NewzIntel.com

Category: Environment

  • MIL-OSI USA: Prepare for Severe Weather Tuesday

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul cautioned New Yorkers in portions of Western and Central New York to prepare for severe weather that includes an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon. Storms with strong winds are predicted along with a possible, isolated tornado for parts of Western New York, Southern Tier, North Country, Finger Lakes into Central New York. Wind gusts could exceed 70 MPH in these locations at times. There is also a possibility for hail up to one inch in diameter within thunderstorms, especially for western parts of the state. Rainfall is expected to be less than a half inch in most areas, but some isolated areas could see up to an inch of rain. There is also a marginal to slight risk for severe thunderstorms for much of the North Country, as well as portions of the Mohawk Valley, Capital Region, and Hudson Valley. Governor Hochul urged New Yorkers to closely monitor the weather and take any precautions necessary to stay safe through the storms.

    “As storm season approaches and severe weather makes its way to Western and Central New York, I am directing state agencies to be prepared to assist New Yorkers impacted by these storms,” Governor Hochul said. “My highest priority is the safety of New Yorkers, and I implore all those in the path of inclement storms to monitor weather conditions and take necessary precautions to stay safe.”

    For a complete listing of weather watches, warnings, advisories, and latest forecasts, visit the National Weather Service website.

    Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
    The Division’s Office of Emergency Management is in contact with their local counterparts and is prepared to facilitate requests for assistance. State stockpiles are staffed and ready to deploy emergency response assets and supplies as needed. The State Watch Center is monitoring the storm track and statewide impacts closely.

    Department of Transportation
    The State Department of Transportation is monitoring weather conditions and prepared to respond with 3,730 supervisors and operators available statewide. All field staff are available to fully engage and respond.

    Statewide equipment numbers are as follows:

    • 1,528 large dump trucks
    • 334 large loaders
    • 91 chippers
    • 90 tracked and wheeled excavators
    • 33 water pumps
    • 31 traffic and tree crew bucket trucks
    • 29 traffic tower platforms
    • 16 vacuum trucks with sewer jets

    The need for additional resources will be re-evaluated as conditions warrant throughout the event. For real-time travel information, motorists should call 511 or visit 511ny.org, New York State’s official traffic and travel information source.

    Thruway Authority
    The Thruway Authority has 660 operators and supervisors prepared to respond to any wind or flood related issues across the state with small to medium sized excavators, plow/dump trucks, large loaders, portable VMS boards, portable light towers, smaller generators, smaller pumps and equipment hauling trailers, as well as signage and other traffic control devices available for any detours or closures. Variable Message Signs and social media are utilized to alert motorists of weather conditions on the Thruway.

    Statewide equipment numbers are as follows:

    • 354 Large and Small Dump Trucks
    • 66 Loaders
    • 31 Trailers
    • 6 Vac Trucks
    • 15 Excavators
    • 8 Brush Chippers
    • 99 Chainsaws
    • 20 Aerial Trucks
    • 26 Skid Steers
    • 86 Portable Generators
    • 67 Portable Light Units

    The Thruway Authority encourages motorists to download the mobile app, which is available to download for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides motorists direct access to live traffic cameras, real-time traffic information and navigation assistance while on the go. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert e-mails which provide the latest traffic conditions along the Thruway, follow @ThruwayTraffic on X, and visit thruway.ny.gov to see an interactive map showing traffic conditions for the Thruway and other New York State roadways.

    Department of Public Service
    New York’s utilities have approximately 5,500 workers available statewide to engage in damage assessment, response, repair and restoration efforts across New York State, as necessary. Agency staff will track utilities’ work throughout the event and ensure utilities shift appropriate staffing to regions that experience the greatest impact.

    New York State Police
    State Police instructed all Troopers to remain vigilant and will deploy extra patrols to affected areas as needed. All four-wheel drive vehicles are in service, and all specialty vehicles are staged and ready for deployment.

    Department of Environmental Conservation
    The Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Emergency Management staff, Environmental Conservation Police Officers, Forest Rangers, and regional staff remain on alert and continue to monitor weather forecasts. Working with partner agencies, DEC is prepared to coordinate resource deployment of all available assets, including first responders, to targeted areas in preparation for potential impacts due to heavy rainfall and flooding.

    DEC reminds local officials to watch for potential flooding in their communities. Municipalities are encouraged to undertake local assessments of flood-prone areas and to remove any accumulating debris. DEC permits and authorization are not required to remove debris unless stream banks or beds will be disturbed by debris removal and/or the use of heavy equipment. Municipalities and local governments are advised to contact DEC’s Regional Permit Administrators if assistance is required and to help determine if a permit is necessary.

    If a permit is necessary, DEC can issue Emergency Authorizations to expedite approval of projects in place of an individual permit. DEC approves Emergency Authorizations for situations that are deemed an emergency based on the immediate protection of life, health, general welfare, property, or natural resources.

    Unpredictable weather and storms in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and other backcountry areas can create unexpectedly hazardous conditions. Visitors should be prepared with proper clothing and equipment for rain, snow, ice, and colder temperatures to ensure a safe outdoor experience. Trails have mixed conditions of snow, ice, slush, and mud.

    Hikers are advised to temporarily avoid all high-elevation trails, as well as trails that cross rivers and streams. Hikers in the Adirondacks are encouraged to check the Adirondack Backcountry Information webpages for updates on trail conditions, seasonal road closures, and general recreation information.

    Backcountry visitors should Hike Smart and follow proper safety guidelines. Plan trips accordingly. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. To request Forest Ranger assistance, call 1-833-NYS-RANGERS.

    Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
    New York State Park Police and park personnel are on alert and closely monitoring weather conditions and impacts. Park visitors should visit parks.ny.gov, check the free mobile app, or call their local park office for the latest updates regarding park hours, openings and closings.

    Thunderstorm Safety Tips

    Thunderstorms are dangerous storms that can produce 50+ mph winds, lightning, hail and cause flash flooding and tornadoes. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning. Go to a safe shelter immediately.

    • Move to a sturdy building. Do not take shelter in small sheds, under isolated trees, or in convertible automobiles.
    • If lightning occurs and sturdy shelter is not available, get inside a hard top automobile and keep windows up.
    • Get out of boats and away from water.
    • Telephone lines and metal pipes can conduct electricity. Unplug appliances not necessary for obtaining weather information. Avoid using the telephone or any electrical appliances.
    • Do not take a bath or shower.
    • Turn off air conditioners — power surges from lightning can overload compressors.
    • Get to higher ground if flash flooding or flooding is possible.
    • Do not attempt to drive to safety — most flash flooding deaths occur in automobiles.
    • If outdoors, find a low spot away from trees, fences, and poles.
    • If you are in the woods, take shelter under short trees.
    • If you feel your skin tingle or your hair stands on end, squat low to the ground on the balls of your feet; place your hands on your knees with your head between them; make yourself the smallest target possible; and minimize your contact with the ground.

    Tornado Safety Tips

    • If outdoors: Seek shelter in a substantial building immediately. If there is no shelter nearby, lie flat in a ditch or low spot with your hands shielding your head.
    • Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car; instead, leave it immediately.
    • If at home or in a small building: Go to the basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of the building. Stay away from windows. Closets, bathrooms, and other interior rooms offer the best protection. Get under something sturdy or cover yourself with a mattress.
    • If in a school, hospital, or shopping center: Go to a pre-designated shelter area. Stay away from large open areas and windows. Do not go outside to your car.
    • If in a high-rise building: Go to an interior small room or hallway on the lowest floor possible. Do not use the elevators. Use the stairs.
    • If in a mobile home or vehicle: Get out of mobile homes or vehicles – they are easily tossed about by strong winds in the tornado.
    • Take shelter in a substantial structure: If there is no shelter near-by, lie flat in a ditch or low spot with your hands shielding your head.

    Flood Safety

    • During flash flooding, never attempt to drive on a flooded road. Turn around and go another way. If water begins to rise rapidly around you in your car, abandon the vehicle immediately.
    • Do not underestimate the power of fast-moving water. Two feet of fast-moving flood water will float your car, and water moving at two miles per hour can sweep cars off a road or bridge.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Estes Applauds Nationwide E15 Waiver

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas)

    Rep. Estes Applauds Nationwide E15 Waiver

    Today Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) applauded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nationwide waiver for the sale of E15 gasoline ahead of the summer months.
     
    “Allowing the sale of E15 year-round and nationwide is a win for Kansas ethanol producers and drivers across the country,” said Rep. Estes. “This is a great step forward in restoring American energy dominance, and farmers in Kansas are ready to help provide relief for consumers at the pump. This is in line with my support for the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which would make E15 available year-round and provide certainty to farmers, drivers and producers. Kansas biofuels are one piece of Republicans’ larger push to be energy independent and support U.S. energy producers.”
     
    Background:
    In their press release announcing the waiver, the EPA said, “This emergency action will provide families with relief at the pump by increasing fuel supply and ensuring a variety of gasoline fuel blends from which consumers can choose. More options at the pump helps protect consumers by reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, and bolstering U.S. energy independence, all while supporting American agriculture and manufacturing.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Announces Settlements with Companies Selling Seafood Products in California Regarding Cadmium and Lead in Their Products

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced settlements with Clearwater Fine Foods USA Inc. (Clearwater), Seaquest Seafood Corporation (Seaquest), and Jayone Foods (Jayone), resolving allegations that the companies sold fresh and/or frozen seafood products in California with elevated levels of the toxic heavy metals lead and/or cadmium without the warnings required for exposures to such contaminants, a violation of Proposition 65 and the Unfair Competition Law. The settlement with Clearwater requires it to pay a total of $304,164.98 in civil penalties, attorneys’ fees, and costs. Clearwater must also adhere to injunctive terms that include implementing heavy metal reduction measures.  A separate settlement requires Seaquest and Jayone to provide warnings, and to pay a total of $81,440 in civil penalties, attorneys’ fees, and costs. The Seaquest and Jayone settlement includes opt-in provisions that will allow other sellers of fresh or frozen seafood products to join in the settlement on similar terms.

    “No one should have to question whether their food is safe to eat,” said Attorney General Bonta. “That’s why California law requires businesses to warn our residents about potential harm from significant exposures to toxic contaminants. We appreciate the cooperation of these companies in taking steps to minimize heavy metals in their seafood products, in addition to providing warnings if their products cannot be kept below the applicable regulatory threshold. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to hold accountable those who fail to warn consumers that they are being exposed to significant levels of toxic contaminants.”

    Cadmium and lead are both toxic heavy metals that accumulate in the body over time, leading to serious health issues. Long-term exposure to cadmium through ingestion can lead to reproductive harm and kidney toxicity. Exposure to lead by ingesting contaminated foods can lead to reproductive and developmental toxicity, resulting in effects such as reduced male fertility and an increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects.

    The settlement with Clearwater, a seafood harvester, resulted from an investigation the Attorney General’s Office conducted after receiving Proposition 65 sixty-day notices from a private enforcer relating to several of Clearwater’s clam products. The data supporting these notices revealed cadmium concentrations in excess of the regulatory “safe harbor” level at which no Proposition 65 warnings are required.

    After testing the Clearwater products to validate the test results, our office confirmed that the clam products at issue contained cadmium levels that exceeded the regulatory Proposition 65 safe harbor level set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the implementing agency. The products thus required warnings for reproductive toxicity under Proposition 65, which Clearwater had failed to provide, thereby violating both Proposition 65 and the Unfair Competition Law.

    By entering into the settlement with the Attorney General, Clearwater has agreed to terms that go above and beyond the requirements of Proposition 65, and benefit public health by requiring Clearwater to minimize cadmium levels in its clam products. The settlement resolves the People’s allegations and requires the company to pay civil penalties, attorneys’ fees, and costs, as referenced above, as well as to adhere to injunctive terms. These terms include mandating that Clearwater monitor its clam harvesting, minimize the introduction of heavy metals during processing, retain a food quality auditor to assess the origin of any detected cadmium, and conduct compliance testing to ensure that levels of cadmium in these products are minimized. Clearwater would be required to provide warnings if its fresh or frozen clam products expose California consumers to levels of cadmium above the Proposition 65 warning threshold, or if it elects to discontinue these measures.

    The settlement with Seaquest and Jayone, two distributors of seafood supplied by other companies, stems from a similar investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Office.  Our office tested multiple seafood products distributed by the two companies and confirmed that the products at issue exceeded the safe harbor levels for lead and/or cadmium. The products thus required warnings for reproductive toxicity under Proposition 65, which neither company had provided, thereby violating both Proposition 65 and the Unfair Competition Law.

    The Seaquest and Jayone settlement resolves the People’s allegations, requires both companies to provide warnings in accordance with Proposition 65, and requires them to ask their suppliers to implement practices that will minimize the introduction of lead and cadmium during processing. It also requires the payment of civil penalties and attorneys’ fees and costs, as referenced above. The settlement includes opt-in provisions that permit similarly situated companies that may be out of compliance with Proposition 65 to join in the settlement on similar terms.

    A copy of the Clearwater settlement can be found here. 

    A copy of the Seaquest and Jayone settlement can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Update: DEQ works to resolve cyber attack

    Source: US State of Oregon

    Update (4/13/2025 at 8:15 p.m.): DEQ brings vehicle inspection stations back online in Medford and Portland area.

    DEQ and the Department of Administrative Services Enterprise Information Services worked through the weekend to address the cyber issues.

    As a result, vehicle inspection stations are securely back online. The Medford station opens Monday, April 14 at 8:30 a.m. The Portland area stations are also open their regular hours, which start Tuesday, April 15. Check DEQ’s website for specific station days and hours of operation. Please expect stations to be busier than usual.

    DEQ Too locations are not yet back online.

    Other information:

    • There continues to be no evidence of a data breach.
    • DEQ is able to receive and send emails. Please be patient as staff work through a backlog of messages.
    • Your DEQ Online continues to be available to regulated entities in the public. Only the help desk has been affected and is currently unavailable.

    Update (4/11/2025 at 4:00 p.m.): DEQ continues to work with the Department of Administrative Services Enterprise Information Services and Microsoft cybersecurity team to address cybersecurity issues.

    Key information:

    • There continues to be no evidence of a data breach.
    • DEQ is prioritizing re-establishing vehicle inspection station services.
    • DEQ is not receiving or able to send emails. If you need to reach someone at DEQ, please reach out by phone.
    • Your DEQ Online continues to be available to regulated entities in the public. Only the help desk has been affected and is currently unavailable.

    Staff are working around the clock to restore services and it may still be several days before business returns to normal.

    Update (4/10/2025 | 2:00 p.m.): DEQ is continuing to work with Enterprise Information Services and Microsoft’s cybersecurity team to analyze and resolve the cyber issue.

    At this time there is no evidence of a data breach.

    DEQ’s systems will continue to be down. This includes all email. The agency confirmed it has not been able to receive or send emails. If you need to reach someone at DEQ, contact them by phone.

    VIP stations will be closed today, tomorrow and Saturday, April 12.

    As previously stated, Your DEQ Online, DEQ’s environmental data information management system is hosted on a separate server, has not been impacted, and will continue to be operational

    Staff are working around the clock to restore services and it may still be several days before business returns to normal.

    Update (4/9/2025 | 5:50 p.m.): Enterprise Information System and Microsoft’s cybersecurity team are working to analyze and resolve the cyber issues. DEQ’s systems will continue to be down through the end of the week and vehicle inspection stations will also be closed Thursday and Friday, April 10 and 11.

    Your DEQ Online, DEQ’s environmental data management system, is hosted on a separate server, has not been impacted and will continue to be operational.

    Update (4/9/2025 | 10:50 a.m.): Enterprise Information Services is investigating a cyberattack within the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. We are in the process of shutting down networks to provide isolation for the agency servers and network until the attack is totally contained and potentially eradicated. Our next update will be at the end of the day or as significant events unfold.

    We apologize for any inconvenience this causes. DEQ will provide more information as it becomes available.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NUTEC Plastics Initiative Helps Protect Biodiversity in the Galapagos

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    Scientific visits to the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco are a key part of harmonizing analytical protocols. (Photo: E. McDonald/ IAEA)

    The IAEA training also helps to harmonize data collection methods, so that data collected in the Galapagos is comparable to data gathered by monitoring programs around the world which helps to develop policy measures.   

    “Worldwide, NUTEC Plastics partners and members of its Global Marine Monitoring Network are working in a wide variety of marine and coastal environments, so monitoring protocols will vary accordingly,” said Carlos Alonso-Hernandez, an IAEA research scientist and technical officer for NUTEC. “Harmonizing these protocols enables us to compare data globally, which gives countries the whole picture of microplastic pollution.” 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Missouri State Archives Hosts Emergency Preparedness Exercise for MayDay Campaign

    Source: US State of Missouri

     

     

    For Immediate Release:   April 28, 2025

               

    Missouri State Archives Hosts Emergency Preparedness Exercise for MayDay Campaign

    JEFFERSON CITY, MO – In honor of the national MayDay campaign to promote emergency preparedness in the cultural heritage field, the Missouri State Archives, a division of Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ office, is conducting a hands-on training exercise to strengthen its ability to protect Missouri’s historical records during emergencies.

    “These training exercises are essential to ensure preparedness for small incidents with the records of state and local government agencies all the way up to major responses like the flooding of the Carter County Courthouse,” said State Archivist John Dougan.  

    On April 30 and May 1, Archives staff members will participate in a wet-incident retrieval and stabilization exercise, practicing the recovery of three different types of historical items. The training will begin with a brief instructional session in the Archives Conference Room before moving to the Conservation Lab for hands-on work. Each session is expected to last approximately two hours.

    “Missouri’s history is preserved through countless documents, records, and artifacts entrusted to our care,” said Secretary Hoskins. “Proactive preparation is critical to ensuring these irreplaceable pieces of our heritage survive natural disasters or unforeseen emergencies. I commend the Archives Division for its commitment to safeguarding the past for future generations.”

    The annual MayDay initiative, sponsored by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, encourages institutions to dedicate at least one day to improving their emergency preparedness plans. The Missouri State Archives’ participation reflects its ongoing commitment to protecting Missouri’s governmental and historical records through education, training, and best practices in archival preservation.

    For more information about the Missouri State Archives and its preservation efforts, visit www.sos.mo.gov/archives.

    Photos from the 2024 MayDay exercises are attached for use. 

    About the Missouri State Archives
    The Missouri State Archives, established in 1965, serves as the official repository for the state’s permanent and historical records. Its extensive collections date back to 1770 and encompass executive, legislative, and judicial documents; state department and agency records; land and military records; state publications; photographs; maps; county and municipal records on microfilm; and various manuscripts and reference materials. With holdings exceeding 336 million pages of paper, 770,000 photographs, 9,000 maps, 66,000 reels of county government records on microfilm, 560 cubic feet of published state documents, and 1,000 audio/video items, the Archives plays a crucial role in preserving Missouri’s rich history. These resources are accessible to government officials, historians, students, genealogists, and the general public through the Archives’ research room.

    About the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office
    The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office serves as a central hub for key state functions that promote transparency, security, and opportunity for all Missourians. The Office oversees the administration of fair and secure elections, registers and supports businesses, maintains and preserves state records through the State Archives, and ensures public access to government rulemaking via the Administrative Rules Division.

    Additionally, the Office protects investors through the Securities Division, supports libraries and literacy programs across the state, and administers the Safe at Home address confidentiality program for survivors of abuse and assault. With a commitment to service, accountability, and civic engagement, the Secretary of State’s Office works every day to strengthen Missouri’s government and communities.

    About Secretary of State Denny Hoskins
    Denny Hoskins, CPA, was elected Missouri’s 41st Secretary of State in November 2024. With a strong background in business and public service, he is committed to improving government efficiency, transparency, and supporting Missouri families. Hoskins previously served as a legislator in both the state Senate and House. He and his wife, Michelle, reside in Warrensburg and have five adult children.

     
    For more information, please contact Rachael Dunn, Director of Communications, via email at [email protected].

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Deluzio Helps Unfreeze $400,000 Federal Grant for Local Energy Efficiency Projects

    Source: US Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA)

    Unfrozen Funds From the U.S. Department of Energy Will Help Lower Utility Costs for Low-Income Western Pennsylvanians

    CARNEGIE, PA — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) celebrated that with his office’s assistance, the U.S. Department of Energy has unfrozen $400,000 in funding to Energy Efficiency Empowerment (E3)— a fiscally-sponsored project of local nonprofit New Sun Rising. E3 helps to retrofit existing buildings in low-income communities to make them more energy efficient.

    The organization had received the first round of funding from the Building Upgrade Prize grant in October of 2023, and was able to complete nine neighborhood improvement projects in partnership with local nonprofit developers. In January of 2025, as they were expecting to receive the second round of funding, E3 lost all communication from the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office—the program had been paused without justification. Following outreach from Congressman Deluzio’s office, the money is now unfrozen and is available to the nonprofit to continue implementation of the 25 home energy efficiency projects for which the grant was intended.

    “The high cost of living is making the American Dream seem more and more unrealistic for folks, and utility costs are a big part of that. This funding is estimated to help lower utility costs by $500 per year for many Western Pennsylvanians—that’s real money back to help make life better,” said Congressman Deluzio. “I’m proud that our work to unfreeze this grant was a success, but this funding never should have been frozen in the first place. I’m concerned that the Department of Energy has removed some key pages about this grant program from their website, making it hard for organizations to plan. I’m urging the Administration to fully restore this program and keep these resources flowing to help lower utility costs for people feeling squeezed by rising costs.”

    “We sincerely thank Congressman Deluzio and his office for their steadfast advocacy in helping to secure the release of frozen federal funds,” said Lucy de Barbaro, E3 Director. “We are also deeply grateful to the many lawyers and organizations who swiftly mobilized and worked tirelessly to challenge the funding freezes in courts. In particular, we are thankful for the invaluable insight and groundwork provided by Lawyers for Good Government and the Environmental Protection Network. Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, with financial backing from the Heinz Endowments, started legal action on our behalf, and we are proud to acknowledge their role in this victory. While the future of the full Buildings Upgrade Prize program—originally planned to run from 2023 to 2028—remains uncertain, we are thrilled to continue our mission of advancing energy efficiency and long-term housing affordability for another year.” 

    The Department of Energy’s “Buildings Up Prize,” administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is designed to support innovative approaches to retrofitting buildings, to include high performance technologies.  

    The Trump Administration’s efforts to freeze funding and pause federal grants has created significant uncertainty for grantees, varying by agency and program. As of now, the courts have paused many of these freezes. However, Congressman Deluzio’s office will continue to monitor these developments and fight to make sure this congressionally-authorized funding will keep flowing to projects that make life better for Western Pennsylvanians. If you are the recipient of a federal grant and have been notified that this funding is no longer available to you or are experiencing other issues accessing your lawfully appropriated funds, please share your concerns with Congressman Deluzio’s office at PA17Grants@mail.house.gov.   

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Statement on EPA Waiver to Allow for Nationwide Year-Round E15

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    Calls for Congress to make year-round E15 permanent with her Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailers Choice Act

    U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)today issued an emergency waiver to allow for the sale of E15 gasoline during the summer driving season:


    “I’m pleased the EPA has issued a summertime emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 to be sold year-round; however, a permanent, nationwide solution is still needed. I’m going to continue calling on Congress to pass my     Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailers Choice Act to end years of patchwork regulations and unleash the power of year-round E15.”

    Fischer’s work on E15:

    Fischer has been a steadfast champion for year-round E15 since 2015, when she first co-led a bill to allow year-round E15 during the 114th Congress.

    In 2017, she introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to amend the Clear Air Act and help make year-round E15 a reality. Later that year, she testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in support of her bipartisan legislation.

    In 2019, Fischer traveled with President Trump to Nebraska and Iowa when he announced regulatory efforts to allow the sale of E15. When President Trump’s efforts were struck down by courts, Fischer continued to lead by reintroducing this legislation in 2021, during the 117th Congress. Fischer released an updated bill in 2022 that included unprecedented support.

    In 2023, Fischer introduced the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023 to break down remaining barriers and unlock the full potential of nationwide, year-round E15, advancing America’s energy independence. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Adrian Smith (NE-03) introduced companion legislation.

    On the first day of his term, President Trump took steps to make E15 available year-round through his Executive Order Declaring a National Energy Emergency.

    In February, Fischer reintroduced her Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, which is the only permanent, nationwide solution that will unleash the power of year-round E15 and fulfill President Trump’s mandate for energy independence. 

    Last month, Fischer joined U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (NE-03) at a press conferenceurging Congress to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to allow the sale of year-round E15.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Statement on E15 Announcement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, complimented the announcement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would issue an emergency fuel waiver to allow the sale of E15 this summer. Ricketts said the following:

    “E15 saves consumers money at the pump, supports Nebraska agriculture, cleans our environment, and promotes energy independence. Expanding access to E15 use will help President Trump deliver on his promise to unleash American energy. The next step is a permanent fix. Let’s pass Senator Fischer’s Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act and make year-round nationwide E15 permanent.”

    BACKGROUND

    As Governor of Nebraska, Ricketts made repeated requests of the EPA to allow the year-round sale of E-15. As Senator, Ricketts co-sponsors the Consumer Fuel and Retailer Choice Act, which would make permanent its year-round sale. Ricketts also frequently touts the benefits of ethanol and other renewable fuels as a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees the EPA. In addition, Ricketts co-leads the bipartisan Flex Fuel Fairness Act with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to level the playing field for vehicles running on higher blends of ethanol.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Applauds Nationwide Year-Round E15 for Summer Driving Season

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    Published: April 28, 2025
    Senator will work to build on waiver to push for long-term certainty.
    WASHINGTON – Following her continuous advocacy, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement today that they will issue an emergency waiver for E15, allowing the fuel to be sold nationwide during this summer’s driving season.
    “Today’s announcement means consumers will have more affordable choices at the pump, hardworking Iowa farmers will have stronger corn markets, and our nation will bolster domestic energy production,” Ernst said. “This is yet another example of promises made, promises kept by President Trump. It’s clear he is making our farmers, producers, and all of rural America a priority, and I look forward to working alongside him to secure permanent, nationwide access to this cleaner, cheaper choice at the pump.”
    Background:
    Throughout her time in Congress, Ernst has been a strong advocate for homegrown, Iowa biofuels. Since 2015, she has supported legislation to permanently allow the nationwide sale of year-round E15. She looks forward to continuing to work with the Trump administration to make it a permanent reality.
    In April 2025, Ernst and the entire Iowa delegation urged President Trump to issue an emergency waiver, which would make E15 available across the country and utilize the strength of American agriculture to provide energy independence. In April 2024, Ernst and a bipartisan group of senators also secured year-round, nationwide E15 sales for the entire 2024 driving season.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Here’s how to make your backyard safer and cooler next summer

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pui Kwan Cheung, Research Fellow in Urban Microclimates, The University of Melbourne

    Varavin88, Shutterstock

    Our backyards should be safe and inviting spaces all year round, including during the summer months.

    But the choices we make about garden design and maintenance, such as whether to have artificial turf or real grass for a lawn, can have serious consequences. Children, elderly people and pets are particularly susceptible to burns from contact with artificial turf on a hot day.

    Watering your lawn or planting a shady tree can also dramatically change how hot your backyard feels in summer. Ultimately, these factors will influence how much time you and your family spend outside.

    No matter where in the world you live, it is never too late to find out how to make your backyard safer and cooler next summer.

    The case against artificial turf

    Artificial turf or synthetic grass, commonly used on sports fields, has become popular in private outdoor spaces such as backyards.

    People may think it’s cheaper and easier to maintain than real turf. Perhaps they like the idea of saving water and having the look of lawn without the hassle of mowing and fertilising it.

    But this type of plastic surface is known to become very hot on a sunny day.

    We wanted to find out just how hot artificial turf can get in a suburban backyard over summer.

    So we set up an experiment to compare the temperatures of artificial turf, dry natural turf, and watered natural turf in Melbourne. We took surface temperature measurements continuously for 51 days during the summer of 2023–24.

    The research was part of a project demonstrating the benefits of green space in residential properties. The project received funding from Horticulture Innovation Australia, a grower-owned not-for-profit research and development corporation. That funding, in part, came from three water authorities.

    Thermal imaging reveals artificial turf is hotter than natural turf on a hot sunny day.
    Pui Kwan Cheung

    Feeling the heat

    In adults, irreversible burns occur when the skin is in contact with a surface that is 48°C or hotter for ten minutes.

    The temperature needed to cause skin burns in children is approximately 2°C lower, because their skin is thinner and more sensitive.

    Contact skin burns due to the high surface temperature of artificial turf has been identified as a health risk.

    In our latest research, the artificial turf reached a scorching 72°C, which is sufficient to cause irreversible skin burns in just ten seconds. In contrast, the real turf was never hot enough to cause such burns (maximum temperature of 39°C).

    Over the course of our experiment, the artificial turf was hot enough to cause adults irreversible skin burns for almost four hours a day. While adults might be expected to move away from the heat before it burns, vulnerable people such as babies and the elderly, as well as pets, are most at risk because they may be unable to move away.

    We also took measurements in real backyards on a hot sunny summer’s day. We compared the risk of skin burns on four different surfaces: artificial turf, mulch, timber and real turf. The only surface that did not get hot enough to cause skin burns in adults was real turf.

    Watering the grass can cool your backyard in more ways than one.
    Stephen Livesley

    Why should I water the lawn?

    Grass and other plants release water vapour from little holes in their leaves into the atmosphere. This process helps the plant maintain a liveable leaf temperature on a hot day, but it also cools the air around the leaves.

    It is a good idea to water your lawn throughout summer for two reasons:

    1. well-watered lawn is healthier, stays green for longer, and has more leaves to release water vapour into the air (“transpire”).

    2. more water is available to evaporate from the soil and leaves, adding to the cooling effect.

    If you’re worried about wasting drinking water on your lawn, you can install a rainwater tank or household water recycling plant. Having access to alternative water sources will become increasingly important as the world warms and the climate dries.

    More shade will cool your backyard.
    Stephen Livesley

    What about shade?

    The most effective way to make you feel cooler in your backyard is to provide adequate shade. This reduces the amount of sun energy hitting your body or the ground, heating the surface and warming the surrounding air.

    A single tree can lower the level of heat stress from extreme to moderate. This may be the difference between wanting to spend time outside on a hot day and avoiding your backyard altogether.

    Even small trees can still make you feel cooler, if they provide some shade.

    However, too-dense tree canopy cover may prevent air flow – so there is a happy medium. Air flow is necessary to move the heat away from your backyard and cool your body down.

    Taking all the above measures will keep your backyard safe and cool throughout summer. This will allow you and your family to spend more quality time in your backyard, cool your home, and improve your quality of life.

    Pui Kwan Cheung receives funding from Horticulture Innovation Australia (Hort Innovation) for the research project “demonstrating the benefits of increasing available green infrastructure in residential homes”, which is relevant to this article.
    The project involves co-investment from South East Water, Greater Western Water, Yarra Valley Water, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (Victoria), Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (New South Wales), The University of Melbourne, and the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

    Stephen Livesley receives funding from Horticulture Innovation Australia, the Australian Research Council and various water authorities.

    – ref. Here’s how to make your backyard safer and cooler next summer – https://theconversation.com/heres-how-to-make-your-backyard-safer-and-cooler-next-summer-254928

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Making every drop of water count

    Demand for water is rising and Alberta is looking at ways to make more water available for farmers, ranchers, businesses and growing communities. The Water Act has not been updated in 25 years and with more families, agri-businesses, food processing plants and many others coming to Alberta, it is important that the system makes every drop count.

    While most of the Water Act is working well, government recently heard from over a thousand Albertans who suggested improvements that could potentially help make the system stronger. Alberta’s government is now seeking public feedback on some of the targeted changes put forward by Albertans to maximize the water supply and make more water available to those who need it.

    “We need to ensure we have the water we need for people, our environment and our major industries for today, tomorrow and for generations to come. Albertans have given us clear feedback on the Water Act, that it can and should be reviewed, and suggested specific updates for further discussion. We know there are many different views and perspectives, and we’re grateful for the participation and engagement to help us get this right.”

    Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas

    Critical areas are not up for discussion

    The foundation of Alberta’s water management system is already working successfully. For example, Alberta’s priority system will continue to be based on principles of first-in-time, first-in-right – a system that has worked well for more than 100 years. There will be no changes considered that reduce anyone’s current water allocations, nor add any new royalties, bulk or volumetric pricing for water.

    Alberta’s Water for Life strategy will keep guiding the province’s water system, ensuring healthy, secure and sustainable water supply for communities, economy and aquatic ecosystems. Alberta will also continue to support water allocation transfers in basins with approved water management plans and will continue to require a special act of the legislature for any high-risk inter-basin transfers.

    Targeted improvements proposed by Albertans

    Having heard from Albertans directly, government is seeking feedback on some of the most commonly raised, or practical, changes that were proposed. The updates could:

    • Streamline regulatory decisions on licence amendments and transfers.
    • Enhance water use information to support licence and transfer decisions.
    • Enable lower risk inter-basin transfers where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
    • Enable management of alternative water sources, such as rainwater, stormwater and wastewater reuse.

    Albertans can provide feedback on the specific proposals until June 30.  

    There will also be targeted in-person sessions across the province with Indigenous communities and water using sectors in May. No decisions have been made, and government will review all the feedback before determining what changes, if any, move forward.

    This engagement builds off the first phase undertaken in fall 2024 and winter 2025, but there is more work to do. Engagement on other ideas for regulatory, policy and program changes put forward by Albertans to improve water availability may also take place in the future as government works to strengthen the water management system.

    Quick facts

    • Alberta’s government engaged with Albertans to hear ideas about how to strengthen and modernize the water system.
      • Phase one occurred October 2024 through January 2025 with more than 1,400 people participating and sharing ideas.
    • Alberta continues to improve water management across the province, including:
      • $5 million over three years for the Alberta Water Storage Assessment Program.
      • $12 million over two years for Bow River Reservoir (with Transportation and Economic Corridors).
      • $25 million investment this year through the Drought and Flood Protection Program.
      • $8.7 million for wetlands through the Wetlands Replacement Program
      • $3.5 million through the Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program.

    Related information

    • Water availability engagement

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Following Hinson’s Advocacy, Trump Administration Grants Summer E15 Waiver

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-01)

    Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-02) released the below statement following the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s emergency waiver to allow the uninterrupted sale of E15 this summer nationwide. 

    “I want to extend a huge thank you to the Trump Administration for following through on its commitments to Iowa farmers & biofuels producers by allowing the sale of E15 this summer nationwide.

    “I recently led a letter urging the administration to ensure E15 could be sold across the country this summer, and I’m thrilled to see them take this crucial step. I will continue working with the administration to expand the use of biofuels to achieve American energy dominance and get a permanent solution across the finish line for the benefit of producers and consumers alike.” – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson

    Background:  
    In Congress, Rep. Hinson has been a leading advocate for expanded access to higher blends of ethanol, including E15. EPA’s announcement follows a letter led by Representatives Hinson, Adrian Smith, Angie Craig, and Mark Pocan urging the president to permit the nationwide sale of E15 during the 2025 summer driving season. This Congress, Rep. Hinson has also joined several efforts to promote the use of biofuels and pursue American energy dominance, including:

    • Sending a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging support for the Renewable Fuel Standard and the elimination of regulatory barriers to the growth of the American biofuels industry.
    • Helping introduce the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to make E15 available year-round, nationwide.

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New York State Campgrounds Accepting Reservations

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced that New York State campgrounds are taking reservations for the 2025 season, with most of the state’s 119 public campgrounds opening for the season by May 16. Reservations for campsites, cabins and cottages can be made up to nine months in advance of the planned arrival date. New York State boasts public campgrounds throughout the Adirondacks, Catskills, Finger Lakes, Long Island, Hudson and Mohawk valleys, Southern Tier, Western New York, and Thousand Islands regions.

    “There’s no better way to ‘Unplug and Play’ than spending a night in New York State’s great outdoors,” Governor Hochul said. “New York State campgrounds offer some of the best destinations to take a break from the daily stresses of life and reconnect with nature. I encourage New Yorkers and visitors to make plans for a camping trip this season.”

    Camping reservations are available through ReserveAmerica, which provides online and phone reservations for campsites throughout New York. Reservations are accepted for campsites and cabins, from one day to nine months in advance of the planned arrival date. Visit the Reserve America page on the NYS Parks website or call toll free 1-800-456-CAMP.

    Sites become available at the 9-month window at the following times:
    March 15 – Labor Day: 8 a.m. Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
    Day after Labor Day – March 14: 9 a.m. Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

    New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Pro Tem Randy Simons said, “Camping isn’t just about exploring the outdoors, it’s about restoring balance in our busy lives. Whether you are unwinding at a secluded tent site in the woods or a charming waterfront cottage with friends and family, State Parks offers the perfect accommodations for every kind of camper. Taking time to step away from the daily grind, to breathe in the fresh air, and soak in the beauty of nature is essential for mental well-being. Book your stay at one of our incredible destinations and reconnect with nature today.”

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Everyone should be able to get outside and enjoy nature, and DEC campgrounds offer a unique opportunity to explore the great outdoors by providing a welcoming and safe experience for New Yorkers and visitors to unplug and play on our lands, waters, and facilities. Connecting with the outdoors is easier than ever with the New York Camping Guide and we encourage visitors to take advantage of the wide range of affordable outdoor recreational and camping opportunities and activities across the state.”

    2025 New York Camping Guide

    The 2025 New York Camping Guide is now available online and in print. Filled with details about close-to-home campgrounds, the 2025 New York Camping guide features more than 100 photos, a comprehensive listing of all state sites, park descriptions, maps and information on fees, campground amenities and reservation instructions.

    The guide is available on the NYS Parks website. To obtain a printed copy of the Camping Guide, visit a state campground, state park regional office, or DEC regional office. Camping guides also can be requested by e-mailing an address to [email protected] or by calling 518-474-0456.

    Loyalty Program

    The Loyalty program allows visitors to earn points for every dollar spent on overnight accommodations and redeem the points toward use fees on future stays. Points are awarded upon departure for all camping stays, so campers can earn points on already-booked reservations and any new reservations as soon as they enroll in the program, either online or by phone. More information can be found on the NYS Parks website.

    Last Minute Reservations

    Many popular campgrounds will fill to capacity on summer weekends. For people too busy to plan or want to take a spontaneous trip, there’s an easy way to find a campsite at the last minute. Visit the “Camping This Weekend” feature at ReserveAmerica to find out where campsites are available for the coming weekend.

    Governor Hochul is committed to expanding access to outdoor recreation. The Governor’s “Unplug and Play” initiative from the 2025 State of the State will support the construction and renovation of community centers through the Build Recreational Infrastructure for Communities, Kids and Seniors (NY BRICKS); the Places for Learning, Activity and Youth Socialization (NY PLAYS) initiative to help New York communities construct new playgrounds and renovate existing playgrounds; and the Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative to support municipalities in the renovation and construction of swimming facilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: How CBO Supports the Congress in the Reconciliation Process

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    The House and Senate recently agreed to a budget resolution that kicks off the reconciliation process, which allows the Congress to expedite consideration of bills that would change laws affecting spending, revenues, or the debt limit. That budget resolution, H. Con. Res. 14, includes reconciliation instructions directing committees to propose legislation aimed at having a specified effect on the federal budget.

    Throughout the reconciliation process, the Congressional Budget Office, in collaboration with the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), assists the Congress by providing nonpartisan analysis and cost estimates for legislative proposals as they are developed and finalized. As the committees move forward with reconciliation, the information that CBO provides about legislative proposals may be considered in determining whether the bills comply with the rules governing the process. The Congress is responsible for enforcing those rules.

    CBO will update its Reconciliation page as it publishes estimates and other related analyses.

    Cost Estimates During Reconciliation

    CBO will publish cost estimates for bills as they are ordered reported by the relevant Congressional committees. To ensure that its analysis is timely, the agency anticipates that those estimates will be conventional—that is, they will not incorporate any effects that the legislation might have on the size of the economy. As required by law, JCT will provide estimates for legislation that would affect the Internal Revenue Code. After the bills are combined, CBO and JCT will work together to provide an estimate of that broader reconciliation package that accounts for the interactions among the separate bills’ provisions.

    CBO and JCT also expect to work together on dynamic estimates—that is, estimates that reflect the budgetary effects of changes in the size of the economy and in other macroeconomic variables that would stem from enacting the legislation. Such dynamic estimates are required, to the extent practicable, by the House rules for the 119th Congress.

    By law, CBO develops cost estimates that show budgetary effects in relation to its baseline budget projections, which reflect the assumption that current laws governing taxes and spending generally remain unchanged. The Congress chooses which information to use and the baseline against which to enforce points of order during the legislative process.

    Some lawmakers have called for using a baseline that reflects current tax policy—one in which certain provisions of the 2017 tax act (Public Law 115-97) that are set to expire under current law, many at the end of 2025, are extended. If the Chairmen of the Budget Committees specify the details of such a baseline and direct CBO to provide information about the budgetary effects of legislation relative to that baseline, the agency will do so.

    The Roles of CBO and JCT

    CBO and JCT collaborate to support the Congress and will continue to do so throughout the reconciliation process. When it comes to legislation involving changes to the Internal Revenue Code, CBO is required by law to incorporate estimates produced by JCT into its cost estimates. Thus, JCT is responsible for any estimates of the effects of tax provisions included in reconciliation legislation.

    For example, JCT provided estimates of the budgetary effects of the tax provisions of the 2022 reconciliation act (P.L. 117-169), including the cost of energy-related tax credits, which CBO reported in its cost estimates. If this year’s reconciliation legislation makes further changes to those provisions—and thus to the Internal Revenue Code—JCT will once again provide the estimates.

    With each new baseline, CBO includes updated projections of tax revenues to reflect new legislation, newly available data, and updated projections of the economy, including any information that has become available since JCT made its initial estimate for the new legislation.

    The baseline projections that CBO published in February 2024, for example, included substantial upward revisions to the cost of clean vehicle and energy-related tax credits. Those revisions reflected a rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency that would change standards for vehicle emissions, guidance from the Treasury about certain provisions of the 2022 reconciliation act, and market developments.

    Compliance With Senate Rules

    The nonpartisan analysis that CBO and JCT provide can inform lawmakers as they look to ensure that reconciliation legislation complies with Senate rules that govern the process. An example of such a rule is the “Byrd rule,” which limits the provisions that can be included in a reconciliation package. CBO does not enforce those rules—that responsibility is left to the Senate.

    Phillip L. Swagel is CBO’s Director.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Tornado Watch 180 Status Reports

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Five ways to make cities more resilient to climate change

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul O’Hare, Lecturer in Human Geography and Urban Development, Manchester Metropolitan University

    John_T/Shutterstock

    Climate breakdown poses immense threats to global economies, societies and ecosystems. Adapting to these impacts is urgent. But many cities and countries remain chronically unprepared in what the UN calls an “adaptation gap”.

    Building climate resilience is notoriously difficult. Economic barriers limit investment in infrastructure and technology. Social inequities undermine the capacity of vulnerable populations to adapt. And inconsistent policies impede coordinated efforts across sectors and at scale.

    My research looks at how cities can better cope with climate change. I have identified five ways to catalyse more effective – and ultimately more progressive – climate adaptation and resilience.

    1. Don’t just ‘bounce back’ after a crisis

    When wildfires, storms or floods hit, all too often governments prioritise rebuilding as rapidly as possible.

    Though understandable, resilience doesn’t just entail coping with the effects of climate change. Instead of “bouncing back” to a pre-shock status, those in charge of responding need to encourage “bouncing forward”, creating places that are at less risk in the first place.

    After the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011, the New Zealand authorities “built back better”, improving building codes and regulations and relocating vulnerable communities. Critics suggested reconstruction provided too much uncertainty and failed to acknowledge private property rights. But the rebuild did encourage better integration of planning policies and land use practices.



    Read more:
    ‘Build back better’ sounds great in theory, but does the government really know what it means in practice?

    Swales and sustainable urban drainage in Gorton climate resilient park, Manchester, UK.
    Paul O’Hare, CC BY-NC-ND

    2. Informed by risk

    It can be difficult to predict what the consequences of a crisis might be. Cities are complex, interconnected places. Transboundary risks – the consequences that ripple across a place – must be taken into account.

    The best climate adaptation plans recognise that vulnerability varies across places, contexts and over time. The most effective are holistic: tailored to specific locations and every aspect of society.

    Assessments must also consider both climatic and non-climatic features of risk. In 2015, in the UK, a flood affected one of Lancaster’s electrical substations, causing a city-wide power failure that took several days to rectify. In this instance, as with so many others, people had to deal not just with the direct impacts of flooding, but the ‘cascading’ or knock-on impacts of infrastructure damage.



    Read more:
    Giving rivers room to move: how rethinking flood management can benefit people and nature

    Many existing assessments have limited scope. But others do acknowledge how ageing infrastructures and pressures to develop land to accommodate ever intensifying urban populations exacerbate urban flood risk. Others too, such as the recently published Cambridge climate risk plan, detail how climate risk intersects with the range of services provided by local government.

    Systems thinking – an approach to problem-solving that views problems as part of wider, interconnected systems – can be applied to identify interdependencies with other drivers of change.

    Good risk assessments will, for example, take note of demographics, age profiles and the socio-economic circumstances of neighbourhoods, enabling targeted support for particularly vulnerable communities. This can help ensure communities and systems adapt to evolving challenges as climate change intensifies, and as society evolves over time.

    Complex though this might be, city leaders can access advice about improving risk assessments, including from the C40 network, a global coalition of 100 mayors committed to addressing climate change.

    3. Transformative action

    There is no such thing as a natural disaster. The effects of disasters including floods and earthquakes are influenced by pre-existing, often chronic, social and economic conditions such as poverty or poor housing.

    Progressive climate resilience looks beyond the immediacy of shocks, attending to the underlying root causes of vulnerability and inequality. This ensures that society is not only better prepared to withstand adverse events in the future, but thrives in the face of uncertainty.

    Progressive climate resilience therefore demands tailored responses depending on the population and place. In Bangladesh, for instance, communities are building floating gardens to grow crops during floods. These enhance food security and provide a sustainable livelihood option in flood-prone areas.

    Floating vegetable gardens in Bangladesh.
    Mostafijur Rahman Nasim/Shutterstock



    Read more:
    Climate change isn’t fair but Tony Juniper’s new book explains how a green transition could be ‘just’

    4. Collective approaches

    Effective climate resilience demands collective action. Sometimes referred to as a “whole of society” response, this entails collaboration and shared responsibility to address the multifaceted challenges posed by a changing climate.

    The most effective initiatives avoid self-protection, of people, buildings and cities alike, and consider both broader and longer-term risks. For instance, developments not at significant risk should still incorporate adaptation measures including rainwater harvesting or enhanced greening to lower a city’s climate risk profile and benefit local communities, neighbouring authorities and surrounding regions.

    So, progressive resilience is connected, comprehensive and inclusive. Solidarity is key, leveraging resources to address common challenges and fostering a sense of shared purpose and mutual support.

    Solar panels on the surface of a reservoir not only provide a source of renewable energy but also provide shade and therefore help conserve water.
    Tom Wang/Shutterstock

    5. Exploiting co-benefits

    The most effective resilience projects exploit co-benefits – what the UN calls “multiple resilience dividends” – to leverage additional benefits across sectors and policies, reducing vulnerability to shocks while addressing other social and environmental challenges.

    In northern Europe, for example, moorlands can be restored to retain water helping alleviate downstream flooding, but also to capture carbon and provide vital habitats for biodiversity.

    In south-East Asia solar panels installed on reservoirs generate renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while providing shade to reduce evaporation and conserve water resources during droughts.

    In short, adaptation is obviously crucial for tackling climate change across the globe. But the real challenge is to deal with the impacts of climate change while simultaneously creating communities that are fairer, healthier, and better equipped to face any manner of future risks.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Paul O’Hare receives funding from the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Award reference NE/V010174/1.

    – ref. Five ways to make cities more resilient to climate change – https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-make-cities-more-resilient-to-climate-change-252853

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Travelling to my ancestral home in China unearthed tragedy tinged by the climate crisis – it inspired me to write Red Pockets

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alice Mah, Professor in Urban and Environmental Studies, University of Glasgow

    My book Red Pockets explores questions of inheritance: what we owe to ancestors and to future generations, and what we owe to the places that we inhabit.

    It was inspired by visiting my ancestral village in Guangdong in south China, after nearly a century of intergenerational separation due to migration, war and revolution. My grandfather wrote about his childhood stay in this rice village in his unpublished memoirs, and I had always wanted to see it.

    In spring 2018, I finally found the chance, during a research trip to study the impacts of petrochemical pollution in Guangdong.

    My trip coincided with the Qingming festival in April, when people return to their ancestral villages to sweep their relatives’ tombs, making offerings of food, incense and burnt paper money to sustain them in the afterlife.

    Remarkably, my ancestral village was still intact, among the rice fields and western-style brick buildings, largely as my grandfather had described it. In fact, there are many similar clan villages in Taishan country, which is known as the “home of overseas Chinese”, due to its history of overseas emigration during the western gold rushes of the late 19th century.

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    It was a moving yet unsettling experience, almost a comedy of errors, navigating different cultural expectations. One of the oldest villagers still remembered my family’s history, which turned out to have been troubled.

    My ancestors had suffered untimely deaths, their tombs were lost, and our ancestral house was expropriated during the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. To restore my family’s place in the village would be impossible: we would have to build a new house and give all the clan villagers gifts of money in lucky red pockets. Even then, nothing could repair the ruptures of the past century.

    Observing the Qingming tomb-sweeping rituals on the hills, I wondered: what were the consequences of failing to sweep the tombs every spring?

    When I got home to the UK, I carried stories of pollution and ancestral neglect with me. They stayed with me and began to take on new meanings as I continued my research on toxic pollution and environmental injustice. I learned that in Chinese folk religious beliefs, neglected ancestors become hungry ghosts, unleashing misfortune and environmental destruction.

    As the climate crisis intensified, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the hungry ghosts somehow embodied collective experiences of climate grief, illness and anxiety.

    My idea to write Red Pockets came together in the wake of disappointment over COP26 in Glasgow. As I thought about the “heavy debts that we owe” to past and future generations, two, seemingly separate ideas merged into one – the personal story of my “return” to my ancestral village, and the wider story of confronting the devastating consequences of the climate crisis. I wanted to write a book that would explore the possibility of healing alongside the impossibility of returning to lost worlds.

    The writing process involved wrestling not only with different ideas but with different parts of myself. The hungry ghosts were difficult to summon in a way that felt real.

    At first, I tried a more academic approach, researching Chinese folk religious beliefs about death and burial rituals, and extreme climate disasters unfolding around the world.

    But I soon realised that the metaphor felt too thin in the absence of my own voice, and that I had to talk about hungry ghosts from a personal perspective. Once they came out, they seemed to take on a life of their own.

    Hungry ghosts animate the connections between the material and spiritual, how environmental devastation shows up in body, mind, and Earth: “A divided self, a divided world, a failure to listen, a failure to honour … They want us to face up to our broken obligations.”

    As I moved towards more positive themes in the final chapters of the book, the weight slowly began to lift. I learned that there are ways of living with ghosts, recognising joy alongside despair, possibilities for interconnection despite disconnection, and compassionate actions to “defend our lands and ourselves”. I found what I was looking for: an offering.

    Alice Mah received funding from the Leverhulme Trust (Philip Leverhulme Prize) and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 639583) for research on petrochemical pollution and environmental justice.

    – ref. Travelling to my ancestral home in China unearthed tragedy tinged by the climate crisis – it inspired me to write Red Pockets – https://theconversation.com/travelling-to-my-ancestral-home-in-china-unearthed-tragedy-tinged-by-the-climate-crisis-it-inspired-me-to-write-red-pockets-253987

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why whale urine is so important to life in the sea

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kirsten Freja Young, Senior Lecturer, Ecology, University of Exeter

    Humpback whales can carry large amounts of nutrients on their long migrations Earth theater/Shutterstock

    Even biologists only capture a glimpse of the lives of whales. There are still many species whose lives are largely a mystery, particularly the deep diving whales.

    But scientists are learning more about the role that whales play in marine ecosystems and the services that they provide. Recent research is showing that even whale urine is important for the planet.

    Previous work suggested that whale faeces was important to ecosystems.
    These giant mammals bring nutrients from the depths where they feed to shallow waters.

    This effect is called the “whale pump” and it can enhance the photosynthetic rate of plankton, which is the basis of the food web. Nutrients are not distributed evenly across the ocean and in some areas, phytoplankton populations are limited because there aren’t enough of specific elements, such as iron.

    Some whale species perform long migrations across the ocean. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) perform the longest migration of any mammal at around 10,000 km, moving nutrients across ocean basins as they travel. To some extent the whale pump influences carbon cycling and storage too.

    Whales can also help cycle nutrients in the ocean when they disturb the seabed as they feed. Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), for example, are known to forage for invertebrates on the seafloor and stir up sediments which release nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and iron.

    Another key area of research describes the oasis ecosystems that whale carcasses provide to deep sea species, from hagfish (Eptatretus deani) and sleeper sharks (Somniosis pacificus) to crustacea, molluscs, nematodes and bacteria. The great whales have large bodies with high amounts of lipids in their bones. These lipids are food for lots of organisms and whale carcasses create mini ecosystems in the deep.

    But until now, another benefit that whales provided to ecosystems had not been quantified – that of urine.

    A recent study published in Nature Communications indicates that baleen whales’ urine could also have a crucial function in oceans. Some whale species can produce up to 950 liters of urine per day, and this means they can relocate nutrients to tropical grounds low in nutrients. Many baleen whales, such as humpback and gray whales, feed in polar and subpolar regions during summer, then migrate to equatorial breeding areas en masse into relatively small areas during the winter.

    During migration, the whales carry detritus like placenta, urine, faeces and if they die, carcasses. For example, the paper describes how gray whales tend to winter in several feeding grounds across the north Pacific ocean and aggregate in summer in a few small bays on the coast of California.

    The researchers describe how gray, humpback and right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) transport carbon and nitrogen to the tropics, in what they call the “great whale conveyor belt”. Globally, for these species, this process results in more than 46,000 tons of biomass (whales’ total mass and the nutrients they contain) and almost 4,000 tons of nitrogen per year, transferred to poor nutrient grounds.

    Gray whales transport nitrogen to the tropics.
    Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock

    Most of this nitrogen transport comes from whale urine, which stimulates phytoplankton growth and photosynthesis. This increase in the rate of photosynthesis could lead to 18,180 tons of carbon being drawn down from the atmosphere. Other large baleen whales probably also contribute to this effect but there is less data on their distributions and ecology.

    Sadly, the study estimates that historical whaling has reduced whale related nutrient transportation to almost one third of its previous potential.

    Other animals that play a crucial role in nutrient flows have also been suffering from the effect of human-related activities. Seabirds and fish that migrate from the sea into freshwater bodies have a significant effect on phosphorus transfer from sea to land, which is also an important nutrient for photosynthesis.

    Bears, otters, eagles and other predators that eat fish which migrate up rivers from the sea, participate in the transport of ocean nutrients to land through their faeces. Moose are also important carriers of nutrients and are known to transfer large amounts from aquatic to land ecosystems as they feed on plants.

    Grazing hippopotamus also transfer nutrients in reverse from land to aquatic systems. But these large animals generally don’t match whales in quantity, or by geographical scale.

    Whales face many threats to their survival today, such as ship strikes, pollution, poorly managed fisheries and climate change. This recent study shows how important it is to protect whales and the ocean they live in.

    The contribution that these animals will make to solving our climate crisis through stimulating photosythesis is under debate and their ability to balance the global carbon budget in the face of human-related emissions may be negligible. However, the more we learn about these ocean giants, the more we understand the ways in which whales are vital to marine ecosystems.

    Kirsten Freja Young is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology at the University of Exeter and also works as an independent consultant to Greenpeace Research Laboratories.

    Marion Rossi 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. Why whale urine is so important to life in the sea – https://theconversation.com/why-whale-urine-is-so-important-to-life-in-the-sea-254748

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Joins Schatz, Murray, Colleagues in Condemning Labor Department’s Cancellation of Funding to Address Child Labor, Human Trafficking Worldwide

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    April 23, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA) and 10 Senate Democratic colleagues in condemning the Trump Administration’s cuts to federal funding that for decades helped address child labor, forced labor and human trafficking globally.
    “These cuts are inconsistent with bipartisan laws passed by Congress providing federal funds to combat child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, and enforce labor standards in over 40 countries,” the Senators wrote in a letter to Labor Secretary Lori M. Chavez-DeRemer. “Cancelling all existing cooperative agreements will only harm American workers, lower international labor standards, and hurt children.”
    The Senators continued, “ILAB grants level the playing field for American workers and ensure businesses cannot profit from labor abuses by stopping the problems at their source. Offshoring work will only drive down wages, incentivize abusive labor practices abroad, and take jobs away from hard working Americans. For example, the President and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has said that the cancellation of ILAB contracts will harm both their consumers and 3.5 million American workers. The only winners here will be the multinational corporations who want cheap labor, and our adversaries that benefit from these practices.”
    “We ask that you live up to your comments and urge you to take immediate steps to protect children, American workers, and other vulnerable populations by using funds Congress appropriated for ILAB for that purpose,” the Senators concluded.
    Along with Duckworth, Schatz and Murray, the letter was co-signed by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).
    The full text of the letter is available on Senator Duckworth’s website and below.
    Dear Secretary Chavez-DeRemer:
    We write to express our serious concerns about the Department of Labor (DOL)’s decision to terminate all existing cooperative agreements at the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). DOL and the United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Service have announced the cancellation of $577 million in cooperative agreements. These cuts are inconsistent with bipartisan laws passed by Congress providing federal funds to combat child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, and enforce labor standards in over 40 countries. We note that the Trump Administration identifies labor practices, including failures by foreign governments to protect internationally recognized worker rights, as a foreign trade barrier in the recently issued National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. Cancelling all existing cooperative agreements will only harm American workers, lower international labor standards, and hurt children.
    ILAB was created by President Truman after World War II. Since its creation, it has served at the forefront of global efforts to eliminate child labor. Under international standards, child labor applies to work below the minimum age established under national legislation—usually 14 or 15 years old— and includes slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, illicit activities, and hazardous work that is likely to harm health or safety. Global estimates from the International Labor Organization (ILO) indicate that there are 160 million children between 5-17 years old in child labor, roughly half of them in hazardous conditions.
    ILAB also works to combat forced labor and human trafficking – serious violations of human rights. According to the most recent figures available, there are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world, with women and girls disproportionately affected. Additionally, the ILO estimated that 24.9 million people around the globe were in forced labor as of 2016. Victims are rarely able to seek help for various reasons, due to language barriers, poverty, or unstable immigration status. Furthermore, ILAB plays a key role in addressing China’s use of slave labor as a member of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to enforce the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
    Critically, the findings from ILAB and ILAB funds provided by Congress have led to improved adherence to international labor standards that support American workers. Since 2019, ILAB has invested in eliminating the roughly 1.56 million instances of child labor violations in the production of cocoa in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire—countries that produce cocoa for chocolate bought by American consumers, as well as nearly 60 percent of the world’s cocoa each year. Recently, DOL’s November 2024 framework of action included improving access to quality education, as well as technical and vocational training, strengthening social services and social protection, and empowering women, youth and workers in cocoa-growing communities. Uzbekistan was pushed to address forced labor and child labor in the cotton sector, which unfairly competes with American cotton growers and exporters. Argentina’s government and private sector built technical assistance programs developed by DOL in the blueberry sector, ensuring that children and teenagers had access to child care and enrichment programs. In Honduras, one DOL cooperative agreement disbursed more than $13 million to fight child labor and other exploitation, resulting in more than 6,000 children enrolling in educational programs, aiding more than 1,800 families, and helping train around 500 inspectors on child labor exploitation and other labor laws.
    Unfortunately, your actions will prevent this work from continuing. A few of the contracts that have been eliminated by you and DOGE include the “Global Better Work Program (I)” and “Better Work Global (II)” in Haiti, Jordan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam to establish strong labor enforcement and transparency; “Supporting Safe and Inclusive Work Environments in Lesotho” to stop violence against women; “Research, Innovation and Strategic Engagement Project (RISE-global)” in Brazil, Colombia, Cote D’Ivoire, Indonesia, and Guatemala to educate workers on their rights and how to protect them; and “Promoting Safe and Healthy Workplaces in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador” to improve worker safety and discourage migration to the United States. The cancellation of these contracts is neither efficient nor puts America’s interests first. Instead, we believe it will cause devastating, widespread harm to our most vulnerable populations, and put American workers at a disadvantage.
    Additionally, we are concerned about the economic impacts of this decision. One of the major missions of ILAB is to enforce the labor provisions in U.S. trade agreements. ILAB grants level the playing field for American workers and ensure businesses cannot profit from labor abuses by stopping the problems at their source. Offshoring work will only drive down wages, incentivize abusive labor practices abroad, and take jobs away from hard working Americans. For example, the President and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has said that the cancellation of ILAB contracts will harm both their consumers and 3.5 million American workers. The only winners here will be the multinational corporations who want cheap labor, and our adversaries that benefit from these practices.
    In your confirmation hearing on February 19th, you testified to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions that we must protect children from labor exploitation. You said this in response to questions from members on both sides of the aisle. We ask that you live up to your comments and urge you to take immediate steps to protect children, American workers, and other vulnerable populations by using funds Congress appropriated for ILAB for that purpose.
    Sincerely,
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Five ways to make cities more resilient to climate change

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul O’Hare, Lecturer in Human Geography and Urban Development, Manchester Metropolitan University

    John_T/Shutterstock

    Climate breakdown poses immense threats to global economies, societies and ecosystems. Adapting to these impacts is urgent. But many cities and countries remain chronically unprepared in what the UN calls an “adaptation gap”.

    Building climate resilience is notoriously difficult. Economic barriers limit investment in infrastructure and technology. Social inequities undermine the capacity of vulnerable populations to adapt. And inconsistent policies impede coordinated efforts across sectors and at scale.

    My research looks at how cities can better cope with climate change. I have identified five ways to catalyse more effective – and ultimately more progressive – climate adaptation and resilience.

    1. Don’t just ‘bounce back’ after a crisis

    When wildfires, storms or floods hit, all too often governments prioritise rebuilding as rapidly as possible.

    Though understandable, resilience doesn’t just entail coping with the effects of climate change. Instead of “bouncing back” to a pre-shock status, those in charge of responding need to encourage “bouncing forward”, creating places that are at less risk in the first place.

    After the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011, the New Zealand authorities “built back better”, improving building codes and regulations and relocating vulnerable communities. Critics suggested reconstruction provided too much uncertainty and failed to acknowledge private property rights. But the rebuild did encourage better integration of planning policies and land use practices.



    Read more:
    ‘Build back better’ sounds great in theory, but does the government really know what it means in practice?

    Swales and sustainable urban drainage in Gorton climate resilient park, Manchester, UK.
    Paul O’Hare, CC BY-NC-ND

    2. Informed by risk

    It can be difficult to predict what the consequences of a crisis might be. Cities are complex, interconnected places. Transboundary risks – the consequences that ripple across a place – must be taken into account.

    The best climate adaptation plans recognise that vulnerability varies across places, contexts and over time. The most effective are holistic: tailored to specific locations and every aspect of society.

    Assessments must also consider both climatic and non-climatic features of risk. In 2015, in the UK, a flood affected one of Lancaster’s electrical substations, causing a city-wide power failure that took several days to rectify. In this instance, as with so many others, people had to deal not just with the direct impacts of flooding, but the ‘cascading’ or knock-on impacts of infrastructure damage.



    Read more:
    Giving rivers room to move: how rethinking flood management can benefit people and nature

    Many existing assessments have limited scope. But others do acknowledge how ageing infrastructures and pressures to develop land to accommodate ever intensifying urban populations exacerbate urban flood risk. Others too, such as the recently published Cambridge climate risk plan, detail how climate risk intersects with the range of services provided by local government.

    Systems thinking – an approach to problem-solving that views problems as part of wider, interconnected systems – can be applied to identify interdependencies with other drivers of change.

    Good risk assessments will, for example, take note of demographics, age profiles and the socio-economic circumstances of neighbourhoods, enabling targeted support for particularly vulnerable communities. This can help ensure communities and systems adapt to evolving challenges as climate change intensifies, and as society evolves over time.

    Complex though this might be, city leaders can access advice about improving risk assessments, including from the C40 network, a global coalition of 100 mayors committed to addressing climate change.

    3. Transformative action

    There is no such thing as a natural disaster. The effects of disasters including floods and earthquakes are influenced by pre-existing, often chronic, social and economic conditions such as poverty or poor housing.

    Progressive climate resilience looks beyond the immediacy of shocks, attending to the underlying root causes of vulnerability and inequality. This ensures that society is not only better prepared to withstand adverse events in the future, but thrives in the face of uncertainty.

    Progressive climate resilience therefore demands tailored responses depending on the population and place. In Bangladesh, for instance, communities are building floating gardens to grow crops during floods. These enhance food security and provide a sustainable livelihood option in flood-prone areas.

    Floating vegetable gardens in Bangladesh.
    Mostafijur Rahman Nasim/Shutterstock



    Read more:
    Climate change isn’t fair but Tony Juniper’s new book explains how a green transition could be ‘just’

    4. Collective approaches

    Effective climate resilience demands collective action. Sometimes referred to as a “whole of society” response, this entails collaboration and shared responsibility to address the multifaceted challenges posed by a changing climate.

    The most effective initiatives avoid self-protection, of people, buildings and cities alike, and consider both broader and longer-term risks. For instance, developments not at significant risk should still incorporate adaptation measures including rainwater harvesting or enhanced greening to lower a city’s climate risk profile and benefit local communities, neighbouring authorities and surrounding regions.

    So, progressive resilience is connected, comprehensive and inclusive. Solidarity is key, leveraging resources to address common challenges and fostering a sense of shared purpose and mutual support.

    Solar panels on the surface of a reservoir not only provide a source of renewable energy but also provide shade and therefore help conserve water.
    Tom Wang/Shutterstock

    5. Exploiting co-benefits

    The most effective resilience projects exploit co-benefits – what the UN calls “multiple resilience dividends” – to leverage additional benefits across sectors and policies, reducing vulnerability to shocks while addressing other social and environmental challenges.

    In northern Europe, for example, moorlands can be restored to retain water helping alleviate downstream flooding, but also to capture carbon and provide vital habitats for biodiversity.

    In south-East Asia solar panels installed on reservoirs generate renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while providing shade to reduce evaporation and conserve water resources during droughts.

    In short, adaptation is obviously crucial for tackling climate change across the globe. But the real challenge is to deal with the impacts of climate change while simultaneously creating communities that are fairer, healthier, and better equipped to face any manner of future risks.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Paul O’Hare receives funding from the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Award reference NE/V010174/1.

    – ref. Five ways to make cities more resilient to climate change – https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-make-cities-more-resilient-to-climate-change-252853

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: Exabits teams up with NEAR to push the boundaries of decentralized AI

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The merging of NEAR’s AI tools with Exabit’s scalable compute ecosystem grants developers direct access to essential AI resources, allowing them to deploy applications with enhanced speed, accuracy, and efficiency

    SAN MATEO, Calif., April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Exabits, a compute base-layer platform that transforms GPU (graphic processing unit) clusters into AI-ready compute and tokenized financial assets, has received a NEAR Foundation Grant to enhance and aggregate essential compute resources, ensuring both privacy and verifiability, enabling the deployment of decentralized AI. Through this partnership, Exabits and NEAR will combine their expertise in computing, AI, and blockchain to advance the foundation of user-owned AI. By promoting a robust architecture, they aim to ensure that all market participants benefit and accelerate the development of AI technologies.

    An ecosystem is considered closed-loop if its parts and functions are contained in a single, self-sustaining environment, with limited interactions with external entities. In the context of AI, this young yet growing industry has grown reliant on Big Tech players. With over $300 billion projected to be spent on AI this year by companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, developers and enterprises face escalating development costs and fragmented resources, impeding progress.

    Through this partnership, Exabits and NEAR will build an all-in-one AI and blockchain infrastructure, providing a space for developing AI-powered applications, automated transactions, and advanced financial tools within a secure ecosystem. This collaboration will offer developers and enterprises on-demand, customizable computing resources for AI inference and training, powered by high-performance GPU hardware such as MI50, 4090, A100, and H100/H200. By prioritizing the protection and integrity of data and code, this partnership will make it easier to build privacy-preserving AI solutions within Trusted Execution Environments (TEE).

    Exabits was a founding partner, alongside other reputable projects, in the launch of the Open Agents Alliance, initially introduced by the NEAR AI team. This partnership also follows Exabit’s successful completion of the inaugural AI + HZN incubator by NEAR Foundation, alongside other projects such as Ringfence, Hyperbolic, Pond, Nevermind, and Mizu.

    “We have reached a critical point in AI’s development where we understand its immense potential, but projects are confronting the tough reality that accessing the infrastructure remains a challenge,” says Dr. Hoansoo Lee, Co-Founder of Exabits. “Given the critical nature of this issue, we’re excited to partner with a project like NEAR AI to offer the infrastructure and resources needed to turn concepts into real-life solutions. Together, we can help overcome these barriers put in place by major tech players and help developers benefit from optimized ecosystems.”

    “We are excited to partner with Exabits, a project that shares our vision of providing developers with the flexibility and power to develop AI-focused applications without the costs and limitations previously associated with AI infrastructure,” says Cameron Dennis, Head of Ecosystem and Partnerships of NEAR AI. “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to creating an open, scalable AI ecosystem, free from barriers placed by bigger players in the industry. This partnership is a positive step forward, and we look forward to continuing to help developers grow their projects in an inclusive and welcoming environment.”

    About Exabits:
    Established in 2021, Exabits is a revolutionary compute base-layer platform transforming high-end GPU clusters into accessible digital investment assets. With proprietary hardware and software, Exabits enables users to invest in GPU infrastructure, generating yield through tokenized compute assets. The company serves both Web2 enterprises and decentralized Web3 protocols, powering innovation through its scalable and secure infrastructure. To learn more, please visit https://exabits.ai/

    About NEAR AI:
    Near.ai is building a verifiable and private agent hosting network and AI assistant that will turn every app into a super app. It is also building a hub that supports developers and entrepreneurs with AI infrastructure, cross-chain, AI-native, blockchain, mindshare, and capital to support decentralized, User-Owned AI. https://near.ai/

    Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Exabits. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.

    Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

    GlobeNewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    Contact:

    Exabits
    ReBlonde
    contact@exabits.ai

    NEAR AI
    Illia Polosukin
    social@near.foundation

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/46929af5-171b-4335-b1b8-e82e355d07a9

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huffman, Merkley Lead Bill to End Drilling in the Arctic Ocean

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

    April 22, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – On Earth Day, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act, which would permanently ban new or renewed leases for oil, gas, or mineral extraction in the Arctic Ocean Planning Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. This legislation protects one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems and all the Alaska Native communities that rely on it, closing the door on future drilling in the region once and for all.

    “Big Oil sees a melting Arctic as a business opportunity. I see it as our final wake-up call,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “We can either let polluters exploit this sacred region — threatening fragile ecosystems, endangered wildlife, and Indigenous communities who have protected these waters since time immemorial — or rise to the occasion and safeguard the Arctic from irreversible harm. There is no safe way to drill in the Arctic Ocean, but there is a safer, cleaner, more just path forward. My Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act is our chance to take that path and respond to the climate crisis with the urgency and leadership it demands.”

    “Trump’s Dirty Energy First strategy would see his administration expand Arctic Ocean drilling—all to enrich billionaire corporate polluters,” said Senator Merkley. “Communities across America and around the world right now face the devastating impacts of climate chaos, which disproportionately harm Alaska’s Native and rural populations that depend on healthy Arctic ecosystems for their livelihoods. It’s time to make this region permanently off-limits for oil and gas corporations, and Congress must stop the Trump Administration from opening up more of the Arctic and protected waters off our coasts for dangerous drilling. We must protect our oceans, planet, and future.”
     

    BACKGROUND

    The Arctic Ocean is a place of rich biodiversity and some of the planet’s most delicate ecosystems. For Alaska Native communities like the Iñupiat, the Arctic Ocean is a lifeline, sustaining transportation, food security, and cultural traditions passed down for generations. But the region is in crisis—warming four times faster than the rest of the planet and facing rapid sea ice loss, ocean acidification, and widespread ecological disruption.

    The High Arctic is a bellwether for climate collapse, warming at breakneck speed and facing growing pressure from industrial expansion. Oil and gas development here threatens to irreparably damage ecosystems that have withstood extremes for millennia. That threat escalated with the Interior Secretary Burgum’s latest move to designate the High Arctic as a new planning area in its 11th Offshore Leasing Program — a clear sign that no corner of the Arctic is safe from corporate polluters under the Trump administration.

    President Obama permanently protected these waters in 2016. Just a year later, President Trump attempted to undo those protections, illegally moving to reopen the Arctic to drilling on his first day in office. A judge in the District Court for Alaska later determined that the underlying statute does not give the president authority to revoke prior withdrawals. President Trump has again sought to illegally open the Arctic to drilling during his second term. But his intentions have been clear from the start: during his first administration, the Interior Department proposed a sweeping offshore leasing plan with 47 lease sales across nearly every U.S. coastline, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic.

    Drilling in the Arctic presents uniquely dangerous risks due to the region’s extreme cold, treacherous seas, and prolonged periods of darkness during the winter months. These harsh and unpredictable conditions not only increase the chances of catastrophic spills, but also make emergency response efforts significantly more difficult and delayed, increasing the threat to nearby communities, fragile ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them.

    Scientists estimate that ending new offshore drilling could prevent up to 19 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, a crucial step toward meeting our climate goals. The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act is a cornerstone in the fight to end our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels and build a cleaner, safer future. 

    Companion legislation was introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley.

    Original cosponsors of the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act
    House:     Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).
    Senate: Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

    Statements of Support

    Alaska Wilderness League
    “We applaud Rep. Huffman and Rep. Merkley for their leadership in introducing this vital bill to protect the Arctic Ocean from destructive drilling,” said Alex Cohen, Government Affairs Director at Alaska Wilderness League. “Oil giants like Shell have already abandoned their attempts to drill here, proving that this extreme region is too risky, too expensive, and incompatible with a thriving Arctic ecosystem. These waters are home to beluga whales, walruses, and some of the most resilient yet vulnerable wildlife on Earth—species that cannot afford the dangers of oil spills and climate disruption. Keeping the Arctic Ocean free from drilling isn’t just about protecting biodiversity; it’s about upholding our responsibility to future generations.” 

    NRDC
    “The Trump administration is determined to sell off our oceans to pad Big Oil pockets. Permanently protecting the Arctic Ocean puts coastal communities and wildlife above polluters and brings us closer to a world where our waters are free from oil spills, endangered whale populations are free from seismic blasting, and Arctic ecosystems have a chance to thrive,” said Taryn Kiekow Heimer, Director of Ocean Energy at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).  “Now more than ever, we need leadership from Congress to set us back on track to tackle climate change and protect our ocean from an industry that only cares about its bottom line.”

    Defenders of Wildlife
    “Drilling in Arctic waters would disrupt and ultimately devastate fragile habitats for many species that may not withstand the stresses of offshore drilling. These areas — crucial to the survival of polar bears and other marine life — make up some of the few remaining pristine American landscapes and deserve protection,” said Nicole Whittington-Evans, Defenders of Wildlife Senior Director of Alaska and Northwest Programs.
      
    The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act is endorsed by Alaska Wilderness League, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Earthjustice, Surfrider Foundation, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Lee (MA) Greener Gateway Committee, South Shore Audubon Society (Freeport, NY), Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Oceana, Ocean Conservancy, Environment America; Food & Water Watch, Environmental Protection Information Center, Peace Boat US, Defenders of Wildlife, Ocean Defense Initiative, Center for Biological Diversity, The Ocean Project, Animal Welfare Institute, Wild Cumberland, Climate Reality Project – North Broward and Palm Beach County Chapter, U.S. Climate Action Network, American Bird Conservancy, Clean Ocean Action, and Hispanic Access Foundation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Huffman, Pallone, and Castor Introduce Bills to Permanently Protect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from Offshore Drilling

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

    April 22, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – On Earth Day, Representatives Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), along with Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), announced a package of legislation to permanently protect the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling. This package includes Rep. Huffman’s West Coast Ocean Protection Act, Rep. Pallone’s Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act, and Rep. Castor’s Florida Coast Protection Act. 

    This legislation comes days after the 15th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which resulted in the deaths of 11 workers, 134 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf over 87 days, the demise of thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles, and billions of dollars in economic losses from the fishing, outdoor recreation, and tourism industries.  

    “It’s clear that in the 15 years since the most catastrophic oil spill disaster in history, Republicans in the pocket of Big Oil have learned nothing. Offshore drilling poses significant threats to our public health, coastal economies, and marine life. The science is clear, and so is the public sentiment: we need to speed up our transition to a clean energy future, not lock ourselves into another generation of fossil fuel fealty,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “We cannot let history repeat itself. My Democratic colleagues aren’t standing idly by as the Trump administration tries to reverse all of our progress so they can give handouts to Big Oil. Our legislation will cut pollution and ramp up clean energy, ensuring our coasts remain safe, clean, and open to all Americans— not turned into open season for fossil fuel billionaires looking to drill, spill, and cash in.”

    “We must end offshore oil drilling in coastal waters once and for all,” said Senator Padilla. “Over 50 years ago, after a catastrophic oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Californians rose up and demanded environmental protections, spurring the modern environmental movement and creating the very first Earth Day. As the Trump Administration threatens to recklessly open our coasts to new drilling, California and the West Coast need permanent safeguards to protect our communities from the devastation of fossil fuels and disastrous oil spills. We must act now to fulfill the promises we made to our children and our constituents to meet the urgency of this environmental crisis with bold action.” 

    “This week marks both Earth Day and the 15th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster,” said Senator Booker. “I’m standing alongside my colleagues in the House and Senate to reaffirm our commitment to protecting our communities and our environment. Offshore drilling endangers our coastal communities – both their lives and their livelihoods – and threatens marine species and ecosystems. The COAST Act, along with this critical package of legislation, will ensure that marine seascapes along the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, and the wildlife, industries, and communities that rely on them, are protected from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling. 

    “Offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean would open up the eastern seaboard to considerable risk, and we have seen the destruction that an accident can cause. This legislation is about more than simply protecting the environment, it’s also about protecting the tourism and fishing industries that create jobs and help power Rhode Island’s economy,” said Senator Reed.

    “For decades, I’ve fought to protect our coasts from the dangers of oil and gas development, and this legislative package reaffirms that commitment. Offshore drilling risks devastating spills, accelerates climate change, and threatens the livelihoods of coastal communities like those in New Jersey. On Earth Day and every day, we must stand up to Big Oil and prioritize renewable energy that actually protects our planet,” Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

    “Florida is a beautiful but fragile place, and we depend on clean water and healthy beaches,” said Rep. Castor. “I’m proud to lead the Florida Coastal Protection Act as part of this larger package to stop dangerous oil drilling near our coasts for good. The Deepwater Horizon disaster served as a wake-up call, as the blowout hurt people, our environment and our economy. We can’t let that happen again. Our beaches, fishing, and tourism are too important to risk. We must protect our oceans, our way of life and our future.”

    These bills reaffirm vital protections for America’s coastal communities and ecosystems. Under President Biden, more than 625 million acres of U.S. ocean waters—including the entire East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, and parts of the Northern Bering Sea—were permanently protected from offshore oil and gas drilling. President Trump wasted no time trying to rollback those protections, attempting to illegally reopen those same areas to drilling on day one of his second term. His record speaks for itself: during his first administration, the Interior Department proposed a sweeping plan to open 47 offshore oil and gas lease areas across nearly every U.S. coastline, from California to New England.

    Congressional Democrats are taking a stand to protect coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems. U.S. coastal counties support 54.6 million jobs, $10 trillion in goods and services, and pay $4 trillion in wages. Offshore drilling poses significant threats to our public health, coastal economies, and marine life. Our oceans are home to diverse marine wildlife, including the California sea lion, North Atlantic right whale, yellowtail flounder, and countless other economically, ecologically, and culturally important species. There is a long history of bipartisan efforts to protect U.S. coasts from offshore drilling to safeguard our oceans’ enormous environmental, economic, and cultural values, safeguard coastal communities, restore ecosystems, and defend against climate change. 

    Rep. Huffman’s West Coast Ocean Protection Act prohibits new oil and gas leases off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. Companion legislation was introduced today by Sen. Padilla.

    Rep. Pallone’s COAST Anti-Drilling Act permanently prohibits the U.S. Department of Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil and gas in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Companion legislation was introduced by Sen. Booker and Sen. Reed.

    Rep. Castor’s Florida Coast Protection Act places a permanent moratorium on oil and natural gas preleasing, leasing, and related activities off Florida’s coast. 

    Other offshore drilling legislation introduced by House Democrats include: 

    • New England Coastal Protection Act of 2025 (Rep. Magaziner)
    • Defend our Coast Act (Rep. Ross)
    • California Clean Coast Act of 2025 (Rep. Carbajal)
    • Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act (Rep. Levin)
    • Central Coast of California Conservation Act of 2025 (Rep. Panetta)

    Original cosponsors of the West Coast Ocean Protection Act

    House: Representatives Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), 

    Senate: Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Original cosponsors of the COAST Anti-Drilling Act 

    House: Representatives Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Robyn McIver (D-N.C.), Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), David Scott (D-Ga.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.).

    Senate: Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Angus King (I-Maine), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Original cosponsors of the Florida Coast Protection Act 

    House: Representatives Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).

    Read Statements of Support

    Supporters of the COAST Anti-Drilling Act include Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, Earthjustice, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Lee (MA) Greener Gateway Committee, South Shore Audubon Society (Freeport, NY), Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Futureswell, Ocean Conservancy, Environment America, Food & Water Watch, Waterspirit, Business Alliance to Protect the Atlantic, Clean Ocean Action, Jersey Coast Anglers Association (NJ), American Littoral Society, Save Coastal Wildlife, Environmental Protection Information Center, Defenders of Wildlife, Ocean Defense Initiative, Center for Biological Diversity, The Ocean Project, North Carolina Coastal Federation, Animal Welfare Institute, Wild Cumberland, Climate Reality Project – North Broward and Palm Beach County Chapter, U.S. Climate Action Network, National Aquarium, American Bird Conservancy, and Hispanic Access Foundation.

    Supporters of the West Coast Protection Act include Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oceana, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Surfrider Foundation, Seattle Aquarium, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Lee (MA) Greener Gateway Committee, South Shore Audubon Society (Freeport, NY), Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Futureswell, Ocean Conservancy, Environment America, WILDCOAST, Food & Water Watch, Environmental Protection Information Center, Ocean Defense Initiative, Center for Biological Diversity, The Ocean Project, Business Alliance to Protect the Pacific Coast, Animal Welfare Institute, Wild Cumberland, Climate Reality Project – North Broward and Palm Beach County Chapter, U.S. Climate Action Network, American Bird Conservancy, Surf Industry Members Association, Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast (BAPPC), Clean Ocean Action, and Hispanic Access Foundation.

    Supporters of the Florida Coastal Protection Act include Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oceana, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Healthy Gulf, League of Conservation Voters, Environment America, Surfrider Foundation, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Lee (MA) Greener Gateway Committee, South Shore Audubon Society (Freeport, NY), Sierra Club, Ocean Conservancy, Food & Water Watch, Ocean Defense Initiative, Center for Biological Diversity, The Ocean Project, Animal Welfare Institute, Wild Cumberland, Climate Reality Project – North Broward and Palm Beach County Chapter, U.S. Climate Action Network, American Bird Conservancy, Clean Ocean Action, and Hispanic Access Foundation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Are Your Roommates Driving You Batty

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 28, 2025

    The Ministry of Environment is reminding Saskatchewan residents that May is a good time to most effectively exclude or evict bats from buildings.

    Bats can be very difficult to find inside buildings and removal is not always feasible or cost-effective. Installing one-way exits (also called exclusion devices or bat cones) at the appropriate time of year works with the biology of the bats – it lets them leave and does not allow re-entry.

    It is possible for bats and humans to co-exist in a building. However, exclusion may be the best option if:

    • Bat hazards and/or issues cannot be rectified;
    • Living areas cannot be sealed to prevent bat access; or
    • Major repairs, renovations or a demolition is planned.

    Bats can be effectively excluded from buildings in May and again in September. In May, one-way exits can be installed because it is the time between hibernation and the birth of pups (baby bats), when adult bats can find a new home. 

    But remember, bats aren’t pests – they are pest control!Bats are important to Saskatchewan’s ecosystem as they eat insects, including crop and forest insect pests. The benefit of their pest consumption is valued at over $3 billion per year in North America.

    Many bat species are suffering from habitat loss and other threats, such as white-nose syndrome, which only affects bats. White-nose syndrome has killed over 12 million bats in North America and affects the little brown bat, one of the species that sometimes roosts in buildings in Saskatchewan. There is no known cure for white-nose syndrome.

    Bats are protected wildlife under The Wildlife Act in Saskatchewan, meaning you need a licence to kill bats or disturb their place of habitation and two of the eight bat species in Saskatchewan are listed as Endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act. For more information about bats including exclusion times, exclusion permitting, and bat-proofing home tips, visit the Ministry of Environment Bats in Saskatchewan page. You can also contact the Ministry of Environment Inquiry Centre at 1-800-567-4224 or centre.inquiry@gov.sk.ca. 

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MTA’s Efforts to Combat Fare Evasion

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today shared the latest progress on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) multifaceted plan to combat fare evasion and improve fare collection across the subway, on buses and commuter railroads, and toll collection on bridges and tunnels. As a result of increased ridership and efforts to combat fare evasion, fare revenue is up 67 percent compared to 2021. Over the last two years, the MTA has implemented a series of strategic measures to reduce fare evasion centered around equity, education, enforcement and environment. With 40 percent of the MTA’s operating budget coming from fare and tolls, fare compliance directly impacts the MTA’s ability to run the system — every paid fare keeps the trains and buses running and supports a better transit system. With support from multiple anti-fare evasion strategies, total fare revenue is trending up, reaching $5 billion for 2024 and increased by $322 million from 2023.

    “These numbers show that our comprehensive strategy to combat fare and toll evasion is working and system users and taxpayers are benefitting,” Governor Hochul said. “We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal — including increased enforcement efforts and new infrastructure — to prevent fare evasion, hold perpetrators accountable and keep these numbers trending in the right direction.”

    MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “For the last two years, we’ve been attacking fare and toll evasion from all angles – hardening the system against fare beaters, simplifying fare payment, raising awareness about discounted fares and, yes, doing more enforcement. Now those efforts are yielding positive results that will grow even more with the new modern fare gates that are coming.”

    NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said, “The strategies to improve fare collection are working. We are glad to see these efforts begin to pay off and expect to see further improvement as we expand on these initiatives and work with NYPD to keep up enforcement.”

    MTA Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free, “Between the new onboard invoice policy and the preboarding validation programs, the LIRR is seeing tremendous improvements in fare collection — customers are also seeing and appreciating our efforts to combat fare evasion. The new policy requires individuals to provide a valid ID in order to be issued an invoice, which could not be possible without the incredible support from the MTAPD, whose greater presence on trains have also had a positive impact on customers’ feelings of safety.”

    MTA Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek, “Train crews have done great work enforcing fare payment on Metro-North. With the new onboard invoice policy and support from the MTAPD, the tone around fare compliance has been reinforced — emphasizing the requirement of a valid ticket to ride. And with more signage reminding customers to purchase and activate tickets before boarding, customers are building a better habit of boarding with a fare.”

    MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan said, “Toll revenue is a significant source of financial support for mass transit and the interagency task force launched last year has amplified our toll collection efforts — and continues to grow, now including the Westchester and Nassau County police departments. This unprecedented coordination has resulted in region-wide success and sends a clear message to motorists who try to evade the tolls — don’t risk losing your car, just pay the toll.”

    Improving the System
    The MTA is setting new ridership and service records. The subway has reached its best Customer Journey Time Performance (CJTP) in subway history, at 86 percent; buses are traveling up to 20 percent faster in Manhattan since the launch of the Congestion Relief Zone program; and the commuter railroads are operating with record level on-time performance with Metro-North achieving a 99 percent on-time performance for March, and the LIRR, 96 percent.

    In an effort to bring back more riders, the MTA focused on adding and improving service, while investing in subway safety. In 2023 — with support from Governor Hochul and State legislature — the MTA began a series of phased service enhancements across 12 subway lines, which is now complemented by service increases on eight express bus routes that went into effect March 30; more enhancements are slated to come June 29 across 16 local bus routes.

    With more service and more riders, major crime on the subways is down 11 percent this year. This follows significant efforts to create a safer environment with more police in the system, including two officers on every train overnight, cameras in every subway car, installation of LED lighting at every station and expanding the Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) to address cases of severe mental illness in the system.

    Simplifying the System

    Subway and Buses
    The MTA has focused on making the system easier to use by simplifying the payment process and saving customers the guess work on what fare product is the most cost efficient for them. 67 percent of subway and bus riders are now using the tap-and-go contactless fare payment.

    Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad
    The popular TrainTime app, with a 4.9 app store rating, makes it easy for customers to check travel times, buy commuter rail tickets, learn of real-time service updates, chat with a live representative and much more. Ninety-three percent of customers use the app to look up schedules and/or purchase tickets, resulting in 71 percent of all railroad revenue coming from tickets purchased in the app.

    Bridges and Tunnels
    Open road tolling has completely transformed tolling operations and dramatically improved toll collection since its implementation in 2017. Without the backups at toll plazas, this transition has greatly reduced collisions and improved traffic flow.

    Recently, on April 15, 2025, the MTA, New York State Thruway Authority, and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey launched a new and improved E-ZPass website and app, providing a more streamlined and user-friendly platform to view accounts and pay tolls. And as part of the launch of the Congestion Relief Zone program, customers now have the choice to pay per trip or automatically replenish their account, which was the standard for E-ZPass accounts.

    Fortifying the System

    Improvements to the Fare Environment
    The MTA has taken several steps to tackle evasion tactics across the subways and buses to create a stronger, more resilient system against fare evasion, including turnstile modifications, installations of delayed egress on emergency exits and the deployment of gate guards. Ninety percent of all turnstiles have been reconfigured to prevent backcocking — a form of fare evasion where subway riders attempt to pass through a turnstile by pulling it back just enough to squeeze through without paying — and more than 200 stations are assigned gate guards. Stations with gate guards have seen a 36 percent reduction in fare evasion.

    At gates with delayed egress, there was a 10 percent drop in total fare evasion. Currently operational at more than 70 stations, the MTA is on track to expand delayed egress to 150 stations by the end of the year.

    At stations where turnstile sleeves and fins were installed, there was a 60 percent decrease in turnstile jumping.

    Bus Eagle Team Enforcement
    The MTA has stepped up EAGLE Team deployment using a data-driven approach to optimize deployment of the EAGLE Team to bus stops and times of day with the highest concentration of fare evaders. The agency’s civilian bus fare inspection team, supported by the NYPD, enforces bus fare payment at 140 locations every week and has resulted in a 36 percent decrease in fare evasion at those stops.

    Paid boardings increased seven percent at EAGLE intervention stops, and the overall rate of bus fare evasion has fallen for three consecutive quarters.

    Commuter Railroads
    On the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, a new onboard invoice policy was adopted to better enforce fare payment. In the event that a customer does not have a valid ticket for travel, they are required to provide a valid ID to be issued an invoice. If an ID is not provided, the customer is advised to exit the train or police will be requested, which then results in a summons, or if a repeat offender, arrest. Since implementation in June of 2024, there have been 66 percent fewer invoices issued on the Long Island Rail Road. For the entire year of 2024, there were 295 percent more issuances of summonses and 140 percent more arrests than the previous year.

    On Metro-North, there have been 31 percent fewer invoices since the new policy went into effect and 162 percent more summonses were issued for 2024, along with 50 percent more arrests.

    Gating — or pre-boarding ticket inspections — on the commuter railroads are now a permanent program. Key findings from the pilot program reveal that the program is well received by passengers with overall positive feedback and improvements in customer behavior, with a majority of riders having their tickets out and ready to show to a crewmember. Metro-North implements gating programs mainly for special events, and the LIRR is now performing daily weekday ticket checks at Penn Station.

    Bridges & Tunnels
    Toll revenue recovery has increased 44 percent since 2021. These results were greatly assisted by last year’s launch of the largest city-state interagency task force focused on removing cars with fraudulent, obscured, or altered license plates, and persistent toll violators, as well as a legislative package on toll enforcement signed into law by Governor Hochul in last year’s enacted budget. Since the launch of the task force in March 2024, law enforcement agencies have collectively issued more than 45,000 summonses, towed over 4,400 vehicles and made 1,025 arrests.

    Looking Forward
    The MTA continues to advocate for stronger consequences for transit crimes, and with the support of the NYPD, public safety. The MTA’s first ever Criminal Justice Advocate is working with District Attorneys to prosecute theft of service, which is critical for effective fare collection enforcement, and other transit crimes.

    Building on the foundation the MTA has set to tackle fare evasion, the agency will look forward to continuing progress through:

    • Piloting a proof of payment system on buses in 2026. This concept will be made possible by the full transition to the tap-and-go payment system, which is slated for the end of the year.
    • Refreshed railroad ticketing policies
    • Completing physical turnstile modifications. By the summer of 2025, all turnstiles will be reconfigured to prevent backcocking.

    Modern Fare Gates
    The MTA has shortlisted Conduent, Cubic, Scheidt & Bachmann, and STraffic as potential vendors to provide modern fare gates for the subway system. Later this fall, the MTA will start testing gates from these vendors in select stations, before making final determinations on which gate types will be qualified.

    Each of the four vendors will be installed at five locations, for a total of 20 stations including:

    • Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr.
    • 14 St-Union Square
    • 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal
    • Delancey St-Essex St.
    • Nostrand Av.
    • Crown Heights-Utica Av.
    • Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av
    • Forest Hills-71 Av.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: USAFRICOM Successfully Tests AI-Powered Personnel System During Continuity of Operations Exercise

    Source: United States AFRICOM

    AFRICOM logo PNG_release thumbnail

    U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) recently completed a successful Continuity of Operations (COOP) exercise, significantly bolstered by a use of an emerging artificial intelligence (AI) PowerApp capability designed to enhance efficiency with human resources management. The PowerApp demonstration showcased how AFRICOM can track and maintain situational awareness of geographically dispersed personnel across myriad agencies to maintain critical functions and operational readiness under challenging circumstances, leveraging AI for rapid personnel accountability and resource allocation.

    The COOP exercise simulated a disruption to normal operations, requiring AFRICOM to quickly assess personnel status and maintain command and control across the African continent. The AI tool, established through a collaboration between the AFRICOM J8 Resources and Assessments, J6 C4S (Command, Control, Communication and Computer Systems), and J1 Manpower and Personnel directorates, proved instrumental in this effort.

    This system extracts and consolidates human resources data from multiple sources into a refined AFRICOM Data Environment (ADE), providing an unprecedented, real-time view of personnel supporting the command – both at the headquarters and dispersed across the African continent. During the exercise, this capability allowed AFRICOM to swiftly identify available personnel, assess skillsets, and re-allocate resources to maintain essential functions despite the simulated disruption.

    “Working with a contract partner, we developed the tool and demonstrated its capabilities during the COOP exercise, validating the critical role AI can play in our ability to continue operations even in the face of adversity,” said Col. Scott Johnson, AFRICOM Director of Manpower and Personnel. “The speed and accuracy with which we were able to account for and redeploy personnel was a direct result of this technology.”

    The AI PowerApp tool is the result of an increased focus on innovation at AFRICOM and recent call for AI solutions by the DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) AI Rapid Capabilities Cell (AI RCC). AFRICOM’s J1 directorate submitted a proposal in January 2025 and has been working with the CDAO on funding solutions.

    AFRICOM is the first Combatant Command (COCOM) to prototype such a transformative tool, underscoring its commitment to embracing cutting-edge technology and aligning with the National Defense Strategy and DoD’s Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative. The successful COOP exercise demonstrates the practical application of this technology, paving the way for substantial cost savings and increased efficiency in the long term.

    This AI-powered personnel system has the ability to not only enhance AFRICOM’s daily operations but also solidify its ability to maintain a strategic edge and fulfill its vital mission in Africa’s complex environment, even during times of crisis.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace Africa launches community experience-sharing workshop on local forest initiatives in Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Mbandaka, 28 April 2025 – Greenpeace Africa is excited to announce the launch of a pivotal community experience-sharing workshop dedicated to local forest initiatives focused on sustainable forest and food solutions. This significant event will take place from the 28th to the 30th of April 2025 in Mbandaka, bringing together Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to share their experiences, challenges, and innovative practices in forest conservation and sustainable food systems. This includes 20 community leaders from diverse regions across the DRC.

    The primary objective of this workshop is to create a collaborative space where participants can exchange knowledge and amplify their local forest solutions. By addressing the challenges faced by these communities in implementing their sustainable initiatives, the workshop aims to enhance their voices both nationally and internationally.

    “Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities play a crucial role in protecting forests and restoring biodiversity through their traditional knowledge. This workshop is an opportunity for us to understand the local initiatives they are implementing, to learn from their successes and challenges, and to identify their needs in promoting local forest solutions,” said Bonaventure Bondo, Greenpeace Africa Forest Campaigner for the Congo Basin.

    In the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are leading the way. 

    Elizabeth Atieno, Greenpeace Africa Food Campaigner, stated, “We are no longer waiting for solutions from systems that have already failed us. Our forefathers and mothers lived in harmony with forests, they protected them while producing food. Today, indigenous knowledge and agroecology show us that it is possible to feed our communities and protect our forests at the same time. By securing land rights and investing in community-led solutions, we can build a future where people and nature thrive together.”

    END

    Contact:

    Raphael Mavambu, Communication and Media, Greenpeace Africa, [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 50 years later, Vietnam’s environment still bears the scars of war – and signals a dark future for Gaza and Ukraine

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Pamela McElwee, Professor of Human Ecology, Rutgers University

    During the Vietnam War, the U.S. bombed and defoliated vast areas of forest and protective mangroves. AP Photo

    When the Vietnam War finally ended on April 30, 1975, it left behind a landscape scarred with environmental damage. Vast stretches of coastal mangroves, once housing rich stocks of fish and birds, lay in ruins. Forests that had boasted hundreds of species were reduced to dried-out fragments, overgrown with invasive grasses.

    The term “ecocide” had been coined in the late 1960s to describe the U.S. military’s use of herbicides like Agent Orange and incendiary weapons like napalm to battle guerrilla forces that used jungles and marshes for cover.

    Fifty years later, Vietnam’s degraded ecosystems and dioxin-contaminated soils and waters still reflect the long-term ecological consequences of the war. Efforts to restore these damaged landscapes and even to assess the long-term harm have been limited.

    As an environmental scientist and anthropologist who has worked in Vietnam since the 1990s, I find the neglect and slow recovery efforts deeply troubling. Although the war spurred new international treaties aimed at protecting the environment during wartime, these efforts failed to compel post-war restoration for Vietnam. Current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East show these laws and treaties still aren’t effective.

    Agent Orange and daisy cutters

    The U.S. first sent ground troops to Vietnam in March 1965 to support South Vietnam against revolutionary forces and North Vietnamese troops, but the war had been going on for years before then. To fight an elusive enemy operating clandestinely at night and from hideouts deep in swamps and jungles, the U.S. military turned to environmental modification technologies.

    The most well-known of these was Operation Ranch Hand, which sprayed at least 19 million gallons (75 million liters) of herbicides over approximately 6.4 million acres (2.6 million hectares), of South Vietnam. The chemicals fell on forests, and also on rivers, rice paddies and villages, exposing civilians and troops. More than half of that spraying involved the dioxin-contaminated defoliant Agent Orange.

    A U.S. Air Force C-123 flies low along a South Vietnamese highway spraying defoliants on dense jungle growth beside the road to eliminate ambush sites during the Vietnam War.
    AP Photo/Department of Defense

    Herbicides were used to strip the leaf cover from forests, increase visibility along transportation routes and destroy crops suspected of supplying guerrilla forces.

    As news of the damage from these tactics made it back to the U.S., scientists raised concerns about the campaign’s environmental impacts to President Lyndon Johnson, calling for a review of whether the U.S. was intentionally using chemical weapons. American military leaders’ position was that herbicides did not constitute chemical weapons under the Geneva Protocol, which the U.S. had yet to ratify.

    Scientific organizations also initiated studies within Vietnam during the war, finding widespread destruction of mangroves, economic losses of rubber and timber plantations, and harm to lakes and waterways.

    A photo at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, historically known as Saigon, shows the damage at Cần Giờ mangrove forest. The mangrove forest was destroyed by herbicides, bombs and plows.
    Gary Todd/Flickr

    In 1969, evidence linked a chemical in Agent Orange, 2,4,5-T, to birth defects and stillbirths in mice because it contained TCDD, a particularly harmful dioxin. That led to a ban on domestic use and suspension of Agent Orange use by the military in April 1970, with the last mission flown in early 1971.

    Incendiary weapons and the clearing of forests also ravaged rich ecosystems in Vietnam.

    The U.S. Forest Service tested large-scale incineration of jungles by igniting barrels of fuel oil dropped from planes. Particularly feared by civilians was the use of napalm bombs, with more than 400,000 tons of the thickened petroleum used during the war. After these infernos, invasive grasses often took over in hardened, infertile soils.

    Fires from napalm and other incendiary weapons cleared stretches of forest, in some cases scorching the soil so badly that nothing would regrow.
    AP Photo

    “Rome Plows,” massive bulldozers with an armor-fortified cutting blade, could clear 1,000 acres a day. Enormous concussive bombs, known as “daisy cutters”, flattened forests and set off shock waves killing everything within a 3,000-foot (900-meter) radius, down to earthworms in the soil.

    The U.S. also engaged in weather modification through Project Popeye, a secret program from 1967 to 1972 that seeded clouds with silver iodide to prolong the monsoon season in an attempt to cut the flow of fighters and supplies coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail from North Vietnam. Congress eventually passed a bipartisan resolution in 1973 urging an international treaty to prohibit the use of weather modification as a weapon of war. That treaty came into effect in 1978.

    The U.S. military contended that all these tactics were operationally successful as a trade of trees for American lives.

    Despite Congress’ concerns, there was little scrutiny of the environmental impacts of U.S. military operations and technologies. Research sites were hard to access, and there was no regular environmental monitoring.

    Recovery efforts have been slow

    After the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese troops on April 30, 1975, the U.S. imposed a trade and economic embargo on all of Vietnam, leaving the country both war-damaged and cash-strapped.

    Vietnamese scientists told me they cobbled together small-scale studies. One found a dramatic drop in bird and mammal diversity in forests. In the A Lưới valley of central Vietnam, 80% of forests subjected to herbicides had not recovered by the early 1980s. Biologists found only 24 bird and five mammal species in those areas, far below normal in unsprayed forests.

    Only a handful of ecosystem restoration projects were attempted, hampered by shoestring budgets. The most notable began in 1978, when foresters began hand-replanting mangroves at the mouth of the Saigon River in Cần Giờ forest, an area that had been completely denuded.

    Mangroves have been replanted in the Cần Giờ Biosphere Reserve near Ho Chi Minh City, but their restoration took decades.
    Tho Nau/Flickr, CC BY

    In inland areas, widespread tree-planting programs in the late 1980s and 1990s finally took root, but they focused on planting exotic trees like acacia, which did not restore the original diversity of the natural forests.

    Chemical cleanup is still underway

    For years, the U.S. also denied responsibility for Agent Orange cleanup, despite the recognition of dioxin-associated illnesses among U.S. veterans and testing that revealed continuing dioxin exposure among potentially tens of thousands of Vietnamese.

    The first remediation agreement between the two countries only occurred in 2006, after persistent advocacy by veterans, scientists and nongovernmental organizations led Congress to appropriate US$3 million for the remediation of the Da Nang airport.

    That project, completed in 2018, treated 150,000 cubic meters of dioxin-laden soil at an eventual cost of over $115 million, paid mostly by the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. The cleanup required lakes to be drained and contaminated soil, which had seeped more than 9 feet (3 meters) deeper than expected, to be piled and heated to break down the dioxin molecules.

    Large amounts of Agent Orange had been stored at the Da Nang airport during the war and contaminated the soil with dioxin. The cleanup project, including heating contaminated soil to high temperatures, was completed in 2018.
    Richard Nyberg/USAID

    Another major hot spot is the heavily contaminated Biên Hoà airbase, where local residents continue to ingest high levels of dioxin through fish, chicken and ducks.

    Agent Orange barrels were stored at the base, which leaked large amounts of the toxin into soil and water, where it continues to accumulate in animal tissue as it moves up the food chain. Remediation began in 2019; however, further work is at risk with the Trump administration’s near elimination of USAID, leaving it unclear if there will be any American experts in Vietnam in charge of administering this complex project.

    Laws to prevent future ‘ecocide’ are complicated

    While Agent Orange’s health effects have understandably drawn scrutiny, its long-term ecological consequences have not been well studied.

    Current-day scientists have far more options than those 50 years ago, including satellite imagery, which is being used in Ukraine to identify fires, flooding and pollution. However, these tools cannot replace on-the-ground monitoring, which often is restricted or dangerous during wartime.

    The legal situation is similarly complex.

    In 1977, the Geneva Conventions governing conduct during wartime were revised to prohibit “widespread, long term, and severe damage to the natural environment.” A 1980 protocol restricted incendiary weapons. Yet oil fires set by Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991, and recent environmental damage in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine and Syria indicate the limits of relying on treaties when there are no strong mechanisms to ensure compliance.

    Remediation work to remove dioxin contamination was just getting started at the former Biên Hoà Air Base in Vietnam when USAID’s staff was dismantled in 2025.
    USAID Vietnam, CC BY-NC

    An international campaign currently underway calls for an amendment to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to add ecocide as a fifth prosecutable crime alongside genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.

    Some countries have adopted their own ecocide laws. Vietnam was the first to legally state in its penal code that “Ecocide, destroying the natural environment, whether committed in time of peace or war, constitutes a crime against humanity.” Yet the law has resulted in no prosecutions, despite several large pollution cases.

    Both Russia and Ukraine also have ecocide laws, but these have not prevented harm or held anyone accountable for damage during the ongoing conflict.

    Lessons for the future

    The Vietnam War is a reminder that failure to address ecological consequences, both during war and after, will have long-term effects. What remains in short supply is the political will to ensure that these impacts are neither ignored nor repeated.

    Pamela McElwee receives funding from the Carnegie Corporation, National Science Foundation, and National Endowment for the Humanities.

    – ref. 50 years later, Vietnam’s environment still bears the scars of war – and signals a dark future for Gaza and Ukraine – https://theconversation.com/50-years-later-vietnams-environment-still-bears-the-scars-of-war-and-signals-a-dark-future-for-gaza-and-ukraine-254971

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump administration’s attempt to nix the labor rights of thousands of federal workers on ‘national security’ grounds furthers the GOP’s long-held anti-union agenda

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Bob Bussel, Professor Emeritus of History and Labor Education, University of Oregon

    Airline passengers wait at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint before boarding to flights in Denver in 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

    As the Trump administration seeks to shrink the federal workforce, slash nonmilitary spending and curb opposition to its policies, it is taking steps beyond the firing and furloughing of thousands of government workers.

    The government is also trying to strip hundreds of thousands of federal employees of their right to bargain collectively and have a voice in their conditions of employment.

    Citing “national security” concerns, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 27, 2025, that canceled collective bargaining agreements at more than 30 federal agencies, commissions and programs, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation and the Food and Drug Administration. A judge temporarily blocked the order’s enforcement on April 25.

    Over three decades of researching American unions, I’ve never witnessed such a sweeping assault on collective bargaining rights, which give workers represented by unions the ability to negotiate with employers about the terms of their employment.

    But advocates of strong labor rights should have known what might be in store given the labor policies recommended by the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. That document, which Trump disavowed on the campaign trail in 2024 but has embraced in practice during his second term, questions whether public-sector unions should exist at all.

    Keeping Americans ‘safe’

    The Trump administration’s broad attack on federal workers’ rights arrived less than three weeks after an earlier, similar action by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

    On March 7, Noem announced that the government was scrapping collective bargaining rights for all Transportation Security Administration workers, eliminating a 2024 agreement. She cited what she called an “irreconcilable conflict” between union representation for those 47,000 federal workers and national security.

    Only a “flexible, at-will” workforce can possess the “organizational agility” needed to “safeguard our transportation systems and keep Americans safe,” she said. Employers may fire “at-will” workers at their discretion with few limitations.

    Noem’s claim that unions and national security aren’t compatible strikes me as disingenuous.

    Unionized workforces have displayed in recent history both patriotism and dedication in their efforts to keep Americans safe. Unionized firefighters, police officers and other first responders rushed to the World Trade Center attempting to rescue those trapped inside on 9/11, for example.

    Similarly, many unionized public-sector workers risked their health during the toxic cleanup that followed the terrorist attacks.

    It is also worth noting that veterans comprise approximately 30% of the federal workforce. Their history of military service attests, I would argue, to their clear record of demonstrating loyalty and patriotism.

    To my eye, the argument that federal workers belonging to unions compromises national security appears to be more rooted in ideology than evidence.

    Demonstrators rally in support of federal workers outside the Department of Health and Human Services on Feb. 14, 2025, in Washington.
    AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

    TSA as a case study

    The TSA emerged as part of President George W. Bush’s administration’s response to the 9/11 attacks in 2001; it designated newly hired airport security officers as federal employees.

    At the time, Bush insisted that TSA security officers should not belong to a union. He invoked national security concerns, arguing that union representation would undercut the “culture of urgency” needed to wage the “war on terrorism.”

    TSA employees finally gained collective bargaining rights during the Obama administration when they joined the American Federation of Government Employees in 2011.

    But after joining a union, TSA workers were still paid less than most federal employees. And they still couldn’t appeal disciplinary cases outside of TSA’s authority to the external board used by other federal employees that they viewed as more impartial.

    However, in recent years, TSA workers have obtained wage increases and stronger rights of appeal, along with other advances contained in a 2024
    collective bargaining agreement that the American Federation of Government Employees described as “groundbreaking.” These gains included uniform allowances, greater input on safety concerns and a pledge to examine expanded child care options.

    Now, the union has sued Noem, another Trump administration official and the TSA itself to block the administration’s rollback of these workers’ rights and protect their 2024 contract.

    JFK empowered federal workers

    Federal employees had historically organized unions to advocate and lobby for their interests.

    However, these unions lacked the formal ability to negotiate with the federal government in a collective bargaining process where, as labor scholar Robert Repas has explained, “decisions are made jointly, rather than unilaterally,” or ultimately at managerial discretion.

    Their members did not gain collective bargaining rights until 1962 when President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order making that possible. Kennedy’s action reflected the view that government employees should not be denied basic union rights enjoyed by their private sector counterparts.

    Acknowledging concerns that union rights might limit the ability to exercise centralized command and control, Kennedy’s directive exempted the FBI, CIA and other agencies charged with national security functions from collective bargaining.

    Federal employees covered by the 1962 executive order were also barred from striking. They could not negotiate over wages and benefits; power to make these decisions remained in the hands of Congress.

    In 1978, Congress passed the Civil Service Reform Act, which expanded the right of federal employees to collectively bargain for better working conditions, which its authors said were “in the public interest.” This law created an authority to oversee federal labor relations and established an appeals board to adjudicate worker grievances.

    Although federal employees did not enjoy as many rights as most union members in the private sector, they did gain a stronger voice in determining their working conditions and accessing grievance procedures to address workplace issues and concerns.

    Reagan and the air traffic controllers union

    Three years later, however, President Ronald Reagan fired over 11,000 air traffic controllers who had gone on strike, even though they lacked the right to do so. The Federal Labor Relations Authority subsequently decertified their union, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization – known as PATCO.

    The strike’s failure seriously diminished the economic and political leverage of all U.S. unions for years. Membership in private-sector unions has declined sharply, while public-sector union membership remained relatively stable at about 1 in 3 workers. Overall, just under 10% of U.S. workers belonged to a union in 2024.

    Besides seriously diminishing the labor movement’s power and influence, the PATCO strike also had important political consequences. In his book about this labor dispute, historian Joseph McCartin wrote that crushing the PATCO strike led the Republican Party “in the direction of an unambiguous antiunionism” and a heightened antipathy toward unions in the public sector.

    Members of PATCO, the air traffic controllers union, hold hands and raise their arms during a strike in 1981.
    Bettmann/Getty Images

    Long-term goal

    The White House’s attack on federal unions represents an attempt to fulfill a longtime ambition of conservative activists.

    Executive orders, which can be rescinded by any president, lack the power of laws.

    But Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, both Republicans, introduced a bill in March that would enshrine Trump’s executive order in law. If that bill were to become law, it would “end federal labor unions and immediately terminate their collective bargaining agreements,” Lee and Blackburn have said.

    Meanwhile, eight House Republicans have asked the president to reverse course on collective bargaining rights, as have all House Democrats. A bipartisan group of senators has made a similar request.

    As the courts make their determinations and political opposition gathers, the American public has, I believe, an important question to answer. Is the spirit of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 – that “labor organizations and collective bargaining in the civil service are in the public interest” – worth upholding?

    This question warrants careful consideration and scrutiny. How the courts, Congress and the public respond will have enormous consequences for federal workers and the future of the union movement and the state of American democracy.

    Bob Bussel 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. Trump administration’s attempt to nix the labor rights of thousands of federal workers on ‘national security’ grounds furthers the GOP’s long-held anti-union agenda – https://theconversation.com/trump-administrations-attempt-to-nix-the-labor-rights-of-thousands-of-federal-workers-on-national-security-grounds-furthers-the-gops-long-held-anti-union-agenda-252347

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –