ana, and Chaves Counties in New Mexico, which are already included within the SBRC’s jurisdiction.
    In 2023, Heinrich led the introduction of the Southwest Border Regional Commission Reauthorization Act, legislation to reauthorize and fully fund the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC). The bill was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and former-U.S. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.).
    INFRASTRUCTURE:
    Cuts funding for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation by $600 million (-34%), gutting investments in key restoration projects.
    Cuts funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by $2 billion (-23%), slashing funding used to maintain our nation’s ports and harbors.
    Cuts funding for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) non-disaster grants that help communities prepare for disasters, support efforts to prevent violence and terrorism, prepare emergency responders, and more.
    Eliminates funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, ending support for more than 1,500 local public television and radio stations. 
    Eliminates funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the support provided to libraries and museums throughout the United States.
    Cuts funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by more than half by abandoning state and Tribal programs that build and maintain drinking water and sewer systems, starving states of longstanding federal funding provided to pay for states’ work enforcing federal laws, and decimating funding for cleaning up toxic Superfund sites. The request would also effectively eliminate research funding used to better understand the impacts on human health from polluted air and water and from toxic chemicals. 
    ENERGY:
    Slashes funding for the Department of Energy overall by $4.7 billion (-9.4%).
    Guts funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs by $2.572 billion (-74%) and proposes to rescind $15.25 billion from Infrastructure Law energy programs, which will raise energy costs for American consumers by halting vital innovation and energy projects.
    Eliminates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps 6 million American households heat and cool their homes.
    ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
    Slashes funding for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Entrepreneurial Development Programs by $167 million, proposing the elimination of nearly all programs, including programs that support veterans as they work to start and grow a small business.
    Eliminates $291 million in funding for all current Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) financial assistance awards, which help leverage private capital to support the development of child care centers, housing, health care facilities, and small businesses. Since 2010, CDFIs have financed over 1.3 million businesses and 557,000 affordable homes.
    Completely eliminates the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provide funding for every state and every congressional district for cultural economic development and the creative economy.
    Guts funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by $1.5 billion, which would eliminate all manner of programs that create good jobs, help local economies, and support ocean research, health, and coastal resilience.
    More than halves funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a $5.2 billion (-57%) cut. Cuts funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science by $1.148 billion (-14%). Together, these proposed cuts would decimate America’s edge in essential scientific research that would otherwise drive future economic growth.
    FOREIGN ASSISTANCE:
    Guts funding for the U.S. Department of State and America’s international security, economic, and humanitarian assistance programs by $31.2 billion (-48%).
    Cuts funding for lifesaving and other humanitarian assistance by $4.7 billion (-54%), which will lead to preventable deaths and suffering across the globe, and threaten Americans’ safety and well-being by undercutting our efforts to stop disease outbreaks and prevent conflict. A cut of this magnitude will also lead to more migration of people fleeing poverty, conflict, and natural disasters.
    Slashes economic growth and development funding across multiple agencies and accounts by $6 billion (67%) and proposes the final dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
    Guts funding for global health initiatives by $6.2 billion (-62%).
    Reneges on our treaty dues for the United Nations (U.N.), U.N. Peacekeeping operations, and a majority of other international organizations.
    SPACE EXPLORATION:
    Cuts National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funding by $6 billion (-24%), the largest single-year cut to NASA in U.S. history, which would mark an incredible retreat for American leadership and ambition in space. Terminates the Artemis Campaign to establish a human presence on the Moon after the Artemis III mission. Slashes funding for the Science Mission Directorate by $3.43 billion (-47%), which would cancel numerous current and planned missions to better understand our universe, solar system, and Earth.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces Actions to Reduce Regulatory Barriers to Domestic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

    Source: The White House

    PROMOTING AMERICAN-MADE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to facilitate the restoration of a robust domestic manufacturing base for prescription drugs, including key ingredients and materials necessary to manufacture prescription drugs.

    • The Order directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce the amount of time it takes to approve domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing plants by eliminating duplicative and unnecessary requirements, streamlining reviews, and working with domestic manufacturers to provide early support before facilities come online.
      • The Order directs the FDA to increase fees for and inspections of foreign manufacturing plants.
      • President Trump is directing the FDA to improve enforcement of active pharmaceutical ingredient source reporting by foreign drug producers and consider publicly displaying a list of facilities that do not comply.
    • The Order directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to accelerate the construction of facilities designed to manufacture prescription drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and other necessary raw materials.
    • The Order ensures that federal agencies issuing permits for a domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing facility designate a single point-of-contact to coordinate permit applications with interagency support from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure an efficient and coordinated process.

    UNLEASHING PROSPERITY AND PROTECTING NATIONAL SECURITY THROUGH PERMITTING REFORM: President Trump is clearing bureaucratic obstacles to critical domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing in order to usher in America’s new Golden Age by ensuring access to the medicines Americans need.

    • Critical barriers and gaps still exist in establishing a domestic, resilient, and affordable pharmaceutical supply chain for American patients.
      • New construction must navigate myriad Federal, State, and local requirements ranging from building standards and zoning restrictions to environmental protocols that together diminish the certainty needed to generate investment for large manufacturing projects.
    • Estimates suggest that building new manufacturing capacity for pharmaceuticals and critical inputs may take as long as five to ten years, which is unacceptable from a national-security standpoint.
    • This Order will speed up timelines for building domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing site by reducing regulatory barriers to construction.

    DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO PUT AMERICA FIRST: President Trump is delivering on his promise to once again put America first by ensuring the FDA prioritizes American manufacturing facilities over foreign facilities.

    • President Trump: “We don’t want to be buying our pharmaceuticals from other countries because if we’re in a war, we’re in a problem, we want to be able to make our own.”
    • President Trump: “As we invest in the future, we will permanently bring our medical supply chains back home. We will produce our medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and treatments right here in the United States.”
    • This Order builds on actions from President Trump’s first term to re-shore production of essential medicines and cut down our reliance on foreign producers. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Golden votes to roll back California EV mandates that could take options away from Mainers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

    WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) voted this week to roll back several waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency that allowed California to set aggressive, unrealistic new electric vehicle (EV) standards that would effectively ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles in several states across the country, potentially including Maine.

    “Maine families and small businesses should be able to buy vehicles that meet their needs, whether that’s a diesel truck or an EV,” Golden said. “The EV market is growing steadily and will continue to grow without new regulations that take options away from people looking to purchase their next vehicle.” 

    Golden voted today in favor of three resolutions under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn federal agency rules. Each resolution involved EPA waivers approved by the Biden Administration under the Clean Air Act (CAA), which allows California to adopt more aggressive emissions reduction standards than the floor set by federal law.

    The CAA permits other states to adopt California’s emissions rules, thereby allowing California to set new standards for the rest of the country. Currently, there are 17 other states (including Maine) that have historically sought to adhere to California’s emissions standards.

    The resolutions included: 

    • H.J.Res. 88, voted on today, which would revoke an EPA waiver allowing California to require all new passenger vehicles sold to be zero emissions by 2035. The bill passed in a bipartisan vote of 246-164.
    • H.J.Res. 87, voted on yesterday, which would revoke an EPA waiver allowing California to require manufacturers to produce and sell increasing percentages of zero-emission trucks by 2035. The bill passed in a bipartisan vote of 231-191.
    • H.J.Res. 89, voted on yesterday, which would revoke an EPA waiver allowing California to reduce the permissible nitrogen oxide emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The bill passed in a bipartisan vote of 225-196.

    Each resolution will have to pass the Senate and be signed by the president to repeal the respective waivers. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Moolenaar, Obernolte, Goldman, Introduce LOCOMOTIVES Act to Stop California Regulations from Impacting Nation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia)

    Today, Congressmen John Moolenaar, Jay Obernolte (R-CA), and Craig Goldman (R-TX) introduced the LOCOMOTIVES Act to limit the State of California’s ability to place unsustainable regulations on trains crossing into the state. The legislation revises Section 209 of the Clean Air Act to close a loophole which allows the California Air Resources Board to request waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency which would require interstate trains to abide by environmental standards stricter than the federal government’s.  

    “Nearly every industry relies on railway to ship their goods and access markets across the world. Unfortunately, bureaucrats in California maintain the ability to supersede federal standards and institute policies that would keep vital parts of Michigan’s economy, including the agriculture and auto industries, from accessing global markets. The LOCOMOTIVES Act is a commonsense proposal that stops California’s policies from impacting our state, and the rest of the country,” said Moolenaar. 

    “California should not be hijacking national freight policy with unreasonable emissions mandates,” said Obernolte. “CARB’s proposed locomotive standards would have wreaked havoc on interstate commerce, driven up costs for American families, and crippled rail operations across the country. I’m thankful that, after sustained pressure, CARB recognized the consequences of its overreach and withdrew its request. I’m proud to support the LOCOMOTIVES Act to prevent these illogical actions in the future and protect the infrastructure that keeps our economy moving.” 

    “As railways continue to serve as a cost-effective and reliable means of transporting goods, California’s extreme green energy regulations will prevent most locomotives from operating within the state. I’m proud to co-sponsor Representative Moolenaar’s LOCOMOTIVES Act, which prevents states like California from imposing unnecessary restrictions that would disrupt Texas’ interstate commerce and drive-up costs for consumers. This bill is an important measure to standardize locomotive regulations across states and ensure that Texas remains a key hub for interstate trade,” said Goldman.  

    The LOCOMOTIVES Act is endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Association of American Railroads, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, the North American Millers Association, the Supply Chain Federation, and the National Grain and Feed Association.  

    “We applaud Congressman Moolenaar’s leadership in introducing legislation that would prevent the possibility of unworkable and infeasible state regulation of locomotives involved in interstate commerce. This bill would close a Clean Air Act loophole that could be used by a state to circumvent federal regulation of locomotives and create a de facto national rule that would risk the viability of small business freight railroads,” said Chuck Baker, President of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. 

    “Railroads remain the most fuel-efficient way to move goods over land and continue to deliver reliably for the nation’s businesses and communities,” said AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies. “Currently, there are no commercially viable zero-emissions locomotives available—despite claims made by the California Air Resources Board in its now-abandoned in-use locomotive rule. As the industry pursues scalable, alternative solutions, Rep. Moolenaar’s legislation would provide much-needed regulatory certainty and prevent an impractical and infeasible state mandate from disrupting the entire nation’s supply chain.”

    “Railroads are among the most fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible modes of freight transport. Subjecting them to a patchwork of state-level emissions standards  would not only disrupt the flow of goods, but also discourage investment in cleaner technologies by creating uncertainty,” said Sarah Wiltfong, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer, the Supply Chain Federation.  “By reinforcing the federal government’s longstanding authority over mobile emissions on existing locomotives and their engines, the LOCOMOTIVE Act helps preserve regulatory consistency for a freight rail system that is critical to our supply chain and national economy.” 

    “Railroads are among the most fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible modes of freight transport. Subjecting them to a patchwork of state-level emissions standards  would not only disrupt the flow of goods, but also discourage investment in cleaner technologies by creating uncertainty,” said Sarah Wiltfong, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer, the Supply Chain Federation.  “By reinforcing the federal government’s longstanding authority over mobile emissions on existing locomotives and their engines, the LOCOMOTIVES Act helps preserve regulatory consistency for a freight rail system that is critical to our supply chain and national economy.” 

    In 2023, the California Air Resources Board requested a waiver from the EPA, which would prohibit trains older than 23 years old operating from operating in the state unless it operates on a zero emissions configuration. The waiver was withdrawn last year, however, California is able to resubmit a similar request at any time. If California’s waiver request was granted, effectively two-thirds of all currently operating trains could not cross into the state, leaving them unable to access two of the largest ports in the country.  

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huffman, Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan Bills to Strengthen Protections for Migratory Birds

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

    May 05, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Today, in honor of Migratory Bird Day on May 10th, U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced two bills to strengthen conservation efforts for protected species of birds across the country. These bills – the Migratory Bird Protection Act and the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act – will give the United States the tools to build upon existing efforts to protect migratory birds and the most threatened species of seabirds.

    “As the world faces an escalating biodiversity crisis, now is a critical moment to establish strong, clear, and lasting protections for migratory bird species,” said Rep. Huffman. “By codifying the ACAP agreement, the United States can reaffirm its leadership in conservation and encourage other nations to implement robust standards to protect endangered seabirds around the globe. By formalizing the process and providing more tools, our bills will strengthen longstanding protections and help commercial and business interests comply – marking a big step forward in conservation efforts both at home and across the globe.”

    “Bucks and Montgomery Counties are home to some of the most ecologically rich bird habitats in America, supporting hundreds of diverse and migratory species,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “But many of these birds are now facing extinction-level threats. As Co-Chair the Animal Protection Caucus, I’m committed to advancing concrete, science-based solutions to protect these vulnerable species, strengthen habitat conservation, and ensure long-term ecological resilience. This bipartisan legislation is a critical step toward that mission.”

    The Migratory Bird Protection Act will safeguard and strengthen longstanding protections for millions of North America’s migratory birds by providing clarity on how the United States implements the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This legislation directs the Department of Interior to provide regulatory certainty on “incidental take” – killing or injuring birds by otherwise legal activities – by commercial activity. The bill will help ensure the United States meets the conservation goals of the MBTA, which has formed the backbone of our nation’s migratory bird conservation efforts for over 100 years.

    The Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act will help implement the International Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) – which protects some of the world’s most endangered seabirds from international fishing threats. Every year, thousands of albatrosses and petrels die from encountering longline fishing equipment during their migration to nest and find food. Although the United States has attended and contributed to ACAP meetings regularly since the Agreement’s signing in 2001, it has not yet joined the 13 member countries that have signed as parties.

    Today’s bills will build upon existing efforts to protect migratory bird species by codifying and clarifying crucial conservation standards.

    “Together the Migratory Bird Protection Act and the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act strengthen bird conservation,” said Steve Holmer, Vice President of Policy at American Bird Conservancy. “By respectively encouraging industries to adopt best mitigation practices and advancing international collaboration these bills prevent bird mortality. Thank you to Representatives Huffman and Fitzpatrick for their steadfast leadership.”

    “The Migratory Bird Protection Act and the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act are critical steps for reversing the alarming decline in bird populations, which has seen the loss of over 3 billion birds since 1970. These bills will enhance vital protections and foster international cooperation to help ensure the survival of migratory birds and seabird species. Thank you, Representatives Huffman (D-CA) and Fitzpatrick (R-PA), for introducing these important bills that will help preserve America’s birds for current and future generations,” said Jesse Walls, Senior Director of Government Affairs at National Audubon Society.

    “Bird watching in America is more popular than ever, and yet our backyards and skies are graced with a decreasing number of our feathered friends,” said Steve Blackledge, Senior Director of Conservation Campaigns at Environment America. “We’re grateful to Representatives Jared Huffman and Brian Fitzpatrick for their bipartisan bill, which will protect long-distance flyers and make sure the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is enforced.”

    “Now more than ever, Congressional action is needed to conserve our country’s migratory birds,” said Ed Arnett, CEO of The Wildlife Society. “Thanks to the leadership of Representative Huffman, the Migratory Bird Protection Act will implement a streamlined permitting approach that provides greater certainty for project stakeholders as well as long-term benefits for migratory bird species. Given that more than three billion birds have been lost in the past half century, we encourage Congress to swiftly pass this commonsense bill.”

    “Defenders of Wildlife applauds Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) for introducing this critical bill at a time when North American birds are increasingly under threat,” said Robert Dewey, Vice President of Government Relations at Defenders of Wildlife. “Migratory birds, ranging from greater flamingos and American white pelicans to red-winged blackbirds and bald eagles, represent some of our most iconic species, but damage from industrial waste, overdevelopment and climate change has led to an estimated loss of 2.9 billion North American birds since 1970. This bill counters the ongoing and politically motivated attacks on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by ensuring that migratory birds unintentionally killed or harmed by industrialization, development and other human activities are protected under the Act. We urge all those in Congress to support what has historically been a bipartisan endeavor to protect North American birds.”

    “With three-quarters of North America’s birds in decline it’s now more important than ever to step up and provide strong protections for them. It’s crucial for the federal government to adhere to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and I encourage Congress to pass this commonsense legislation and give birds a fighting chance at survival,” said Tara Zuardo, Senior Campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.

    “America’s bird populations are under unprecedented threat from a variety of hazards,” said Abby Tinsley, Vice President for Conservation Policy at the National Wildlife Federation. “The bipartisan Migratory Bird Protection Act would help address these challenges by clarifying protections passed more than a century ago while encouraging measures that will limit unnecessary deaths. Congress should act swiftly to pass this commonsense bill.”

    The Migratory Bird Protection Act is endorsed by Defenders of Wildlife, Audubon, Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, The Wildlife Society, The National Wildlife Federation, National Resource Defense Council, and Environment America.

    The Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act is endorsed by Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy.

    Migratory Bird Protection Act:

    • Text of the bill can be found here.
    • A one-pager of the bill can be found here.

    Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act:

    • Text of the bill can be found here.
    • A one-pager of the bill can be found here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Sustained pressure on SA rhino populations

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    In the first three months of 2025, five provinces in South Africa lost 103 rhinos due to poaching, averaging at 34.33 rhinos per month.

    “The loss of 103 rhinos to poaching in the first three months of 2025 is a stark reminder of the relentless threat to our wildlife. Yet, the absence of poaching in four provinces shows that our targeted interventions are yielding results, and we must build on this progress,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, said on Monday.

    The latest statistics for the period 1 January to 31 March 2025 are closely aligned with the average monthly poaching rate of 35 rhinos over the previous 12 months (420 rhinos annually).

    The Minister said the figures underscore the sustained pressure on the rhino populations and the urgent need for intensified efforts to combat this illegal activity.

    The breakdown of poaching incidents by province reveals that South African National Parks (SANParks) recorded the highest number of losses, with 65 rhinos poached. 

    KwaZulu-Natal reported 16 cases, followed by Limpopo with 10, Free State with five, the North West with four, and Mpumalanga with three. No rhinos were poached in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, or Gauteng during this period.

    To strengthen efforts against wildlife crime, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has taken proactive measures to address factors related to bail applications for perpetrators. 

    “We are working closely with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) to ensure that repeat offenders and those with no fixed address face stronger opposition to bail,” George said.

    The department shares best-practice affidavits with investigators to ensure more effective bail opposition and is exploring options to secure funding for dedicated support to SAPS in these applications.

    “The South African government remains steadfast in its commitment to combating wildlife crime. We continue to strengthen anti-poaching measures, including enhanced ranger patrols, advanced surveillance technologies, and collaboration with national and international law enforcement agencies. 

    “We are also working closely with various stakeholders to bolster anti-poaching efforts through the deployment of cutting-edge technologies such as drones and thermal radars. Additionally, we are engaging with communities living near protected areas to foster sustainable livelihoods and reduce the socioeconomic drivers of poaching,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Press Release: Governor McKee, Congressional Delegation, RIDOT and QDC Break Ground on Route 4 ‘Missing Move’ Project

    Source: US State of Rhode Island

    Governor Dan McKee, Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti, Jr., and Quonset Development Corporation (QDC) Managing Director Steven King today joined with state and local officials to break ground on one of RIDOT’s newest projects, the I-95 “Missing Move” and Quonset Ramps Construction Project.

    This $144 million project has been in discussion for decades. It includes construction of two critical ramps that were never built when Route 4 was constructed in the 1960s and will afford direct highway connections between I-95 North and Route 4 South, and Route 4 North and I-95 South. The project also will make numerous improvements at and near the Quonset Business Park, the state’s largest industrial park.

    RIDOT was able to move forward with this project after receiving an $81 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA).

    “This project has been talked about for decades, and today, we’re finally turning words into action,” said Governor Dan McKee. “This crucial infrastructure investment will improve traffic flow and unlock economic potential at Quonset�one of our state’s major job creators. I want to thank Rhode Island’s congressional delegation and all of our partners for helping us move this project forward.”

    “This is a big win for drivers because it will improve efficiency, shorten commutes, and reduce congestion while also improving access for truck and freight operators approaching Quonset Business Park,” said Senator Reed. “This was a collaborative effort that builds upon decades of federal investment into Quonset. I was pleased to help lay the groundwork for this project by securing a $4-million planning grant in 2020.”

    “The INFRA Program I championed through the Environment and Public Works Committee and into law is supporting a slew of major infrastructure projects across Rhode Island,” said Senator Whitehouse, who worked to create the INFRA Program to help meet Rhode Island’s need for large-scale infrastructure investments. “Today’s INFRA Grant-funded groundbreaking will support continued economic growth at Quonset and finally add the missing move to go between Route 4 and I-95.”

    “By finally connecting Route 4 North to I-95 South, we will reduce congestion, improve safety, and make daily travel easier for tens of thousands of people every day,” said Congressman Magaziner. “I am pleased that we are able to deliver this meaningful federal funding for a local project like this and I am committed to continuing to fight for every federal dollar we can secure for Rhode Island.”

    “Today’s announcement will improve our transportation system to benefit Ocean State residents, businesses, and visitors alike. I’m proud to have worked with our delegation to secure $81 million in federal funding to support the “Missing Move” and Quonset Ramps Construction Project,” said Congressman Amo. “This investment in Rhode Island’s infrastructure will make life easier and safer for all those who travel through I-95 and Route 4.”

    “Once again our Congressional delegation put their shoulders into the federal grants process and helped Rhode Island get this funding so we can finally build these missing ramps,” Director Alviti said. “Their construction will reduce travel times, provide more efficient movement of freight traffic and alleviate congestion and delays, especially at the Division Street/South County Trail intersection which is overloaded with traffic that has had no choice but to use local roads to make certain connections between I-95 and Route 4.”

    “Quonset Business Park is known for its convenient network of land, sea, air and rail infrastructure. By better connecting Route 403 to the West Davisville portion of the Business Park, getting to and moving throughout Quonset will be easier than it has ever been before,” said QDC Managing Director King. “I offer my sincere thanks to our federal delegation for delivering the funding to alleviate local traffic and create a more convenient commuting experience for the nearly 15,000 people who come to work at the Business Park each day.”

    The project is divided into two main components. The first portion to be constructed includes three ramps on Route 403 in North Kingstown to connect the Quonset Business Park’s west Davisville district. The project also includes a new roundabout south of Route 403 at Compass Circle. The improvements will provide improved connectivity to all parts of the Business Park and add in ramps that were not included in the Route 403 reconstruction project in the late 2000s. These will be complete in summer 2026.

    The second component, which will begin construction in early 2026, includes the missing moves at the I-95/Route 4 interchange in Warwick. RIDOT will build a new flyover bridge to link Route 4 North to I-95 South. The ramp will use an existing right-of-way for an at-grade link between I-95 North and Route 4 South. The missing moves are expected to be done in summer 2027.

    To compensate for the missing ramps, RIDOT has made numerous adjustments to the traffic signals on Division Street and at its intersection with South County Trail (Route 2). As the area has continued to be developed, especially the growth at the nearby New England Institute of Technology campus, traffic and congestion has steadily increased. The Division Street/South County Trail intersection alone is the site of 60 crashes per year.

    RIDOT also will make safety improvements on I-95 South at the Route 2 interchange on the Warwick/West Warwick line. RIDOT will rebuild the entrance to the Route 2 South to I-95 South ramp so those traveling on Route 2 North can use it. With that ramp accommodating both northbound and southbound traffic on Route 2, RIDOT will permanently close the Route 2 North to I-95 South ramp, removing a weaving conflict on I-95 South.

    All these new ramps will give passenger vehicles, heavy trucks and other freight traffic freeway access without using local roads while reducing emissions from idling vehicles. The improved access also will make the Business Park more attractive to companies who wish to locate there.

    All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather. Final completion of the entire project is expected in spring 2028.

    The Missing Move project is made possible by RhodeWorks. RIDOT is committed to bringing Rhode Island’s infrastructure into a state of good repair while respecting the environment and striving to improve it. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Oregon DEQ to reopen Clean Vehicle Rebate Program on May 22

    Source: US State of Oregon

    he wait is over! The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality today announced it will reopen the popular Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program on Thursday, May 22. In even more exciting news, the program will remain open longer this year due to funds awarded to DEQ last summer through the Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action grant. Any vehicles purchased or leased before May 22 are not eligible to apply for the rebate.

    DEQ offers two rebates*:

    • Standard Rebate (Open to all Oregon residents, businesses, non-profits and government agencies): Up to $2,500 for the purchase or lease of a new battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a new zero-emission ​motorcycle selected from the Standard Rebate Eligible Vehicle List.
    • Charge Ahead Rebate (Open to low- and moderate-income households and nonprofit, low-income service providers):
      • The Used Charge Ahead Rebate: $5,000 for the purchase or lease of an eligible used battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
      • The New Charge Ahead Rebate: Up to $7,500 for the purchase or lease of an eligible new battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
      • Select vehicle options from the Charge Ahead Eligible Vehicle List.

    *You may only apply for one rebate.

    To determine Charge Ahead Rebate eligibility for individuals, check DEQ’s Charge Ahead Rebate: Income Eligibility web page. Charge Ahead Rebate applicants can prequalify by completing the prequalification application to receive a voucher to be used at participating dealerships.

    “The Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program is enormously popular,” said DEQ Air Quality Transportation Section Manager Rachel Sakata. “By helping to offset the cost of an electric vehicle, it continues to be one of the best ways many individuals and families can gain access to cleaner transportation and improve air quality across the state.”

    The Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program receives at least $12 million annually, or 45% of the state’s Vehicle Privilege Tax. Last year, overwhelming demand closed the program after just two months. However, the $31 million CERTA grant will expand the Charge Ahead Rebate option, giving more low- and moderate-income households access to savings. DEQ will monitor rebates and is required to suspend the program once funds are depleted. The agency will announce the closure date at least 30 days in advance.

    Applicants have six months from date of purchase or lease to apply for a rebate. However, people are encouraged to apply early and track available rebate funding online. If approved applications are submitted after funds are depleted, those applicants will be placed on a waitlist for payment in early spring 2026.

    Electric vehicles purchased or leased before May 22, 2025 will not receive state rebates and will not be placed on a waiting list, but they may still qualify for federal tax credits.

    A variety of state agencies and public electric utilities offer savings on electric vehicle purchases, leases or charging infrastructure. The Go Electric Oregon website lists available incentives and provides helpful information for potential electric vehicle buyers and lessees.

    DEQ’s Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program web page has all the details. Please visit the EV Rebate Contact web page to ask questions. You may register at OCVRP Sign Up to receive program updates by email.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wild about wildlife: leveraging park visitor support to fund conservation

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Healthy wildlife populations require the conservation of habitat in and around protected areas, which can be costly. One potential way to fund such conservation would be through increasing visitor fees at national parks. The problem is, increases in visitor fees are expected to decrease visitation, especially for low-income visitors. Meanwhile, however, the failure to maintain the quality of visitors’ experiences (for example, by failing to conserve wildlife species that visitors love to see in the wild) could also reduce visitation in the long run. Park managers thus face the difficult task of balancing visitors’ want to view wildlife with their readiness to pay for it. 

    In a new study, researchers surveyed 991 visitors to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks to explore park visitors’ wildlife-viewing behavior and interests. The survey included questions on the number of trips visitors take, how important they find wildlife viewing, and which animals they most want to see, along with questions asking visitors how they would expect changes in wildlife populations to affect their future park visitation. The researchers estimated what visitors currently spend on trips to the two national parks and gauged visitor support for three conservation fundraising mechanisms within parks: a mandatory fee, a voluntary donation fund, and a tax on goods and services sold within parks.

    Wildlife viewing generates significant recreational value

    The researchers estimated that the net economic value generated from trips to the two national parks is $753 million per year. About 77% of participants stated that viewing wildlife was a primary reason for their national park trip, meaning that of the total net economic value, $581 million can be attributed to wildlife viewing. Large carnivores, particularly grizzly bears, were especially important to some groups of wildlife viewers, who were willing to pay almost 50% more to visit parks.

    Crowds gather to view a grizzly bear in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park (NPS).

    Wildlife declines could have a large effect on park visitation

    Almost half of all respondents reported that they would take fewer trips to the national parks if there were fewer wildlife to view, potentially reducing total park visitation by 16%. One fewer trip per year for half of all wildlife-viewing visitors could mean 1.1 million fewer annual visitors and a potential loss of $3.9 million over three years for the two parks. 

    Visitors support conservation fees

    Most surveyed visitors supported conservation fundraising through a mandatory fee, voluntary fund, or wildlife conservation fee on park goods and services, regardless of their income levels. The researchers estimated that the implementation of a small fee would have little effect on park revenue and overall visitation, while raising considerable funds for conservation. For example, a $5 conservation fee could raise almost $3 million dollars for wildlife conservation, while only reducing visitation by about 1% per year.

    This research highlights an opportunity to balance the quality of national park visitor experiences with sustainable funding for landscape-scale conservation. Conservation beneficiaries—park visitors—are willing to contribute toward biodiversity protection at ecologically meaningful scales. Implementing even modest conservation fees could generate substantial funding that would benefit visitor experiences and wildlife populations, all while having minimal effects on visitation rates and park revenues.

    Research economists at the U.S. Geological Survey specialize in estimating the economic benefits generated by public lands, including national parks. In related work, researchers quantified the economic value generated by bear sightings in Yellowstone National Park. They provide estimates both for the value per individual bear sighting and the aggregate value from all bear sightings over the course of a year. They also calculated how much a single bear contributes to viewing value every season. Learn more through the links below.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Junior Named Key Into Public Service Scholar

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Andy Zhang ’26 (CLAS, CAHNR) has been selected as a Key into Public Service Scholar by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s oldest academic honor society and a leading national advocate for the value of liberal arts and sciences education.

    The program annually recognizes 20 exceptional arts and sciences students with a demonstrated interest in pursuing careers in local, state, and federal government. This year, over 800 students applied for the honor.

    Zhang, an economics and environmental sciences major, will receive a $5,000 scholarship and will participate in a Washington, D.C., conference providing training, mentorship, and opportunities for reflection on pathways to active citizenship.

    “This award perfectly aligns with a lot of my interests given that it has a strong focus on liberal arts, public service, and natural sciences,” says Zhang. “It is a wonderful opportunity as I look towards my future.”

    Zhang is president of UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government and is involved in a number of environmental groups on campus. He is president and founder of the UConn chapter of Plant Futures, an organization focused on addressing the climate crisis through a plant-centric future.

    He is a student ambassador for the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources and a sustainability intern for the Office of Sustainability.

    Zhang served as a food policy intern for Friends of the Earth and was a Forge Fellow for the Roosevelt Network, where he engaged in weekly economic policy programming and collaborated with other fellows to deliver a policy critique on energy democracy.

    “What really sets Andy apart is his combination of originality and high energy,” says economics professor Richard Langlois. “His energy and enthusiasm help explain his success as an organizer and booster of environmental causes on campus. It is contagious energy, and other students want to be swept along.”

    Zhang was a sustainability intern for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a fellow for the Paragon Policy Fellowship, and a Different Maker Mentor for the UConn Natural Resources Conservation Academy.

    This summer, he will work at the New York State Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Bureau, where he will continue to contribute to meaningful statewide climate action.

    Following graduation, he plans to pursue a law and public policy degree with the goal of shaping equitable food and climate policy at the federal level. Zhang hopes to do that either working in the federal government or at a nonprofit organization.

    Zhang grew up in Sandy Hook and was a third grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School on the day of the mass shooting in December 2012.

    “It wasn’t until college that I began to fully understand how that experience shaped me,” says Zhang. “What has stayed with me most is the power of community — the way people came together in the aftermath, supported one another, and built something stronger. That sense of collective care and resilience is what drives me now, whether I’m advocating for climate justice, building coalitions, or serving in student government. I believe public service is ultimately about showing up for others, especially in times of crisis.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Best Online Pokies Australia 2025: 7Bit Casino Rated Top for Real Money Pokies

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    After Reviewing Multiple Online Casinos, Our Expert Team Has Chosen 7Bit Casino As The Top Pick For Real Money Pokies In Australia For 2025. With Its Extensive Game Selection And Fast Payouts, It’s A Standout Choice. Players Can Count On A Trustworthy And Exciting Experience.

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    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c286fbd-90dc-486b-8052-bee9fbbd98fb

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Marine fossil found in South Africa is one of a kind, thanks to unusual preservation

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Sarah Gabbott, Professor of Palaeontology, University of Leicester

    A fossilised creature found in a South African roadside quarry 25 years ago has finally got an official name. The small, segmented, crustacean-like creature, dated to 444 million years ago, can now be introduced as Keurbos susanae. It belongs to the arthropod group of animals, which accounts for about 84% of all known species that exist today, including insects, spiders and crabs.

    Palaeontologist Sarah Gabbott explains what’s so unusual about her discovery, which she named as part of the process of describing it scientifically.

    What can you tell us about this creature and the environment it lived in?

    The fossil is about 50cm long and has 46 almost identical segments. Projecting from each is a delicate, gill-like structure. It would probably have looked like a bit like a horseshoe crab and the gills would have been for absorbing oxygen from the water it lived in. Its insides are exquisitely well-preserved, which is very unusual for fossils – normally only the hard, more decay-resistant external features would be preserved. You can see bundles of muscle fibres that would have powered the limbs, tendons and an internal scaffold structure that gave the animal rigidity.

    We think it would have spent most of its life living on, or more likely just above, the seafloor, probably walking and swimming in an undulatory (waving) motion.

    It lived in the immediate aftermath of the end Ordovician extinction event more than 440 million years ago, caused by glaciations (the spread of icy conditions) across vast swaths of the planet. This extinction wiped out about 85% of Earth’s species. The marine basin that Keurbos susanae inhabited was probably very cold and at times covered with sea ice.

    It was a relatively hostile environment in other ways too. Our analyses of the chemistry of the shales – the sediments on the sea bed where this animal and others lived, now turned to rock – shows that they were deposited under anoxic conditions (that is, there was no oxygen circulating freely in the water). And at times free hydrogen sulfide occurred in the sediment porewaters (the water in tiny spaces between grains of sediment) and even above the seafloor. Not much could live in these conditions and this was critical to this fossil’s amazing preservation.

    It meant the carcass was not scavenged by other animals after it died. Also, the chemistry was important in the process whereby the soft tissues, which should usually rot away rapidly, became mineralised quickly after death. This turned the animal’s anatomy to mineral which survived for hundreds of millions of years until it was discovered.

    It is preserved “inside out”.

    Keurbos susanae is a new genus and species which we are still trying to place among other early arthropods. The fact that its insides are better preserved than its outside makes it difficult to compare with other fossils that are preserved the “other way round”.

    How did you find the fossil and what else has been found in that area?

    The site is in the Cedarberg mountains, north of Cape Town. To collect fossils in this area you need a permit granted by the Council for Geoscience. Fossil-bearing rocks are protected by law because of their heritage and scientific value.

    Fossil hunting in these rocks takes a lot of hard work and patience, splitting open the shales with a hammer and chisel. These shale rocks are what’s left of layers of silt that were once on the sea floor. The fossils here are super rare: you can dig and split shale for days and not find a single fossil! But we know there are some in there because of discoveries made previously.

    I found two specimens. The first one is complete but the second one only has the middle part of the body preserved.

    In the same rocks we have found some of the earliest vertebrate fossils with mineralised teeth, called conodonts. They were eel shaped and predatory. Also eurypterids (sea scorpions), arthropods with powerful swimming appendages, which would have cruised through the frigid waters. There are also orthocones – a type of chambered cephalopod – like the mollusc fossils called ammonites, which have been found in large numbers, but with a straight shell instead of coiled.

    Why has it taken 25 years to describe Keurbos susanae scientifically?

    Two reasons really.

    First, because of the nature of preservation, where all the insides are perfectly preserved but the outside (the carapace or body covering) is absent, it is just difficult to interpret and compare to other fossils. And secondly because the specimen’s head and legs are missing and these are key characteristics that palaeontologists would use to help them to understand the evolutionary relationships of such fossils.

    If more specimens were to be found, with their heads and legs, we could be more certain about where this fossil fitted in the scheme of life. But the site where I found it has been covered in a lot of rock from quarrying activity. So we decided to describe what we had in the meantime, and not wait for more examples.

    The fossil’s name, Keurbos susanae, refers to the place where I found it and to my mother, Sue, who encouraged me to follow a career that made me happy, whatever that might be.

    Sarah Gabbott receives funding from Natural Environmental Research Council; National Geographic. She is affiliated with Green Circle Nature Regeneration CIC a not for profit Environmental Community Interest Company in the UK

    – ref. Marine fossil found in South Africa is one of a kind, thanks to unusual preservation – https://theconversation.com/marine-fossil-found-in-south-africa-is-one-of-a-kind-thanks-to-unusual-preservation-255256

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Sherpa.sh Launches Affordable React App Deployment Platform, Disrupting Industry Pricing Models

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Tampa, FL , May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a bold challenge to established deployment providers, Sherpa.sh today officially launched its innovative React deployment platform that reduces costs by 80% compared to market leaders. The bootstrapped Tampa-based startup has developed proprietary server infrastructure to deliver enterprise-grade performance while dramatically undercutting competitors’ prices, potentially enabling thousands of previously cost-prohibited software projects to reach the market.  Specifically designed for full stack JavaScript developers deploying Next.js, React, and other full stack React frameworks, the platform represents a significant disruption to the current pricing structure dominated by venture-funded silicon valley based platforms.

    Sherpa.sh: Deploy apps. Pay less. Build more.

    Sherpa.sh’s platform provides full stack JavaScript developers with a comprehensive solution to deploy Next.js app and React applications that eliminates the traditional cost barriers associated with bringing sophisticated projects to market. By building on dedicated server infrastructure rather than relying on third-party cloud services, the company has created a sustainable model that passes substantial savings directly to developers.

    Key Features of the Sherpa.sh Platform:

    • Next.js & React-Optimized Pipeline: Push-to-deploy deployment process tailored specifically for modern React-based frameworks. No system admins or devops knowledge required. Developers can just focus on writing code.
    • Full Stack JavaScript Support: Seamless deployment for both frontend and backend JavaScript code utilizing modern CDN and auto-scaling architecture
    • Kubernetes-Powered Infrastructure: Enterprise-grade orchestration and auto scaling to tens of thousands of concurrent users without the DevOps complexity
    • Complete SDLC Environment: Full development lifecycle support from initial coding to production deployment
    • AI Application Optimization: Specialized configuration options for Vibe coders creating AI applications built with JavaScript frameworks

    “Sherpa.sh was created to democratize app deployment for full stack JavaScript developers by removing the financial and technical barriers that prevent innovative React and Next.js applications from reaching users quickly,” said Zach Kazanski, founder of Sherpa.sh. “As a bootstrapped company, Sherpa.sh is focused entirely on delivering maximum savings without sacrificing performance.  We’re not cutting corners, we’re cutting out the middlemen and passing along the savings to developers.”

    The platform is particularly suited for JavaScript developers building AI applications who can now focus on core technology development without allocating significant resources to Kubernetes expertise, platform engineering, or DevOps operations. Sherpa.sh eliminates the need for specialized platform engineering knowledge while providing the reliability and scalability of Kubernetes for production React and Next.js applications.

    The company built its platform from the ground up with affordability as a core design principle for the JavaScript ecosystem. This approach has resulted in a platform that maintains enterprise-level DevOps practices and security while reducing costs by 80% compared to industry standards.

    “Full stack JavaScript developers deserve access to advanced DevOps capabilities typically seen in big-tech without the typical complexity and cost,” added Kazanski. “Sherpa.sh is transforming what developers should expect when they deploy React and Next.js apps.”

    Sherpa.sh is available immediately for full stack JavaScript developers through the company’s website. The platform offers a free-tier for developers to try out the platform as well as flexible pricing plans designed to scale with project needs, making enterprise-grade Nextjs and React deployment accessible to independent developers, startups, and established companies alike.

    For more information about Sherpa.sh and its JavaScript framework deployment platform, visit https://www.sherpa.sh.

    About sherpa.sh

    Sherpa.sh is a Tampa-based deployment platform that specializes in affordable solutions to deploy React apps and Next.js projects for full stack JavaScript developers. Founded as a bootstrapped alternative to venture-backed platforms, Sherpa.sh leverages its own proprietary dedicated server infrastructure to provide enterprise-grade deployment and app hosting at costs 80% lower than industry standards.

    Press inquiries

    sherpa.sh
    https://sherpa.sh
    Zach Kazanski
    zach@sherpa.sh
    (813)-389-3559
    340 W Ross Ave APT 121
    Tampa, FL, 33602

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Students of SPbGASU were invited to build a career in the companies “Region” and “Petersburg-Dorservis”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –

    Students of SPbGASU are already actively immersed in the industry during their studies. In April, our university was visited by representatives of the companies “Region” and “Petersburg-Dorservis”. The meetings were organized by the Department of Water Use and Ecology.

    The professionals told the students about the intricacies of their work and the prospects that open up for future young specialists.

    Alexey Shchukin, founder and CEO of Region, graduated from SPbGASU in 2003. He is the founder of a company that has completed more than 230 projects in the field of designing water supply and sanitation facilities and maintains a personal expert blog. From his speech, students learned about the methodology for designing water intakes for cities and enterprises, and about the mistakes and problems that specialists in this field encounter.

    Maria Bezruk, a marketer at Region, emphasized that the team consists of people with different experience, skills, and qualities. This helps young professionals gain knowledge directly from people who have worked on large-scale, unique projects. “You will gain the skill of designing complex industrial water supply and sanitation facilities; an understanding of how to achieve your goals and the goals of the team; the opportunity to reveal your full personal and professional potential. And, in addition, knowledge of the basics of construction, which will allow you to build your dream home or your parents’ house in the future!”

    Students took part in a production-themed game and received corporate souvenirs.

    Vladimir Fedotov, Deputy General Director for Non-Urban and Special Facilities at Petersburg-Dorservis, has worked for the company for 33 years. He introduced the audience to the company, which designs and builds highways, city streets, bridges, overpasses, tunnels and other road infrastructure facilities.

    Company representatives invited students for internships, practical training, and, in the future, jobs.

    Ekaterina Dundukova, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Engineering Ecology and Urban Economy, is already working at Region. According to her, the company has a very friendly and pleasant atmosphere, the employees are genuinely interested in their work and are always happy to help each other, share their work knowledge and experience.

    Under the scientific supervision of Yulia Romanova, assistant of the Department of Water Use and Ecology, Ekaterina is writing her final qualification work “Reconstruction of water intake and water treatment facilities in the city of M.” The object of the study is being developed by the design organization “Region”.

    The student is confident in the relevance of her work for two reasons. Firstly, at present, a significant portion of the existing water intake and water treatment facilities throughout the country are becoming obsolete and require reconstruction or complete replacement, as their service life is coming to an end. Secondly, the required productivity is growing due to the increase in the scale of production in individual cities and the migration of the population within the country from small settlements to larger ones.

    “I plan to connect my future life with this specialty, because I consider it interesting and necessary, because no person and no production can do without water. I like to see the results of my work and know that it will benefit people,” Ekaterina shared.

    “Defending a final qualifying work is a key moment in the educational process of each student. This stage not only demonstrates accumulated knowledge and research skills, but also opens the way to a future professional career. Effective interaction with a production supervisor can significantly improve the quality of the final work and the student’s confidence in successful defense,” believes Yulia Romanova.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Students of SPbGASU are among the winners and prize-winners of the All-Russian Olympiad “Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – SPbGASU Team: Vitaly Chumakov, Nikita Chernikov, Vasily Gromov and Rostislav Benfialov

    The All-Russian Olympiad “Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation” was held at the Don State Technical University (Rostov-on-Don). Students from 15 leading Russian universities took part in it: 37 undergraduate students and 29 master’s students.

    Nikita Chernikov, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management in the field of Construction (Engineering Life Support Systems in Construction), was recognized as the winner; Vitaly Chumakov, a second-year master’s student of the same faculty in the field of Construction (Heat, Gas Supply and Ventilation), took third place.

    Victory at first attempt

    Nikita Chernikov admits that he had never participated in Olympiads before and was glad to learn what they are like, including university-level all-Russian ones.

    “Participation in the Olympiad gave me the opportunity to assess the real level of my knowledge, compare it with students of our specialty from universities in other cities. It was very nice to know that I have such a high level of preparation in my specialty. I hardly prepared for the Olympiad: I applied the knowledge that I had accumulated over several years of studying in specialized subjects. Only before the trip I looked at the topics of the Olympiad problems that were given in previous years. I would like to thank SPbGASU for providing students with the opportunity to attend such events and demonstrate their level, and personally the teacher of the Department of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation Viktor Aleksandrovich Yakovlev, who invited me to take part in the Olympiad,” said Nikita.

    The Olympiad motivates and expands communication!

    Vitaly Chumakov took part in this Olympiad not for the first time, and already became a winner. Due to his experience and knowledge, he believes that it is quite possible to complete all the tasks correctly. The competition tests included a test task, tasks and practical tasks. For example, in an office there are violations of the ventilation systems, which led to fogging of windows, high humidity, and an unpleasant smell. It is necessary to determine what could have gone wrong? But there is one nuance in completing the tasks: you need to complete them in four hours.

    “The time limit is also a test of skill: it is not enough to be able to solve everything, you need to be able to do it quickly. The Olympiad gives you the opportunity to test your strength, understand the gaps in your knowledge, meet the best students of other universities, and these contacts can be useful in the future in your professional activities, since different regions have different schools, and the exchange of experience is interesting and useful. I had a gap in heat and gas supply and heat supply of external networks due to the fact that in practice I did not deal with them that much. I work in design, and my area is internal networks. I want to continue my studies in graduate school. The results of the Olympiad motivate and give me confidence that I can also master graduate school. You can’t stop at a specific result, you always need to develop yourself,” Vitaly noted.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Why California usually pays more at the pump for gasoline

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    In-brief analysis

    May 5, 2025

    Data source: AAA

    Retail prices for regular grade gasoline in California are consistently higher than in any other state in the continental United States, often exceeding the national average by more than a dollar per gallon. Several factors contribute to this high price, including state taxes and fees, environmental requirements, special fuel requirements, and isolated petroleum markets.

    Taxes and fees
    The components of retail gasoline prices are taxes and fees, distribution and marketing, refining costs, and crude oil prices. Drivers in California pay the highest taxes at the pump, equivalent to $0.90 per gallon (gal) between local, state, and federal taxes as of March 2025.

    Federal taxes—which are the same for each state—account for $0.18 of the $0.90/gal in taxes. The other $0.72/gal is made up of state excise tax ($0.60/gal), state sales tax ($0.10/gal), and an underground storage tank fee ($0.02/gal). California’s state gasoline excise tax is the highest in the United States; the average across all states is $0.28/gal.

    Environmental requirements
    In addition to state taxes, the California Energy Commission estimates that environmental compliance costs added as much as $0.54/gal as of March 2025. The state’s Cap-and-Trade Program and Low Carbon Fuel Standard reflect costs associated with fuel supplier emissions and carbon intensity, and these costs are ultimately reflected in the price consumers pay at the pump.

    Special fuel requirements
    California also mandates a special blend of gasoline designed to reduce pollution and improve air quality. This fuel burns cleaner but is more expensive to produce because it requires more processing steps and expensive blending components.

    Refiners outside the state only make this blend to supply California’s market, meaning that California primarily relies on in-state refineries for its gasoline supply.

    Isolated petroleum markets
    Supply side issues also contribute to higher California gasoline prices relative to the rest of the country.

    Most of the gasoline consumed in California is refined within the state due to lack of petroleum infrastructure connections. California is geographically isolated from other U.S. refining centers because no pipelines supply California from across the Rocky Mountains and only a limited number of pipelines deliver to the West Coast from the Gulf Coast. Of the refineries outside of California with physical access to the state’s gasoline markets, only a few can meet California’s stringent fuel blending requirements.

    California also imports gasoline from other countries, such as India and South Korea, to meet its fuel supply needs. Other countries produce California-specification gasoline, but high shipping costs usually limit imports to periods of refinery outages or the summer driving season.

    In addition, West Coast refineries have historically maintained lower inventory levels compared with the U.S. average, and California refineries have been closing, with more closures on the horizon. All of these supply chain issues mean that California gasoline prices are more volatile and subject to large spikes, especially if any of the limited number of refineries go offline for maintenance or have an unexpected outage.

    Principal contributors: Anne Miranda, Tara Bennett-Chirico

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA funding cuts could change that, with a busy storm season coming

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chris Vagasky, Meteorologist and Research Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Radar shows a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flying through the eye of Tropical Storm Idalia during a mission in 2023. Nick Underwood/NOAA

    The National Hurricane Center’s forecasts in 2024 were its most accurate on record, from its one-day forecasts, as tropical cyclones neared the coast, to its forecasts five days into the future, when storms were only beginning to come together.

    Thanks to federally funded research, forecasts of tropical cyclone tracks today are up to 75% more accurate than they were in 1990. A National Hurricane Center forecast three days out today is about as accurate as a one-day forecast in 2002, giving people in the storm’s path more time to prepare and reducing the size of evacuations.

    Accuracy will be crucial again in 2025, as meteorologists predict another active Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

    Yet, cuts in staffing and threats to funding at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – which includes the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service – are diminishing operations that forecasters rely on.

    I am a meteorologist who studies lightning in hurricanes and helps train other meteorologists to monitor and forecast tropical cyclones. Here are three of the essential components of weather forecasting that have been targeted for cuts to funding and staff at NOAA.

    Tracking the wind

    To understand how a hurricane is likely to behave, forecasters need to know what’s going on in the atmosphere far from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

    Hurricanes are steered by the winds around them. Wind patterns detected today over the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains – places like Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota – give forecasters clues to the winds that will be likely along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts in the days ahead.

    Satellites can’t take direct measurements, so to measure these winds, scientists rely on weather balloons. That data is essential both for forecasts and to calibrate the complicated formulas forecasters use to make estimates from satellite data.

    A meteorologist prepares to launch a weather balloon at Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo. Data collected by the balloon’s radiosonde will help predict local weather that can influence fire behavior.
    Neal Herbert/National Park Service

    However, in early 2025, the Trump administration terminated or suspended weather balloon launches at more than a dozen locations.

    That move and other cuts and threatened cuts at NOAA have raised red flags for forecasters across the country and around the world.

    Forecasters everywhere, from TV to private companies, rely on NOAA’s data to do their jobs. Much of that data would be extremely expensive if not impossible to replicate.

    Under normal circumstances, weather balloons are released from around 900 locations around the world at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time every day. While the loss of just 12 of these profiles may not seem significant, small amounts of missing data can lead to big forecast errors. This is an example of chaos theory, more popularly known as the butterfly effect.

    The balloons carry a small instrument called a radiosonde, which records data as it rises from the surface of the Earth to around 120,000 feet above ground. The radiosonde acts like an all-in-one weather station, beaming back details of the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and air pressure every 15 feet through its flight.

    Together, all these measurements help meteorologists interpret the atmosphere overhead and feed into computer models used to help forecast weather around the country, including hurricanes.

    Hurricane Hunters

    For more than 80 years, scientists have been flying planes into hurricanes to measure each storm’s strength and help forecast its path and potential for damage.

    Known as “Hurricane Hunters,” these crews from the U.S. Air Force Reserve and NOAA routinely conduct reconnaissance missions throughout hurricane season using a variety of instruments. Similar to weather balloons, these flights are making measurements that satellites can’t.

    Hurricane Hunters use Doppler radar to gauge how the wind is blowing and LiDAR to measure temperature and humidity changes. They drop probes to measure the ocean temperature down several hundred feet to tell how much warm water might be there to fuel the storm.

    They also release 20 to 30 dropsondes, measuring devices with parachutes. As the dropsondes fall through the storm, they transmit data about the temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction and air pressure every 15 feet or so from the plane to the ocean.

    Dropsondes from Hurricane Hunter flights are the only way to directly measure what is occurring inside the storm. Although satellites and radars can see inside hurricanes, these are indirect measurements that do not have the fine-scale resolution of dropsonde data.

    That data tells National Hurricane Center forecasters how intense the storm is and whether the atmosphere around the storm is favorable for strengthening. Dropsonde data also helps computer models forecast the track and intensity of storms days into the future.

    Two NOAA Hurricane Hunter flight directors were laid off in February 2025, leaving only six when 10 are preferred. Directors are the flight meteorologists aboard each flight who oversee operations and ensure the planes stay away from the most dangerous conditions.

    Having fewer directors limits the number of flights that can be sent out during busy times when Hurricane Hunters are monitoring multiple storms. And that would limit the accurate data the National Hurricane Center would have for forecasting storms.

    Eyes in the sky

    Weather satellites that monitor tropical storms from space provide continuous views of each storm’s track and intensity changes. The equipment on these satellites and software used to analyze it make increasingly accurate hurricane forecasts possible. Much of that equipment is developed by federally funded researchers.

    For example, the Cooperative Institutes in Wisconsin and Colorado have developed software and methods that help meteorologists better understand the current state of tropical cyclones and forecast future intensity when aircraft reconnaissance isn’t immediately available.

    Forecasting rapid intensification is one of the great challenges for hurricane scientists. It’s the dangerous shift when a tropical cyclone’s wind speeds jump by at least 35 mph (56 kilometers per hour) in 24 hours.

    For example, in 2018, Hurricane Michael’s rapid intensification caught the Florida Panhandle by surprise. The Category 5 storm caused billions of dollars in damage across the region, including at Tyndall Air Force Base, where several F-22 Stealth Fighters were still in hangars.

    NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite shows Hurricanes Irma, left, and Jose in the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 7, 2017.
    NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), CC BY

    Under the federal budget proposal details released so far, including a draft of agencies’ budget plans marked up by Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, known as the passback, there is no funding for Cooperative Institutes. There is also no funding for aircraft recapitalization. A 2022 NOAA plan sought to purchase up to six new aircraft that would be used by Hurricane Hunters.

    The passback budget also cut funding for some technology from future satellites, including lightning mappers that are used in hurricane intensity forecasting and to warn airplanes of risks.

    It only takes one

    Tropical storms and hurricanes can have devastating effects, as Hurricanes Helene and Milton reminded the country in 2024. These storms, while well forecast, resulted in billions of dollars of damage and hundreds of fatalities.

    The U.S. has been facing more intense storms, and the coastal population and value of property in harm’s way are growing. As five former directors of the National Weather Service wrote in an open letter, cutting funding and staff from NOAA’s work that is improving forecasting and warnings ultimately threatens to leave more lives at risk.

    Chris Vagasky is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association.

    – ref. Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA funding cuts could change that, with a busy storm season coming – https://theconversation.com/hurricane-forecasts-are-more-accurate-than-ever-noaa-funding-cuts-could-change-that-with-a-busy-storm-season-coming-255369

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How was the Earth built?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alexander E. Gates, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Rutgers University – Newark

    The Earth formed in a ring of debris around the Sun, like the one around Vega, a bright star, in this artist’s conception. NASA/JPL-Caltech

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    How was the Earth built? – Noah, age 5, Florida

    It isn’t easy to figure out how the Earth was built, because it happened 4½ billion years ago, and no one was there to watch. So scientists have had to look at what the Earth looks like now and at all of the other planets, moons and debris in the solar system.

    They’ve concluded that the Earth was built in the same way that you would build a big snowball to make a snowman. The mass that would become our home rolled through planetary debris – rocks floating in space – for more than 100 million years, adding more and more material, until it grew into a full-size planet.

    How do scientists like me know this is what happened? First, studies of the size, composition and location of asteroids and comets, many of which are as old as the Earth, indicate that 4½ billion years ago the solar system looked the way Saturn looks today, with rings of space rocks orbiting around the Sun. There’s still one such ring around the Sun – it’s called the asteroid belt and lies between Mars and Jupiter, with the Sun’s gravity holding the rocks in orbit.

    The solar system that includes Earth formed from a spinning disk of dust and gases.

    All of the other bodies that we know as planets today began as similar rings of space debris. An eddy, or area of rolling, developed in each of these rings and caused the debris to clump up in a snowball effect. But these pieces of debris were asteroids that smashed violently into the growing planets.

    We can see those impacts on planets and moons whose surfaces haven’t weathered or reformed. If you look at the Moon or the planet Mercury, you can see that they are covered with craters from asteroid impacts.

    When asteroids or comets struck these building planets, they crashed into their surfaces at speeds as high as 40,000 to 50,000 miles per hour (65,000 to 80,000 kilometers per hour). The impacts caused huge explosions that emitted massive amounts of dust and broken or melted rock.

    In fact, scientists believe that the Moon was once part of the Earth, until a large asteroid crashed into the Earth so hard that the Moon broke away and shot into space. There, it began orbiting the Earth as it does now.

    Still under construction

    Most big asteroids and comets collided with the Earth when it was young, about 4½ billion years ago. The number of such collisions has steadily decreased ever since. However, at least 100 tons of dust-size space rock rains down on the Earth every day, increasing the size of our planet bit by bit.

    The Earth also collides with space rocks, called meteors, that show up as shooting stars in the night sky. Some of these meteors come from an impact that struck Mars at some point, breaking away rock from the planet surface and shooting it into outer space. These rocks have been falling to Earth ever since.

    What’s the difference between an asteroid and a comet? Asteroids are large space rocks, while comets are large, dirty ice balls. Meteors are smaller − typically the size of pebbles or even dust.

    About 65 million years ago, a huge asteroid struck the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico. The enormous Chicxulub explosion drove large tsunamis throughout the ocean and raised so much dust into the air that it made the dinosaurs go extinct.

    Another large asteroid impact, about 35 million years ago, made a huge crater in the area that is now the Chesapeake Bay, near Washington, D.C. More recently, in 1908, an asteroid likely exploded over Tunguska, Russia, flattening 830 square miles (2,150 square kilometers) of trees. Fortunately, no one lived in the area, so there were no known casualties.

    Barringer Crater in Arizona was caused by a meteor strike about 50,000 years ago. It measures about 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) across.
    D. Roddy, USGS/Wikipedia

    Once a mass of space debris was assembled into the Earth, many processes continued to shape the planet’s surface. Wind, water, heat and cold cause rocks to weather and break down and soil to erode. Mountains are created as pieces of Earth’s crust collide and crack. Rivers and glaciers wear down the planet’s surface to make it smoother.

    The Earth is a dynamic planet that is constantly being built, and these processes will continue for billions of years into the future.

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

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

    – ref. How was the Earth built? – https://theconversation.com/how-was-the-earth-built-254257

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Delegation of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University visited the Open Education Center of SPbPU

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Representatives of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University once again visited Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and its Open Education Center. The guests learned how the Open Polytechnic Distance Learning System (DLS) works, how educational video programs are created, and much more.

    The KRSU delegation included: Head of the Department of Artistic Design of Products Maksat Maksutova, Associate Professor of the Department of Fundamentals of Architectural Design and Fine Arts Zarina Muksinova, Associate Professor of the Department of Information and Computing Technologies Irina Khmeleva, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Physics and Microelectronics Andrey Malkin and Senior Lecturer of the Department of Architectural Environment Design Yulia Rudenko.

    Director of the SPbPU Open Education Center Svetlana Kalmykova introduced the guests to the possibilities of using online courses in the main educational process. Educational and methodological specialists Larisa Kovtunovich and Margarita Sergeeva spoke about the organization of the distance learning system. The delegation was particularly interested in the selection of tools and resources of the Open Polytech LMS for the existing educational materials, as well as the possibilities of assessing and building individual student learning trajectories.

    Timur Khludeev, Head of the Electronic Resource Development Department at the Open Education Center, shared with his colleagues from KRSU the basics of video production for educational activities. They discussed what an educational video is, how it differs from other formats, and studied trends in this area. They discussed the technical nuances of building video studios for recording educational content. In addition, the guests tried themselves as authors and independently recorded several video lectures in the Open Education Center studio and in a self-recording studio.

    An online advanced training course “Tools for Content Development and Organization of Electronic Learning Service” was also opened for KRSU employees, with almost 150 participants.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Forests Are Our Lungs, Forests Regulate Climate, Buffer Disasters, and Support the Marginalised, Says VP

    Source: Government of India

    Forests Are Our Lungs, Forests Regulate Climate, Buffer Disasters, and Support the Marginalised, Says VP

    The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, today said,“Forests are extremely important. Forests are our lungs. If a country’s forests are in good shape, its people will enjoy good health—because forests are the lungs. Agriculture is our lifeline. But we need forests as they regulate climate, they buffer disasters, and they support livelihoods—especially for the poor and marginalized.”

    Interacting with faculty members and students of the College of Forestry, Sirsi, during a special programme on the “Role of Forestry in Nation Building”, today, Shri Dhnakhar emphasised that,“We must pledge to protect our forests and contribute in every way possible, because climate change is a global challenge—a global menace. The situation is alarmingly cliff hanging, and we have no other planet to live on apart from Mother Earth,” he warned.

    Highlighting India’s civilisational wisdom, the Vice-President said, “This land is a confluence of spirituality and sustainability. Sustainability is not just vital for the economy—it is vital for healthy living. Our Vedic culture has preached sustainability for thousands of years. And today, there is no alternative to sustainable development. We cannot engage in reckless exploitation of natural resources. We must restrict ourselves to what is minimally required. We all need to be aware of this.”

    Calling for deeper ecological consciousness, he remarked, “We must develop a sense of self-realisation—that Mother Earth, this environment, the forests, the ecosystems, the flora and fauna—we are their trustees, not consumers. We are duty-bound to pass this on to future generations.”

    “Environment is that aspect of life which touches every living being on Earth. When the environment is challenged, the challenge is not just to humanity—it affects everything that exists on this planet. Today, we face a critical test: to protect and preserve the environment, and to find ways to overcome the grave crisis that is unfolding,” he observed.

    Stressing the role of education in building a sustainable future, the Vice-President said, “Today, no institution can function as a standalone entity. There was a time when medical education, engineering education, management education, environmental education, and forest education all existed in silos. But now, everything has become interdisciplinary. And therefore, we must adopt an inclusive approach to learning.”

    Encouraging young minds, Shri Dhankhar said, “Be inquisitive—have yearning and desire for new knowledge. The academic pursuit you are engaged in holds immense possibilities—far beyond imagination. In our cultural heritage, wherever you look, you will find a treasure trove. The more you study, the more you will be able to serve creation. The very subject you are pursuing today holds the key to remedies and production. You can truly become an effective crucible of research, especially when it comes to forest produce.”

    Applauding the natural setting of the institution, the Vice-President noted, “Sirsi, nestled in the lap of the majestic Western Ghats—is one of the richest biodiversity regions not just in Bharat, but in the entire world. Such an environment transforms the very concept of a classroom. Here, the classroom doesn’t end at four walls; it extends beyond them. This is an open classroom, breathing and brimming with life. The College of Forestry is, fortunately and uniquely, surrounded by nature—in its most pristine form. The view here is truly extraordinary; the atmosphere fills one with joy and celebration.”

    Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Governor of Karnataka, Shri Basavaraj S. Horatti, Speaker of Legislative Council, Govt. of Karnataka, Shri Mankal S. Vaidya, District-in-Charge Minister (Uttara Kannada), Shri Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Member of Parliament, Dr. P.L.Patil, Vice Chancellor of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

    ****

    JK/RC/SM

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: a budding Trump-Albanese bromance?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    It took an election win, but Anthony Albanese on Monday finally received that much-awaited phone call from US President Donald Trump.

    The conversation was “warm and positive,” the prime minister told a news conference, thanking the president for “reaching out”.

    “I won’t go into all of the personal comments that he made, but he was very generous in his personal warmth and praise towards myself. He was fully aware of the [election] outcome and he expressed the desire to continue to work with me in the future.”

    While they talked about tariffs (as well as AUKUS), the detailed engagement on that sensitive matter was left for later.

    Trump, as they say, loves a winner.

    When asked earlier in Washington about the Australian election, Trump said he was “very friendly” with Albanese.

    “I don’t know anything about the election other than the man that won, he’s very good, he’s a friend of mine,” the president said. Albanese had been “very, very nice to me, very respectful to me.

    “I have no idea who the other person is that ran against him.” There’s more than a touch of irony in this, given all the effort by the government and his other opponents to paint Peter Dutton as “Trump-lite”.

    The prime minister is likely to meet Trump soon, perhaps in June. Albanese has been invited to the G7 meeting in Canada. Trump may or may not be there but a meeting could be arranged around this.

    On the tariff front, the government is readying to defend the local film industry, after Trump announced a 100% tariff on all movies going into the United States.

    Arts Minister Tony Burke said: “Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry.”

    Indonesia to be Albanese’s first foreign visit of new term

    Albanese announced his first overseas visit would be to Indonesia. This will be a particularly important visit, given the significance of the bilateral relationship and the recent Russian request (which Indonesia rejected) to base planes in Papua.

    Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto congratulated Albanese on his win in a call on Sunday.

    In the call, Albanese asked the president to host his first overseas visit, and the president said it would be “a great honour” to do so.

    Meanwhile, in the next few days Labor’s factions will be jostling over the spoils of victory. The factions work out broadly the membership of the frontbench, but Albanese, given he has massive authority with the huge win, will be able to impose his will in this process where he wants to do so. The prime minister allocates the portfolios.

    Although there will be changes, Labor sources are expecting substantial continuity between the old and new ministries, especially at the higher level.

    Albanese has previously confirmed top cabinet members, notably Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Defence Minister Marles, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Trade Minister Don Farrell, will remain in their present ministries.

    Most interest is in whether Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is moved. Albanese would not say, when asked during the campaign, whether she would remain in environment although he confirmed she would stay in cabinet. Albanese and Plibersek have had a poor relationship over decades. She had expected to become education minister after the last election and was shocked to be given the environment portfolio/

    Albanese told his news conference “I want Labor to be the natural party of government”.

    Knife out for Angus Taylor

    What goes around comes around. Outgoing NSW Liberal senator Hollie Hughes, who blamed shadow treasurer
    Angus Taylor for her loss of preselection because he endorsed the candidate who beat her, has unleashed on Taylor’s leadership aspirations.

    Hughes told the ABC on Monday she would not support Taylor to be the next leader.

    She said the opposition’s economic narrative “was just completely non-existent. I’m not quite sure what [Taylor has] been doing for three years.

    “There was no tax plan, I think the economic team has significantly let down the parliamentary team, it’s let down our membership, it’s let down our supporters and it’s let down people in Australia broadly – the fact they had nothing to sell, nothing to say, and clearly had not done the work that was required.”

    She said deputy leader Sussan Ley had done “a fantastic job over the past three years and I’m hopeful that she will definitely still be part of our leadership.”

    Four names are in the mix for the successor to Peter Dutton, who lost his seat of Dickson in Saturday’s rout. They are Taylor, Ley, immigration spokesman Dan Tehan and defence spokesman Andrew Hastie. None has yet declared their candidature.

    Hastie told The West Australian at the weekend, “I certainly want to be able to drive change within the party itself and what that looks like will be up to my colleagues to determine”.

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

    – ref. View from The Hill: a budding Trump-Albanese bromance? – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-a-budding-trump-albanese-bromance-255619

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In its soul-searching, Australia’s rightist coalition should examine its relationship with the media

    ANALYSIS: By Matthew Ricketson, Deakin University and Andrew Dodd, The University of Melbourne

    Among the many lessons to be learnt by Australia’s defeated Liberal-National coalition parties from the election is that they should stop getting into bed with News Corporation.

    Why would a political party outsource its policy platform and strategy to people with plenty of opinions, but no experience in actually running a government?

    The result of the federal election suggests that unlike the coalition, many Australians are ignoring the opinions of News Corp Australia’s leading journalists such as Andrew Bolt and Sharri Markson.

    Last Thursday, in her eponymous programme on Sky News Australia, Markson said:

    For the first time in my journalistic career I’m going to also offer a pre-election editorial, endorsing one side of politics […] A Dutton prime ministership would give our great nation the fresh start we deserve.

    After a vote count that sees the Labor government returned with an increased majority, Bolt wrote a piece for the Herald Sun admonishing voters:

    No, the voters aren’t always right. This time they were wrong, and this gutless and incoherent Coalition should be ashamed. Australians just voted for three more years of a Labor government that’s left this country poorer, weaker, more divided and deeper in debt, and which won only by telling astonishing lies.

    That’s staggering. If that’s what voters really like, then this country is going to get more of it, good and hard.

    The Australian and most of News’ tabloid newspapers endorsed the coalition in their election eve editorials.

    Repudiation of minor culture war
    The election result was a repudiation of the minor culture war Peter Dutton reprised during the campaign when he advised voters to steer clear of the ABC and “other hate media”. It may have felt good alluding to “leftie-woke” tropes about the ABC, but it was a tactical error.

    The message probably resonated only with rusted-on hardline coalition voters and supporters of right-wing minor parties.

    But they were either voting for the coalition, or sending them their preferences, anyway. Instead, attacking the ABC sent a signal to the people the coalition desperately needed to keep onside — the moderates who already felt disappointed by the coalition’s drift to the right and who were considering voting Teal or for another independent.

    Attacking just about the most trusted media outlet in the country simply gave those voters another reason to believe the coalition no longer represented their values.

    Reporting from the campaign bus is often derided as shallow form of election coverage. Reporters tend to be captive to a party’s agenda and don’t get to look much beyond a leader’s message.

    But there was real value in covering Dutton’s daily stunts and doorstops, often in the outer suburbs that his electoral strategy relied on winning over.

    What was revealed by having journalists on the bus was the paucity of policy substance. Details about housing affordability and petrol pricing — which voters desperately wanted to hear — were little more than sound bites.

    Steered clear of nuclear sites
    This was obvious by Dutton’s second visit to a petrol station, and yet there were another 15 to come. The fact that the campaign bus steered clear of the sites for proposed nuclear plants was also telling.

    The grind of daily coverage helped expose the lateness of policy releases, the paucity of detail and the lack of preparation for the campaign, let alone for government.

    On ABC TV’s Insiders, the Nine Newspapers’ political editor, David Crowe, wondered whether the media has been too soft on Dutton, rather than too hard as some coalition supporters might assume.

    He reckoned that if the media had asked more difficult questions months ago, Dutton might have been stress-tested and better prepared before the campaign began.

    Instead, the coalition went into the election believing it would be enough to attack Labor without presenting a fully considered alternative vision. Similarly, it would suffice to appear on friendly media outlets such as News Corp, and avoid more searching questions from the Canberra press gallery or on the ABC.

    Reporters and commentators across the media did a reasonable job of exposing this and holding the opposition to account. The scrutiny also exposed its increasingly desperate tactics late in the campaign, such as turning on Welcome to Country ceremonies.

    If many Australians appear more interested in what their prospective political leaders have to say about housing policy or climate change than the endless culture wars being waged by the coalition, that message did not appear to have been heard by Peta Credlin.

    The Sky News Australia presenter and former chief-of-staff to prime minister Tony Abbott said during Saturday night’s election coverage “I’d argue we didn’t do enough of a culture war”.

    Dr Matthew Ricketson is professor of communication, Deakin University and Andrew Dodd  is professor of journalism and director of the Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: BW Energy: Makes FID on Maromba field development in Brazil  

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BW Energy makes FID on Maromba field development in Brazil  

    BW Energy is pleased to announce the final investment decision (FID) for the Maromba development offshore Brazil based on a capex-efficient development with an integrated drilling and wellhead platform (WHP) and a refurbished FPSO. The development targets 500 million barrels of oil in place in the highly delineated and tested Maastrichtian sands. First oil is planned by end-2027 with expected plateau production of 60,000 barrels of oil per day. The development will more than double BW Energy’s total net production by 2028 and has short pay-back time.    

    Project highlights: 

    • Initial six production wells from the WHP 
    • The WHP will be a converted drilling jack-up with up to 16 well slots and production- and test-flowlines connected to the redeployed FPSO BW Maromba (ex. Polvo) 
    • A second six-well drilling campaign will fully leverage the established field infrastructure and allow for appraisal and testing of other reservoir horizons  
    • BW Maromba refurbishment and life extension work is already underway at the COSCO yard in China 
    • Total investments of USD ~1.5 billion, split USD ~1.2 billion for the initial development and a further USD ~0.3 billion for the secondary drilling campaign 

    “We have spent time on optimising the Maromba development plan and concluded on a highly competitive concept with a repurposed jack-up platform and FPSO, repeating the approach we very successfully applied in Gabon. Maromba will enable BW Energy to deliver industry-leading organic production growth and position the Company for further low-cost developments of known potential developments. We expect to unlock significant shareholder value in all realistic oil price scenarios,” said Carl K. Arnet, the CEO of BW Energy. 

    Capex-efficient development concept  

    The development comprises six initial Maastrichtian horizontal production wells with dry-trees and artificial lift by downhole Electric Submersible Pumps (ESPs). Production will be transferred from the WHP to the spread moored FPSO Maromba for treatment, storage and offloading to shuttle tankers. The WHP will be installed in ~150 meters of water depth with full drilling facilities. Once installed, the infrastructure will also enable the planned secondary six-well drilling campaign and provide potential for future development phases with low-cost infill wells, potential water injectors as well as allowing appraisal and production of multiple proven reservoirs outside the main Maastrichtian resources.    

    The FPSO Maromba is currently at the COSCO yard in China, undergoing initial refurbishment and life extension work following completion of condition assessment and FEED.  The FPSO is designed with 1 million barrels of storage capacity. The total liquid capacity will be 100,000 barrels per day with oil production capacity of 65,000 barrels per day and water treatment capacity of 85,000 barrels per day.  

    BW Energy has agreed to acquire a jack-up with complete leg extensions for USD 107.5 million. The rig will undergo a limited conversion to serve as an integrated drilling and wellhead platform prior to installation on the field.

    “The repurposing of existing energy infrastructure enables reduced investments and shorter time to first oil with significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the development phase, as compared to installing new production assets,” said Carl K. Arnet, the CEO of BW Energy. 

    Attractive field economics  

    BW Energy expects to invest approximately USD 1 billion before first oil and a further USD 200 million to complete the initial drilling campaign before end 2028. This will be followed by USD 300 million for the additional six wells in the second campaign with completion before end 2030.  

    BW Energy anticipates Maromba to achieve a competitive production cost, averaging less than USD 10 per barrel over the first five years, underpinning robust project economics. 

    Estimated project IRR exceeds 30% at oil at USD 60 per barrel Brent and break-even at 10% IRR is around USD 40 per barrel Brent. The heavy oil from the Maromba is expected to trade at a discount to Brent of approximately USD 7.5 per barrel.  

    The development will be financed through existing cash and undrawn facilities, cashflow from operations, and separate infrastructure financing solutions related to the FPSO and WHP. The Company is also evaluating a range of financing alternatives, including a corporate facility, reserve-based lending, trader financing and the potential issuance of bonds.  

    BW Energy has also received a commitment by the main shareholder BW Group for a USD 250 million shareholder loan facility.   

    The Maromba field 

    Maromba is located 100 km off the Brazilian coast in the Campos Basin. Nine wells were drilled in the license between 1980 and 2006, with oil found in eight of these across various reservoirs. The development project targets 123 million barrels of 2P reserves (management estimates), with potential additional resources from other reservoirs to be appraised along the development. BW Energy acquired 100% ownership in Maromba in 2019 for a total of USD 115 million, of which USD 85 million remains to be paid to the sellers at predefined milestones. Magma Oil holds a 5% back-in right in the Maromba licence which is expected to be executed upon first oil.  

    BW Energy is following all the steps of the approval process with the Brazilian O&G Regulator (ANP) and with the Environmental Agency (IBAMA). The Company will now proceed with contracting of long-lead items and services, as well as finalising the financing agreements.   

    More information on the Maromba development will be shared in connection with the first quarter 2025 earnings presentation held at Teatersalen, Hotel Continental in Oslo, Norway, 09:30 CEST on 5 May.  

    The presentation can also be followed via webcast on: 

    VIEWER REGISTRATION • Q1 2025  
    https://events.webcast.no/viewer-registration/9LwLZF1X/register   

    For further information, please contact: 

    Brice Morlot, CFO BW Energy

    +33.7.81.11.41.16
    ir@bwenergy.com  

    About BW Energy  

    BW Energy is a growth E&P company with a differentiated strategy targeting proven offshore oil and gas reservoirs through low risk phased developments. The Company has access to existing production facilities to reduce time to first oil and cashflow with lower investments than traditional offshore developments. The Company’s assets are 73.5% of the producing Dussafu Marine licence offshore Gabon, 100% interest in the Golfinho and Camarupim fields, a 76.5% interest in the BM-ES-23 block, a 95% interest in the Maromba field in Brazil, a 95% interest in the Kudu field in Namibia, all operated by BW Energy. In addition, BW Energy holds approximately 6.6% of the common shares in Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. and a 20% non-operating interest in the onshore Petroleum Exploration License 73 (“PEL 73”) in Namibia. Total net 2P+2C reserves and resources were 599 million barrels of oil equivalent at the start of 2025. 

    This information is considered inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange release was published by Regine Andersen, 05 May 2025.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: China unveils draft of its first-ever environmental code

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

    China is poised for a significant enhancement in its green efforts as a draft of the country’s first-ever environmental code was unveiled on Sunday.

    The draft, submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) for a first reading, comprises 1,188 articles in five chapters including the general provisions, pollution prevention and control, ecological protection, green and low-carbon development, legal liability and supplementary provisions.

    Once adopted, it will become China’s second formal statutory code, after the Civil Code, which was adopted in 2020. The compilation of the environmental code was initiated in 2023.

    An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 5, 2024 shows a view of Yuehu Park and city skyline of Ningbo City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

    China formulated its first environmental protection law in 1979. Ever since, the country has rapidly advanced its legislation on environmental protection. Today, China boasts over 30 laws, more than 100 administrative regulations and numerous other legal documents in this field, forming a relatively comprehensive legal framework.

    The compilation of the code facilitates the systematic integration of legislation, fills gaps in the legal framework, elevates the status and authority of eco-environmental laws, and makes their enforcement and compliance more convenient, said Wang Canfa, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law.

    China has long been a champion of green development. After decades of sustained efforts, the country has emerged as a global leader in improving air quality and expanding forest resources.

    An aerial drone photo taken on May 14, 2023 shows people walking at the Changxing forest farm in Dongxing Town of Rongxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

    In 2024, China saw significant improvements in its air quality. The average concentration of PM2.5 in cities at or above the prefecture level was 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, a year-on-year decrease of 2.7 percent. The country is also home to the world’s largest total human-made forest area. In 2024 alone, China planted 4.45 million hectares of trees and improved 3.22 million hectares of grassland.

    However, the country’s drive to strengthen ecological conservation remains at a critical stage, facing considerable challenges, and the mission to build a Beautiful China and advance modernization in harmony with nature still requires significant and sustained efforts, Shen Chunyao, director of the NPC Standing Committee’s Legislative Affairs Commission, said on Sunday during an ongoing session of the top legislature when explaining the necessity of the draft code to lawmakers.

    During the session, scheduled from April 27 to 30, the lawmakers will review the draft environmental code, and other legislative bills.

    The draft outlines China’s overall requirements for green and low-carbon development. It establishes principles and guiding provisions on issues related to climate change and carbon peaking and neutrality goals, giving full consideration to both international and domestic situations and the need for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

    China will also engage in international cooperation on climate change, participate in, contribute to, and lead global climate governance efforts, according to the draft.

    An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 1, 2024 shows the scenery of Mount Chomolhari in Yadong County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

    “Addressing climate change is a global challenge,” said Zhang Zhongmin, a professor at the law school of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. He added that the draft balances both international and domestic efforts, emphasizes mitigation and adaptation, and includes provisions for international cooperation, which will help enhance its international influence.

    The draft also includes provisions for preventing and controlling pollution in various fields, specifically addressing air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, as well as issues related to solid waste, noise, radioactive pollution sources, chemical substances, electromagnetic radiation, and light pollution.

    The ecological protection chapter of the draft emphasizes the importance of safeguarding ecosystems, specifying that the country will enhance conservation efforts for forests, grasslands, wetlands, seas and marine islands, rivers, lakes, deserts, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and croplands. It also calls for the advancement of major projects focused on protecting and restoring key ecosystems.

    An aerial drone photo taken on July 6, 2024 shows short-finned pilot whales swimming in the waters east of Hainan Island, south China. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

    “The promulgation and implementation of the code will promote the integrated protection of air, water, soil, and biodiversity, as well as the coordinated management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts,” Wang said.

    China’s environmental law codification seeks to strike a balance between economic and social development and environmental protection, in contrast to some countries that focus primarily on either environmental preservation or economic gains, Wang said.

    Speaking to the media, Lyu Zhongmei, vice chairperson of the NPC Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee, said that China’s environmental code should be rooted in the country’s national conditions, while also drawing on best practices and learning from the experiences of the codification efforts of other nations.

    “Having a separate chapter on green and low-carbon development is something that has never been done in other countries, and it is a significant feature of China’s ecological environmental code,” said Lyu. “This highlights the important value of our efforts in compiling this code, which is to implement the new development philosophy.”

    Highlighting the code’s global significance, Lyu said that, based on the fundamental concept of sustainable development, the code will become a landmark achievement in global ecological progress, offering a legislative model for other countries to follow and leading the way in the development of ecological law worldwide. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: ‘Green-collar’ workers on the rise amid China’s green development quest

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

    On Changxing Island in east China’s Shanghai, a fisheries company operates bustling cold storage facilities to keep seafood fresh, while a nearby energy storage power station plays a crucial role in managing electricity costs.

    This energy storage system stores electricity during off-peak hours when rates are lower, and discharges during peak hours when prices rise, thereby helping the fisheries company reduce energy expenses.

    Wu Xiaochun patrols the power station to ensure the facilities run safely and efficiently. His role, energy storage power station maintenance administrator, is one of 19 new professions added to China’s list of officially recognized occupations in July 2024. Playfully, he refers to himself as a “green-collar” worker.

    As China pushes forward with its green transition, a wave of low-carbon industries has emerged, driving a surge in demand for “green-collar” workers.

    To date, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has officially recognized 137 green professions. Notably, by the end of 2024, the number of practitioners in the ecological and environmental protection sector in China had exceeded 3.4 million.

    Many graduates are now choosing careers in green industries, such as environmental engineers, environmental, social and governance (ESG) consultants, renewable energy engineers, and environmental policy analysts, according to Yu Aitao from the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

    “Students are drawn to these professions out of personal interests as well as by promising development potential supported by the country’s favorable policies,” Yu said.

    After graduation, Qin Jiawei, a young professional in his twenties, took up a position as a carbon capture technician at a power station on Changxing Island.

    In 2023, the station launched a 100,000-tonne carbon capture, utilization and storage project, aiming to capture the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by the plant and supply it to local marine equipment manufacturers.

    Qin is among 22 professionals, with an average age of 25, employed by the station to support the project’s operation. “As we plan to expand the project, the demand for skilled workers will continue to grow,” said Shen Hao, general manager of the power station.

    To meet the growing need for a green workforce, many colleges and universities have ramped up efforts to cultivate suitable professionals. Xu Juan, vice dean of the School of Ecological and Environmental Science at East China Normal University, said green talent is increasingly equipped with interdisciplinary skills — spanning fields including science and engineering, finance and management.

    In a laboratory at the College of Civil Engineering of Tongji University, professor Zhang Fengshou leads a team researching the potential of CO2 sequestration using basalt from the sea.

    “Civil engineering is not just about building roads and houses as it is generally perceived. We can also cultivate students with expertise in the low-carbon sector,” Zhang said.

    To better nurture green talent, Xu highlighted the need to establish academic programs focused on green and low-carbon development, such as carbon neutrality and green finance, as well as offering dual-degree programs and interdisciplinary courses to enhance students’ comprehensive abilities.

    Industry insiders have also pointed out that, compared with traditional occupations, emerging green professions still need improved occupational standards and certification systems.

    “The establishment of new green jobs is just the beginning,” said Lei Ting from State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company, calling for joint efforts by government and enterprises to regulate such practitioners’ qualifications, guide vocational training, and boost employment and entrepreneurship.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stowaway weka hitches a ride across the Southern Alps

    Source: Department of Conservation

    Date:  05 May 2025

    DOC says the incident is a reminder for people to check their gear for wildlife before setting off, to prevent spreading them into new places where they could impact the local ecosystem.

    Kim Ranger and her partner Ian were parked at Berlins campsite in the Buller Gorge on the West Coast over Easter weekend. As they packed up their camping gear and put it in their two vehicles, the weka took advantage of an open door and climbed into their Ford Ranger ute hiding in dog blankets.

    Kim says Ian drove their ute the whole way home, including making a couple of stops, without realising the weka was a passenger in his vehicle.

    “He didn’t hear it, didn’t see it, nothing. He got home to Christchurch and hopped out and didn’t notice the weka,” Kim says.

    “When I got home, I opened the back door of the Ranger to get something there it was in the rear passenger footwell.

    “I couldn’t stop laughing and then I came the realisation, what on earth do you do with a weka in Christchurch?”

    Kim says they called the afterhours vets, the SPCA and DOC who all said to wait until the next morning. The couple gave the weka food and water and left it in the ute.

    “The weka didn’t show any signs of being distressed, when you opened the door he just stood on the centre console and pooped – though he did set off the car alarm at 7 in the morning. The inside of the ute was literally covered in weka poop.”

    Kim says they called the weka ‘Ranger’ given its temporary home and her last name.

    DOC staff picked up the weka took it to the South Island Wildlife Hospital for a thorough check over. It was in good health apart from being a little bit dehydrated, so it was given some fluids.

    DOC Biodiversity supervisor Craig Alexander says it’s a reminder to people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping or in the outdoors.

    “We were able to get it back over to the West Coast in a small carrier cage on a bus and it was released near the area it had hitched a ride from.

    “There are no wild weka in Christchurch so we wouldn’t want to see them accidentally introduced here. It’s a good reminder for people to be mindful about unintentionally transporting animals in their equipment.

    “In the last few months, we also had someone accidentally bring two wētā over from the West Coast in their wetsuits. They did the right thing by calling DOC and we were able to take them back over to the Coast for release.

    “Our native species are unique but, in many places, they’re doing it tough because of things like introduced predators and habitat loss. We don’t want to accidentally introduce new species – even native ones – into places they don’t belong as they could have unexpected impacts on our ecosystems. Every person, business and community has a role in protecting and restoring nature.

    “If you do find a native animal has snuck into some of your gear and hitched a ride somewhere it shouldn’t have, please contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) for advice on what to do next.”

    Kim Ranger also echoes that message and is keen for people to know who to call if they have a surprise hitchhiker like she and Ian did.

    In the meantime, she says it’s been a big job getting the ute clean.

    “It was such a funny end to our camping trip. I’m just glad Ranger is back where he belongs.”

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Blaze sparks wake-up call: Auckland Council urges industry vigilance on battery disposal

    Source: Auckland Council

    In the wake of a spate of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, including the most recent at Abilities’ North Shore recycling plant, Auckland Council supports the ruling by the Auckland District Court in the matter of Auckland Council v Sims Metal Industries Limited, following a significant fire at the Sims Metal scrap metal yard in Favona in July 2023.

    The incident, caused by the ignition of a lithium-ion battery within a large scrap metal stockpile released toxic smoke across parts of Auckland and highlighted a growing national and international issue surrounding battery disposal and fire risk.

    Judge Smith, in his decision, recognised the unique challenges posed by lithium-ion batteries, noting there is currently no available technology capable of reliably identifying or detecting them within scrap material.

    The judge described the situation as “a new and emerging issue,” which has led to fires not only in New Zealand but around the globe.

    While acknowledging Sims Metal’s cooperation and the absence of any intentional wrongdoing, Judge Smith imposed a fine of $30,000, reduced from an initial starting point of $50,000, to reflect an early guilty plea, meaningful cooperation, and the agreement to enforcement orders.

    Fire at the Sims Metal Scrapyard.

    The enforcement orders issued require Sims Metal to implement several improvements at the James Fletcher Drive, Favona site.

    These include the completion of a secondary access point to the site by May 2025, the development of a certified Fire Risk Management Plan and a Stockpile Management Plan. The orders are registered with the Environment Court and will remain in place unless superseded by conditions with a new resource consent.

    Judge Smith noted, “There has been considerable difficulty in finding a technical solution to the problems with batteries catching on fire.

    “This is not only a national problem but an international one; these orders form a workaround solution until more technical solutions, particularly for bulk disposal, are available.”

    Auckland Council’s Field Operations Manager for Compliance, David Pawson, emphasised the importance of remaining vigilant despite the novelty of the issue.

    “We recognise this is a new issue and we’re all finding our way with lithium-ion batteries and those handling them.

    “But businesses still need to take responsibility for their disposal – this is their business. While we’re all working on solutions, consent conditions still need to be met.”

    The council views this case as an important precedent in balancing empathy for emerging challenges with the necessity of regulatory compliance.

    It also highlights the importance of proactive risk management and industry-wide collaboration to adapt to evolving environmental risks.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump’s push on deep sea mining leaves Nauru’s commercial ambitions ‘out in cold’

    By Teuila Fuatai, RNZ Pacific senior journalist

    Nauru’s ambition to commercially mine the seabed is likely at risk following President Donald Trump’s executive order last month aimed at fast-tracking ocean mining, anti-deep sea mining advocates warn.

    The order also increases instability in the Pacific region because it effectively circumvents long-standing international sea laws and processes by providing an alternative path to mine the seabed, advocates say.

    Titled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, the order was signed by Trump on April 25. It directs the US science and environmental agency to expedite permits for companies to mine the ocean floor in US and international waters.

    It has been condemned by legal and environmental experts around the world, particularly after Canadian mining group The Metals Company announced last Tuesday it had applied to commercially mine in international waters through the US process.

    The Metals Company has so far been unsuccessful in gaining a commercial mining licence through the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

    Currently, the largest area in international waters being explored for commercial deep sea mining is the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, located in the central Pacific Ocean. The vast area sits between Hawai’i, Kiribati and Mexico, and spans 4.5 million sq km.

    The area is of high commercial interest because it has an abundance of polymetallic nodules that contain valuable metals like cobalt, nickel, manganese and copper, which are used to make products such as smartphones and electric batteries. The minerals are also used in weapons manufacturing.

    Benefits ‘for humankind as a whole’
    Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Clarion-Clipperton Zone falls under the jurisdiction of the ISA, which was established in 1994. That legislation states that any benefits from minerals extracted in its jurisdiction must be for “humankind as a whole”.

    Nauru — alongside Tonga, Kiribati and the Cook Islands — has interests in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone after being allocated blocks of the area through UNCLOS. They are known as sponsor states.

    In total, there are 19 sponsor states in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

    Nauru is leading the charge for deep sea mining in international waters. Image: RNZ Pacific/Caleb Fotheringham

    Nauru and The Metals Company
     Since 2011, Nauru has partnered with The Metals Company to explore and assess its block in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone for commercial mining activity.

    It has done this through an ISA exploration licence.

    At the same time, the ISA, which counts all Pacific nations among its 169-strong membership, has also been developing a commercial mining code. That process began in 2014 and is ongoing.

    The process has been criticised by The Metals Company as effectively blocking it and Nauru’s commercial mining interests.

    Both have sought to advance their respective interests in different ways.

    In 2021, Nauru took the unprecedented step of utilising a “two-year” notification period to initiate an exploitation licencing process under the ISA, even though a commercial seabed mining code was still being developed.

    An ISA commercial mining code, once finalised, is expected to provide the legal and technical regulations for exploitation of the seabed.

    In the absence of a code
    However, according to international law, in the absence of a code, should a plan for exploitation be submitted to the ISA, the body is required to provisionally accept it within two years of its submission.

    While Nauru ultimately delayed enforcing the two-year rule, it remains the only state to ever invoke it under the ISA. It has also stated that it is “comfortable with being a leader on these issues”.

    To date, the ISA has not issued a licence for exploitation of the seabed.

    Meanwhile, The Metals Company has emphasised the economic potential of deep sea mining and its readiness to begin commercial activities. It has also highlighted the potential value of minerals sitting on the seabed in Nauru’s block in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

    “[The block represents] 22 percent of The Metals Company’s estimated resource in the [Clarion-Clipperton Zone and] . . .  is ranked as having the largest underdeveloped nickel deposit in the world,” the company states on its website.

    Its announcement on Tuesday revealed it had filed three applications for mining activity in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone under the US pathway. One application is for a commercial mining permit. Two are for exploration permits.

    The announcement added further fuel to warnings from anti-deep sea mining advocates that The Metals Company is pivoting away from Nauru and arrangements under the ISA.

    Last year, the company stated it intended to submit a plan for commercial mining to the ISA on June 27 so it could begin exploitation operations by 2026.

    This date appears to have been usurped by developments under Trump, with the company saying on Tuesday that its US permit application “advances [the company’s] timeline ahead” of that date.

    The Trump factor
     Trump’s recent executive order is critical to this because it specifically directs relevant US government agencies to reactivate the country’s own deep sea mining licence process that had largely been unused over the past 40 years.

    President Donald Trump signs a proclamation in the Oval Office at the White House last month expanding fishing rights in the Pacific Islands to an area he described as three times the size of California. Image: RNZ screenshot APR

    That legislation, the Deep Sea Hard Mineral Resources Act, states the US can grant mining permits in international waters. It was implemented in 1980 as a temporary framework while the US worked towards ratifying the UNCLOS Treaty. Since then, only four exploration licences have been issued under the legislation.

    To date, the US is yet to ratify UNCLOS.

    At face value, the Deep Sea Hard Mineral Resources Act offers an alternative licensing route to commercial seabed activity in the high seas to the ISA. However, any cross-over between jurisdictions and authorities remains untested.

    Now, The Metals Company appears to be operating under both in the same area of international waters — the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

    Deep Sea Conservation Coalition’s Pacific regional coordinator Phil McCabe said it was unclear what would happen to Nauru.

    “This announcement really appears to put Nauru as a partner of the company out in the cold,” McCabe said.

    No Pacific benefit mechanism
    “If The Metals Company moves through the US process, it appears that there is no mechanism or no need for any benefit to go to the Pacific Island sponsoring states because they sponsor through the ISA, not the US,” he said.

    McCabe, who is based in Aotearoa New Zealand, highlighted extensive investment The Metals Company had poured into the Nauru block over more than 10 years.

    He said it was in the company’s financial interests to begin commercial mining as soon as possible.

    “If The Metals Company was going to submit an application through the US law, it would have to have a good measure of environmental data on the area that it wants to mine, and the only area that it has that data [for] is the Nauru block,” McCabe said.

    He also pointed out that the size of the Nauru block The Metals Company had worked on in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone was the same as a block it wanted to commercially mine through US legislation.

    Both are exactly 25,160 sq km, McCabe said.

    RNZ Pacific asked The Metals Company to clarify whether its US application applied to Nauru and Tonga’s blocks. The company said it would “be able to confirm details of the blocks in the coming weeks”.

    It also said it intended to retain its exploration contracts through the ISA that were sponsored by Nauru and Tonga, respectively.

    Cook Islands nodule field – photo taken within Cook Islands EEZ. Image: Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority

    Pacific Ocean a ‘new frontier’
     Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) associate Maureen Penjueli had similar observations to McCabe regarding the potential impacts of Trump’s executive order.

    Trump’s order, and The Metals Company ongoing insistence to commercially mine the ocean, was directly related to escalating geopolitical competition, she told RNZ Pacific.

    “There are a handful of minerals that are quite critical for all kinds of weapons development, from tankers to armour like nuclear weapons, submarines, aircraft,” she said.

    Currently, the supply and processing of minerals in that market, which includes iron, lithium, copper, cobalt and graphite, is dominated by China.

    Between 40 and 90 percent of the world’s rare earth minerals are processed by China, Penjueli said. The variation is due to differences between individual minerals.

    As a result, both Europe and the US are heavily dependent on China for these minerals, which according to Penjueli, has massive implications.

    “On land, you will see the US Department of Defense really trying to seek alternative [mineral] sources,” Penjueli said.

    “Now, it’s extended to minerals in the seabed, both within [a country’s exclusive economic zone], but also in areas beyond national jurisdictions, such as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, which is here in the Pacific. That is around the geopolitical [competition]  . . .  and the US versus China positioning.”

    Notably, Trump’s executive order on the US seabed mining licence process highlights the country’s reliance on overseas mineral supply, particularly regarding security and defence implications.

    He said the US wanted to advance its leadership in seabed mineral development by “strengthening partnerships with allies and industry to counter China’s growing influence over seabed mineral resources”.

    The Metals Company and the US
     She believed The Metals Company had become increasingly focused on security and defence needs.

    Initially, the company had framed commercial deep sea mining as essential for the world’s transition to green energies, she said. It had used that language when referring to its relationships with Pacific states like Nauru, Penjueli said.

    However, the company had also begun pitching US policy makers under the Biden administration over the need to acquire critical minerals from the seabed to meet US security and defence needs, she said.

    Since Trump’s re-election, it had also made a series of public announcements praising US government decisions that prioritised deep sea mining development for defence and security purposes.

    In a press release on Trump’s executive order, The Metals Company chief executive Gerard Barron said the company had enough knowledge to manage the environmental risks of deep sea mining.

    “Over the last decade, we’ve invested over half a billion dollars to understand and responsibly develop the nodule resource in our contract areas,” Barron said.

    “We built the world’s largest environmental dataset on the [Clarion-Clipperton Zone], carefully designed and tested an off-shore collection system that minimises the environmental impacts and followed every step required by the International Seabed Authority.

    “What we need is a regulator with a robust regulatory regime, and who is willing to give our application a fair hearing. That’s why we’ve formally initiated the process of applying for licenses and permits under the existing US seabed mining code,” Barron said.

    ISA influenced by opposition faction
    The Metals Company directed RNZ Pacific to a statement on its website in response to an interview request.

    The statement, signed by Barron, said the ISA was being influenced by a faction of states aligned with environmental NGOs that opposed the deep sea mining industry.

    Barron also disputed any contraventions of international law under the US regime, and said the country has had “a fully developed regulatory regime” for commercial seabed mining since 1989.

    “The ISA has neither the mining code nor the willingness to engage with their commercial contractors,” Barron said. “In full compliance with international law, we are committed to delivering benefits to our developing state partners.”

    President Trump’s executive order marks America’s return to “leadership in this exciting industry”, claims The Metals Company. Note the name “Gulf of America” on this map was introduced by President Trump in a controversial move, but the rest of the world regards it as the Gulf of Mexico, as recognised by officially recognised by the International Hydrographic Organisation. Image: Facebook/The Metals Company

    ‘It’s an America-first move’
    Despite Barron’s observations, Penjueli and McCabe believed The Metals Company and the US were side-stepping international law, placing Pacific nations at risk.

    McCabe said Pacific nations benefitted from UNCLOS, which gives rights over vast oceanic territories.

    “It’s an America-first move,” said McCabe who believes the actions of The Minerals Company and the US are also a contravention of international law.

    There are also significant concerns that Trump’s executive order has effectively triggered a race to mine the Pacific seabed for minerals that will be destined for military purposes like weapons systems manufacturing, Penjueli said.

    Unlike UNCLOS, the US deep sea mining legislation does not stipulate that minerals from international waters must be used for peaceful purposes.

    Deep Sea Conservation Coalition’s Duncan Currie believes this is another tricky legal point for Nauru and other sponsor states in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

    Potentially contravene international law
    For example, should Nauru enter a commercial mining arrangement with The Metals Company and the US under US mining legislation, any royalties that may eventuate could potentially contravene international law, Currie said.

    First, the process would be outside the ISA framework, he said.

    Second, UNCLOS states that any benefits from seabed mining in international waters must benefit all of “humankind”.

    Therefore, Currie said, royalties earned in a process that cannot be scrutinised by the ISA likely did not meet that stipulation.

    Third, he said, if the extracted minerals were used for military purposes — which was a focus of Trump’s executive order — then it likely violates the principle that the seabed should only be exploited for peaceful purposes.

    “There really are a host of very difficult legal issues that arise,” he added.

    The Metals Company says ISA is being influenced by a faction of states aligned with environmental NGOs that oppose the deep sea mining industry. Image: Facebook/The Metals Company/RNZ

    The road ahead
     Now more than ever, anti-deep sea mining advocates believe a moratorium on the practice is necessary.

    Penjueli, echoing Currie’s concerns, said there was too much uncertainty with two potential avenues to commercial mining.

    “The moratorium call is quite urgent at this point,” she said.

    “We simply don’t know what [these developments] mean right now. What are the implications if The Metals Company decides to dump its Pacific state sponsored partners? What does it mean for the legal tenements that they hold in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone?”

    In that instance, Nauru, which has spearheaded the push for commercial seabed mining alongside The Metals Company, may be particularly exposed.

    Currently, more than 30 countries have declared support for a moratorium on deep sea mining. Among them are Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, New Caledonia, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Tuvalu.

    On the other hand, Nauru, Kiribati, Tonga, and the Cook Islands all support deep sea mining.

    Australia has not explicitly called for a moratorium on the practice, but it has also refrained from supporting it.

    New Zealand supported a moratorium on deep sea mining under the previous Labour government. The current government is reportedly reconsidering this stance.

    RNZ Pacific contacted the Nauru government for comment but did not receive a response.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –