NewzIntel.com

Category: Environment

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Agricultural policy comments during Grüne Woche – E-000596/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission is convinced that agricultural production and nature preservation must go hand in hand to face climate change by improving water resilience and give young farmers a farming future. Balance between agriculture and nature has both an EU and a national dimension.

    The present Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)[1] and existing environmental and climate acquis, provide a solid legal framework for Member States to identify fit for purpose targets, based on National Strategic Plans, offering them more margin for manoeuvre than before.

    Member States have designed tailor-made interventions in their CAP Strategic Plans (CSPs) which also target livestock-related pollution. Eco-Schemes and Agri-Environmental and Climate Commitments support interventions to improve water quality and nutrient management, addressing manure surplus, on 21% and 15.5% of EU farmland[2] respectively.

    Other interventions include livestock density adjustments, aiming at reducing Greenhouse Gases, water and air (ammonia) emissions (for example, the Luxembourgish CSP[3] offers financial aid to less intensive animal husbandry systems).

    In his speech during the Grüne Woche[4] (Green Week), the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food reflected on targeted territorial solutions for balancing the livestock sector’s competitiveness with environmental sustainability, as published later in the Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food[5].

    This approach includes maintaining grasslands, valorising the link with carbon sinks and improved water resilience, as well as more extensive systems beneficial in preserving biodiversity while reducing negative externalities.

    • [1] https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/common-agricultural-policy/cap-overview/cap-glance_en
    • [2] https://agridata.ec.europa.eu/extensions/DashboardCapPlan/result_indicators.html
    • [3] https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/document/download/a534870e-10e8-4178-bbdb-efc16b0485d0_en?filename=csp-at-a-glance-luxembourg-en.pdf
    • [4] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_25_460
    • [5] https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/overview-vision-agriculture-food_en
    Last updated: 10 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Trading Standards raising awareness of single-use vapes ban

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Highland Council’s Trading Standards team is informing local traders that from 1 June 2025, the sale and supply of single-use vapes will be banned across the UK. Businesses in Highland are encouraged to review their stock and prepare for these changes to ensure compliance with the law.

    David MacKenzie, Trading Standards Manager said: “Highland Council Trading Standards fully supports the ban on single-use vapes. This legislation is a crucial step towards reducing environmental harm and protecting public health. Single-use vapes contribute significantly to litter in our streets and parks and pose fire risks in waste and recycling facilities. By eliminating these single-use products, we are not only safeguarding our environment but also promoting responsible vaping practices. Our team is committed to ensuring compliance with this new regulation and supporting businesses through this transition.”

    What does the ban mean?

    Under The Environmental Protection (Single-Use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024, a single-use vape is defined as a device that is not refillable, not rechargeable, or both.

    This ban applies to both in-store and online sales. It covers all products classified as single-use vapes.

    Steps for businesses to take now

    Businesses should:

    • review their stock and identify single-use vapes
    • stop buying new stock of single-use vapes
    • sell all existing stock
    • only buy vapes from reputable sources that follow the new regulations
    • train their employees about the new requirements and compliance expectations
    • arrange for the environmentally responsible disposal of any unsold single-use vapes

    From 1 June 2025, it is an offence to have disposable vaping products in your possession for sale. Any leftover disposable vaping products must be:

    • stored in stock rooms away from the shopfloor
    • separated from other goods
    • securely wrapped
    • clearly labelled

    Leftovers must be left waiting to be collected for disposal and not for sale.

    Enforcement and Penalties

    Highland Council Trading Standards will enforce the ban in Highland. Businesses found in violation may face:

    • seizure of non-compliant products
    • a Fixed Penalty Notice of at least £200
    • criminal prosecution with fines of up to £5000

    Why this ban matters

    Single-use vapes are difficult to recycle and typically end up in landfills, where their batteries can leak harmful waste like battery acid, lithium, and mercury into the environment. Batteries thrown into household waste also cause fires in bin lorries and waste-processing centres. DEFRA estimates almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown into general waste each week last year.

    More Information

    The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has published a comprehensive guide for distributors, suppliers, and retailers to help businesses understand their responsibilities under the ban. The guide includes:

    • the definition of single-use vapes
    • practical steps to identify compliant products
    • enforcement measures and potential penalties for non-compliance

    Access the DEFRA guidance on the UK Government website.

    Further advice for businesses seeking guidance on the law on single use vapes is available on our website.

    Highland businesses can contact Trading Standards with specific queries on tradingstandards@highland.gov.uk

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Hiroshima tree of hope finds new home in Gate Lodge Gardens

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Hiroshima tree of hope finds new home in Gate Lodge Gardens

    10 April 2025

    Horticulture students from Greenmount College shared a message of hope this week at the newly opened Gate Lodge Gardens in Derry’s St Columb’s Park, with the planting of a special tree cultivated from Ginkgo Biloba seeds from Hiroshima. 

    Eighty years since the devastating atomic bomb that destroyed the Japanese city, the seeds of the Hibaku-jumoku – Japanese for survivor trees – now have a new purpose, representing resilience and rebirth.  

    Students at the College of Agriculture, Farming, and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) at Greenmount have been entrusted with sharing their important legacy though the Green Legacy Hiroshima Project, working with partners throughout the world to reinforce the message of peace. St Columbs Park has been selected as one of a number of special sites to locate a tree, which has been grown from seedlings cultivated by the students. 

    The group met with the Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Lilian Seenoi Barr, to plant the tree at the recently completed Gate Lodge which is part of the Acorn Farm project.  

    It’s a particularly fitting symbol of hope and peace to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2. Members of Foyle Obon representing the local Japanese Community also joined the Mayor and the students for the planting. 

    The Mayor heard more about the Green Legacy Hiroshima Project, and plans for the college to work closely with the Acorn Farm project, Derry’s first urban farm. Acorn Farm is an exciting and innovative project currently transforming a disused military site into a vibrant urban food growing space. 

    Speaking afterwards Mayor Barr said: “I want to thank Greenmount College for gifting the tree to Council and dedicating it to St Columb’s Park as the home for one of the Hiroshima Trees. It sends a wonderful message of peace and solidarity at a time when sadly there is much conflict and upheaval in the world.  

    “In a city where peace and reconciliation has led to such a positive transformation, I think our example can be one of hope for other places embroiled in war. We stand in solidarity with all the innocent victims of violence and conflict. 80 years since the end of the Second World War, it’s a timely opportunity to reflect and reinforce our message that peace is the only way forward and no one should be oppressed because of their race, politics or religion.” 

    The Acorn Farm project has partnered with Greenmount College and will offer student placements as part of their education offering hands on practical experience as part of the project’s Green Academy programme of community education and engagement around sustainable food production.  

    The £6.2million capital project is being led by Derry City and Strabane District Council, funded by the UK, and is delivered by a partnership team consisting of Council, The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Conservation Volunteers, Developing Healthy Communities and Community Garden Support. 

    David Dowd from CAFRE said the students were looking forward to learning and contributing to the project. “We are delighted to be here today and to pass on this sapling which has been carefully nurtured by the students at Greenmount. It will be well looked after here, and become part of the wonderful shared community space that is being created.  

    “I know the students are really looking forward to continuing to engage with the learning academy that is being developed at Acorn Farm, and to playing an active role in developing new approaches to growing food in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.” 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Veolia Orchard takes root in five schools across Westminster | Westminster City Council

    Source: City of Westminster

    Veolia Orchard has enriched playgrounds nationwide since 2022, enabling biodiversity to flourish in over 500 school grounds across the UK. Students in eight schools across Westminster have joined this initiative to develop long lasting environmental habits and improve their local area.

    Veolia’s nationwide orchard now stands at over 1,500 apple and pear trees and 1,900 strawberry plants, with each of the 500 schools joining an environmental network which encourages sustainable practices and outdoor learning. Veolia Orchard aims to connect children with nature, achieved even in the most urban settings with strawberry plants provided for schools with smaller outdoor spaces. Each school that has taken part in the project has joined an environmental network which encourages sustainable practices and outdoor learning. The fifty new strawberry plants have become a part of Veolia’s family tree, across five schools in Westminster:

    • St. Saviour’s C.E. School
    • The St. Marylebone CE School
    • St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School
    • Halcyon London International School
    • Wilberforce Primary School

    This spring, Veolia’s hands-on planting events have guided students through proper planting techniques and how to care for their orchard correctly. The sessions help children understand how their orchard benefits their school by enhancing their green spaces and gaining access to fresh locally-grown fruit. The schools have been supplied with peat-free soil conditioner and topsoil by Pro-Grow, helping to preserve valuable peatland habitats and prevent the release of stored carbon, supporting Veolia Orchard’s carbon-neutral goals.

    Cllr Ryan Jude, Cabinet member for Climate Action, Ecology and Culture said:

    It’s great to take part in something like the Veolia Orchard, to see young people engage in some hands-on sustainability, and to learn about the importance of biodiversity and its role in Westminster’s environment. It is wonderful to see students increasing their knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world.

    We know that young people are going to be the ones that will have to continue our work in addressing the ecological emergency which we declared in 2023. It is vital that we continue to work with our willing partners such as Veolia in vital areas such as this, as reflected in our most recent Greening & Biodiversity Strategy.’’

    Pascal Hauret, Municipal Managing Director at Veolia said: 

    We’re very pleased to bring positive change to the local community in Westminster through our Veolia Orchard project, which reached more schools than ever this year. This initiative exemplifies Veolia’s dedication to building a greener, more sustainable future across the country by increasing biodiversity and inspiring positive environmental practices in young people.’’

    The Veolia Orchard scheme will return again in autumn, with the launch of the new school term. Schools will be able to apply for their own orchard or strawberry patch and join the hundreds of schools already enjoying the fruitful benefits of their plants.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The final of the research projects competition “Steps” was held at the Polytechnic University

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University organized the final of the “Steps” competition, where schoolchildren presented their research papers. The participants of the competition were the private educational institution “Gazprom School”, the private educational institution “Gazprom School Saint Petersburg”, as well as first-year students of the private professional educational institution “Gazprom College Volgograd” named after I. A. Matlashov and “Gazprom Technical School Novy Urengoy”. The theme of the competition was “Energy of Change: New Ideas, New Solutions”. It was divided into several sections: “Digital Economy, Management of Social Technologies”, “Technosphere Environmental Safety in the Oil and Gas Industry”, “Energy Saving and Alternative Energy”, “Chemical Technologies”, “Engineering Solutions in the Oil and Gas Industry”.

    On April 6, the children went on a virtual tour of the university campus and took part in a master class on creating a drilling rig. On April 7, all the attention of the jury and participants was focused on the projects of schoolchildren completed during the year under the guidance of experienced curators from various universities.

    At the grand opening of the final, the head of the department of PAO Gazprom Alexander Shagov noted: “The theme of the competition very accurately characterizes the time in which we live. The modern world is changing quickly, technologies are developing rapidly. What was new yesterday will seem outdated tomorrow. The competition gives you a unique opportunity, while still schoolchildren, to feel like real scientists and students.”

    Several projects supervised by SPbPU specialists won prizes. In the Energy Saving and Alternative Energy section, two teams from GBOU Gymnasium No. 426 received diplomas of the 1st and 3rd degrees. The projects were supervised by students of the Higher School of Nuclear and Thermal Energy of the Institute of Power Engineering Nikita Kondrashov, Mark Mironchuk, Georgy Kondratov, as well as senior lecturer of the Higher School of Power Engineering Arsenty Klyuev.

    I would like to proudly note the victory of our team. Together with Victoria Klyuzheva and Victoria Zueva, we became the best among the students of Gazprom classes in the section “Energy Saving and Alternative Energy”. The project on the use of a sand battery in permafrost conditions turned out to be not only relevant, but also extremely promising. The guys showed a high level of training, a creative approach and real teamwork. I am proud of our students. They did a hundred percent! – said Nikita Kondrashov.

    As part of the cooperation between PJSC Gazprom and the Polytechnic University, students from Gazprom classes in St. Petersburg attended theoretical classes at SPbPU on a weekly basis and were able to apply the knowledge they had gained in preparing projects.

    Working on the engineering project was an interesting experience and a valuable source of knowledge for me. I was especially impressed by the opportunity to apply theory in creating a system that could solve the heating problem in the northern regions in the future. Thanks to teamwork and the help of the curators, I significantly expanded my knowledge. I would like to separately note the invaluable contribution of Nikita Kondrashov and the curators of other teams, whose involvement and willingness to help played a key role in the success of the project. The work required knowledge of thermodynamics, which, naturally, was replenished. Defending the project in front of teachers and the jury, I learned to speak in public, answer questions, and defend my point of view, – shared Victoria Klyuzheva.

    The holders of the third degree diplomas, in the framework of the report “Development of a hydroelectric power station on the Gulf of Finland”, considered the possibilities of using the “Wave Carpet” technology as an idea for the beneficial use of the energy of the waters of the Gulf of Finland.

    In the section “Engineering solutions in the oil and gas industry” under the supervision of the senior lecturer of the Higher School of Power Engineering of the Institute of Economics Arsenty Klyuev, students of Gymnasium No. 330 Dmitry Rodnov and Maxim Pets received third-degree diplomas with their technological project “Improving the cavitation characteristics of an oil centrifugal pump”.

    When you understand that your research and knowledge can help others, it motivates you to work. In addition, it is also a huge experience that will help in the future when studying at the university. This project convinced me that I need to enter the Polytechnic University because it is a place where there are a huge number of opportunities to deal with interesting engineering problems, and young teachers help you to reveal your potential. Last year we also did a project, but it was more theoretical. This year, the project is dedicated to solving a real practical problem. Personally, my skill of quick learning helped me cope with it. Before this project, I had never worked in 3D modeling programs, but thanks to an excellent mentor, I quickly mastered the basics and learned to model, although before it seemed a very difficult task. I also acquired the skill of 3D modeling, now I can do reverse engineering in the field of hydraulic machines and hydropower, – Dmitry Rodnov shared his experience.

    On the last day of the competition, a lecture on “Energy machines as the basis for the generation and conversion of energy” was given by Andrey Shirokih, a student of the Higher School of Power Engineering.

    The competition experts were representatives of PAO Gazprom partner universities. When evaluating the projects, they took into account such aspects as the relevance of the topic, practical significance, the presence and elaboration of the research part, the depth of analysis and conclusions, the degree of personal involvement of the author, as well as confident mastery of the material and the culture of public speaking. The jury members emphasized the high level of the final works and the serious preparation of the participants.

    At the closing ceremony, the participants were congratulated by the rector of the Polytechnic University Andrey Rudskoy: Guys, you have come a long way, you have become finalists of the competition. And I congratulate you on this! Your works demonstrate a creative approach, a deep understanding of the problems and a desire to find solutions that can change our lives for the better. Polytechnic University, together with PAO Gazprom, is doing everything possible to discover new talents and let the energy of the future into engineering in the energy and oil and gas industries! Therefore, I hope that the path you have taken to the final has become another step in the profession for you. I wish you success, and I am glad that today you have had the opportunity to feel the friendly scientific and creative atmosphere that reigns at Polytechnic University! Of course, I hope to see many of you in the ranks of our friendly family of polytechnics already as students.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – North East of England has second highest level of deprivation out of all regions in the UK – Queen’s University Belfast

    Source: Queen’s University Belfast

    Deprivation levels in the North East of England are the highest of all regions in England, Scotland and Wales, new research by Queen’s University Belfast has found.

    In the UK more widely, Northern Ireland has the highest levels of deprivation.

    For the first time ever, researchers have been able to compare census data on deprivation by employment, education and health right across the UK.

    They found that Northern Ireland has the highest level of the most deprived areas in the UK, followed by the North East of England and the West Midlands.

    But the research also shows that London has the lowest level of self-reported health deprivation in the UK.

    Most deprived areas

    When the researchers looked at census data on the most deprived areas in the UK, they found that:

    • Northern Ireland has the highest level of the most deprived areas in the UK at 25 per cent
    • The North East of England has the second highest levels of deprived areas at 21 per cent
    • The West Midlands (England) has the third highest levels at 16.5 per cent.

    Health deprivation

    The researchers also examined data on health deprivation. This data was self-reported by those who responded to the 2021 census (2022 in Scotland).

    They found that:

    • Health deprivation is particularly high in Northern Ireland with nearly 28 per cent of areas ranked among the most deprived by poor health across the UK.
    • In Scotland, 23 per cent of areas were among the most deprived by poor health
    • This was the case for 16 per cent of areas in North East England.

    Levels of health deprivation were lowest in London, with just 1.5 per cent of areas ranked most deprived by poor health. The level was also low in the East of England at 2.65 per cent.

    Professor Christopher Lloyd from the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s led the study. He explains: “Our research shows, for the first time, how deprivation by employment, education and health vary within and between the four nations of the UK.

    “This type of analysis is important for everyone in our society as it allows us to see how our local authority areas are affected by deprivation and how this compares to other areas in the UK.”

    He adds: “The insights are critical for informing public policy. Our study will allow policy makers to make a case for funding or to better direct resources given a knowledge of how their areas compare to other areas within their region, within their nation, or the UK as a whole.”

    The Queen’s researchers used 2021 census data from England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 census data from Scotland. The project was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the University of Leeds and deprivation.org were key partners.

    The full report and findings are available to download here: 

    The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social well-being. It funds research that informs social policy, primarily in Education, Welfare and Justice. The Nuffield Foundation is the founder and co-funder of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Ada Lovelace Institute and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. The Foundation has funded this project, but the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Foundation. Visit www.nuffieldfoundation.org

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: “Little battler” black-fronted terns defy the odds

    Source: Department of Conservation

    Date:  10 April 2025

    The nationally endangered birds which nest on an island in the Upper Ōhau River battled an unseasonal and very heavy snowfall which buried them and their nests.

    The birds have a unique colony in the Upper Ōhau river system where around 700 of them nest each season. This colony is the largest in the country.

    This breeding season got off to an amazing start with 360 nests, and the rangers could not believe it. “We were so stoked to have so many nests on the island, and no signs of depredation,” said Sam Turner, Department of Conservation Biodiversity Ranger for Project River Recovery.

    Before the snow came, the rangers’ big concern was the ever-present risk of predators wiping them out. “Norway rats are incredibly good swimmers and if we get even one on the island while the birds are incubating their eggs, it can cause the entire colony to abandon their nests. For four years in a row, we had zero fledglings due to rats and other predators, so it is a stressful time.”

    The unseasonal snow fall came in late October. Sam Turner feared the worst.

    “There was at least 20cm of snow blanketing the whole of the Mackenzie Basin. We didn’t know what was happening to the birds on the island and we didn’t know how they would handle so much deep snow.”

    “We checked our trail cameras and saw the parents had stayed on their nests until the very last moment. They were up to their necks but had to abandon the nests to save themselves. It was impressive how hardy and dedicated the terns were, but heart breaking to see the snow bury everything.”

    But just over a week later, the resilient birds came back to give it another go and began laying eggs on the island and on an adjacent terrace.

    “It was incredible, really, and such a relief for our team. But we now had a big job on our hands to protect the birds from predators – especially the birds that renested on the terrace because without protection from the natural moat they had on the island, they were super vulnerable to hedgehogs, which demolish their eggs.”

    “We erected a temporary hedgehog barrier and set up traps on the terrace where some of the terns nested. We upped our feral cat control, and when we detected a stoat and her kits in the area, we also brought through a conservation dog and handler trained in detecting stoats. It was a massive collaborative effort from the DOC team.”

    It all paid off. Sam Turner estimates at least 100 chicks fledged from the breeding colony and have now flown to the coastline for the winter.

    “It’s been such an intense season, lots of emotions so it’s hard to put into words. It’s been such a roller coast given everything that has happened. The snow dump was so out of left field and such terrible timing, but to our relief these little birds had a successful breeding season with a bit of help from us. It’s super rewarding seeing them fly away.”

    “What we want the public to know is how special these birds are and what they’re up against. They’re only found in New Zealand and that’s the reason we work so hard as if we lose them, they’re gone for good. What’s amazing is how these little terns have beaten the odds this season and that’s something we are so proud of.”

    “One alarming statistic is that 25 million native birds are killed by invasive predators in New Zealand. Nature is under pressure, and we’re finding increasingly difficult challenges every year, especially with the extreme weather events like the big snow dumps during the breeding season.”

    “Our job is to make sure these endangered birds have successful breeding years so that they are still around for many years to come.”

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Denounces Trump Executive Order Targeting State and Local Climate Action

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (April 9, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and co-Chair of the Senate Climate Task Force, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing a review of state and local laws and regulations aimed at tackling the climate crisis.
    “Trump’s executive order to review state and local actions is a slippery slope to picking and choosing which states get stripped of their sovereignty—just as he is picking and choosing his billionaire donors to repay,” said Senator Markey. “Climate pollution knows no boundaries, and states and regions have the right to combat the climate crisis to protect their residents and economies. It is no surprise that Trump is trying to prevent states such as Massachusetts from continuing their vital work to end our reliance on fossil fuels and deploy clean energy and climate solutions.
    “In Massachusetts and across the country, climate action won’t be stopped by any one president. At a time when leadership is not coming from the executive branch, bold solutions and transformational action at all levels of government are more important than ever. We must step up and protect the climate progress we have made, spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act. I will continue fighting to ensure that Trump’s Big Oil contributors and cabinet will not stop us from securing a healthy, livable future for all.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) Introduces Suite of Bills to Lower Housing Costs for Michigan Families

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI) introduced four bills in the Congress to help lower housing costs for Michigan families. This comprehensive package of legislation would help Americans buy their first home, age in place, find housing close to needed services, and much more. The four bills are: the Healthy Affordable Housing Act, the Home Accessibility Tax Credit Act, the Fix Moldy Housing Act, and the First Time Homeowner Savings Plan Act.

    “Every Michigan family deserves a safe, affordable, and accessible place to live. But for too many in our great state, the cost of housing is way too high. That’s why I’m introducing a comprehensive package of housing legislation — to bring down costs,” said Rep. Haley Stevens. “With the Healthy Affordable Housing Act, the Home Accessibility Tax Credit Act, the Fix Moldy Housing Act, and the First Time Homeowner Savings Plan Act we’re not just investing in our infrastructure—we’re investing in families, communities, and our future. This package brings essential services closer to home, increases the supply of housing, tackles environmental hazards, empowers first-time buyers, and ensures older Michiganders and those with disabilities have the support they need to live independently. I’m honored to lead this bold step forward, uniting diverse voices and innovative solutions to make sure every Michigander has a safe, affordable place to call home.”

    The Healthy Affordable Housing Act introduced with U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY), directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to create a competitive grant program to fund affordable housing near needed services including grocery stores, childcare, and public transportation. This bill is supported by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Oakland County Michigan, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the National Community Development Association, the Michigan Hospital Association, and Habitat for Humanity Oakland County. 

    “There is no issue more important to me than expanding access to safe, healthy, and affordable housing. When I was growing up in the Bronx, public housing was a lifeline for my family,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) in support of the Healthy Affordable Housing Act. “That being said, far too often, public housing units like the one I grew up in lack adequate access to essential services – groceries, healthcare, public transportation, and more – leaving their residents siphoned off from the rest of our society and set up to fail. I refuse to sit by and allow this unacceptable status quo to continue. That’s why I am joining my colleague Rep. Stevens in introducing the Healthy Affordable Housing Act, which would re-invigorate our nation’s affordable housing infrastructure and ensure that they are established with a host of necessary services in close proximity. I would not be where I am today without the stability affordable housing gave me and my family. I want to ensure every American, no matter their zip code, can say the same, and that’s what this bill tries to achieve.”

    The Home Accessibility Tax Credit Act would provide a refundable tax credit to help seniors and Americans with disabilities finance retrofitting their homes to meet their accessibility needs. U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) introduced companion legislation in the United States Senate. This bill is supported by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the National Disability Institute, the National Council on Independent Living, and the National Federation of the Blind. 

    The Fix Moldy Housing Act would help individuals and local governments remove mold from homes and public buildings to increase the supply of healthy housing and make sure every home in Michigan is safe to live in. This bill is endorsed by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, and the National Environmental Health Association. 

    The First Time Homeowner Savings Plan Act would increase the amount first-time homebuyers could pull from their IRA savings from the $10,000 set in the 1990s to $25,000, indexed to inflation to use as a down payment on their first home. The First Time Homeowner Savings Plan Act is endorsed by the National Association of Realtors, the American Bankers Association, and the Mortgage Bankers Association.

    A full list of supporting quotes can be found here.

    The full text of each piece of legislation can be found here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Joins Cohort of Congressional Energy and Environment Lawmakers Leading Bicameral Letter to Oppose EPA’s Wholesale Assault on Environmental and Public Health Protections

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Letter signed by 180 members of Congress

    Washington (April 9, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW); the leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko and Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Sean Casten, Mike Levin, and Chellie Pingree; and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in a bicameral letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin calling out his wholesale assault on the central mission of the agency he was appointed to lead.  They were joined by Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, bringing the total to 180 Members of Congress calling on Administrator Zeldin to halt his egregious attacks.

    “In just two months as EPA Administrator, you have demonstrated a complete disregard for the central mission of the agency you were appointed to lead. Instead of protecting the environment – as the agency name directs – you are protecting the special interests of big polluters,” wrote the 180 Members. “We urge you to halt your egregious attacks on the public health and well-being of the American people.”

    They pointed out that, as a result of the Trump EPA repealing and gutting critical environmental and public health protections, communities and families will pay higher health costs and be exposed to more mercury and air toxics from coal-fired power plants and more polluted wastewater from oil and gas producers. 

    “While countries around the world are clamoring for cleaner, cheaper, and more innovative technologies, you are actively hamstringing America’s homegrown clean energy industry, which has already injected $422 billion and 400,000 jobs into our economy in just the past two and a half years,” the lawmakers wrote to Administrator Zeldin. “This is anything but unleashing American energy. At the same time, instead of lowering costs for American families, your actions will result in the opposite. Americans’ medical expenses will increase because your Polluters First agenda will allow particulate matter and other hazardous air pollution to go unchecked.”

    Their letter explained that for every $1 the country spends to reduce air pollution, it is estimated to yield $30 in economic benefits in return. Yet, the Trump EPA is choosing to unleash more air pollutants that are linked to Alzheimer’s, miscarriages, and childhood asthma, as well as other public health concerns.

    “Your actions will needlessly increase American families’ exposure to the pollution that can make them sick and stick them with the bill for their care,” concluded the Members.

    The full letter can be found here.

    Background

    On March 12, Administrator Zeldin announced the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” which included rolling back 31 environmental rules and regulations. This list of actions directly threatens Americans’ health and fundamental right to clean air and water by:

    1. Rolling back National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter – some of the most dangerous air pollution known to directly cause asthma and other health issues;
    2. Gutting EPA rules that prevent hazardous metals like mercury and arsenic from ending up in our water supply;
    3. Reconsidering national emissions standards for cancer-causing hazardous air pollutants, including ethylene oxide;
    4. Ending the “Good Neighbor” rule, which simply acknowledged that pollution does not respect state lines and that downwind states should not be burdened by their neighbors’ pollution;
    5. Repealing power plant emissions standards, allowing existing gas and coal-fired power plants to pump unlimited climate pollution into our air; and
    6. Revoking the landmark “Endangerment Finding” that simply states climate-changing pollutants are dangerous to human health, and which serves as the foundation for climate pollution to be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

    And more.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Oriental fruit fly restrictions lifted – Birkdale area

    Source: Auckland Council

    Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in Auckland’s Birkdale area have been lifted after no further evidence of the Oriental fruit fly was found in the area.

    Biosecurity New Zealand, the biosecurity arm of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)  announced the update today.

    Phil Brown, Auckland Council Head of Natural Environment Delivery, welcomes the news.

    “After a seven-week operation in Birkdale, it’s welcome news to hear that Biosecurity New Zealand is closing out the operation. Thank you to the residents and businesses for their support including following the restrictions, sharing information with their neighbours and helping to protect our natural environment and economy,” says Phil Brown.

    Successful end to fruit fly operation

    The timeline for the operation period is based on scientific advice about the life cycle of the Oriental fruit fly – so Biosecurity New Zealand can be confident that they are not dealing with a breeding population.

    During the operation, more than 2000 individual visits were made to check the 116 fruit fly traps in the Birkdale area throughout the response, over 470 biosecurity bins were distributed in the community to collect produce waste for safe disposal and more than 954 kilos of were fruit collected and examined for any signs of fruit fly eggs or larvae.

    All Aucklanders are encouraged to take full advantage of the food scraps collection service and join thousands in the region who have already helped turn over 40 million kgs of food scraps into clean energy.

    Here’s some summer tips to beat the Autumn heat and you can also request an additional food scraps bin by contacting us.

    A quick and collaborative response

    On 20 February 2025, a single male Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) was identified from a backyard surveillance trap in the suburb of Birkdale, Auckland.

    Biosecurity New Zealand mounted an operation to determine if there were more fruit flies and get rid of any population.

    A controlled area notice was put in place which restricted the movement of fruits and vegetables, and approximately 100 extra fruit fly traps within a 1500m area of the original find were placed, along with MPI staff on the ground to talk to the community.

    This was soon after a similar operation in Papatoetoe and Māngere.

    Since then, no further adult fruit flies, eggs, larvae or pupae have been found. MPI is satisfied that the restrictions can be lifted, and response operations can be closed.

    While restrictions are lifted, stay vigilant. If you think you’ve spotted an Oriental fruit fly, eggs, or larvae/maggots in your fruit, call Biosecurity New Zealand (MPI) right away at 0800 80 99 66.

    MPI will continue as normal to check the 7800 fruit fly traps around the country, including hundreds of traps on the North Shore.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 10, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 10, 2025.

    Keith Rankin Essay – Rational Expectations, Intelligence, and War
    Essay by Keith Rankin. ‘Rational Expectations’ is a problematic theory in economics. Here I want to focus more away from economics; and more on the meanings of ‘rationality’ in decision-making, than on the problematic ambiguity of the word ‘expect’ (and its derivatives such as ‘expectations’). ‘Expectation’ here means what we believe ‘will’ happen, not ‘should’

    Location-sharing apps are enabling domestic violence. But young people aren’t aware of the danger
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Atienzar-Prieto, PhD Candidate, School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University The Conversation/Snapchat Location-sharing apps are shaping how we connect and communicate – especially among younger people. Snap Map, a popular feature within Snapchat, is widely used by teens and young adults to stay in

    Tools like Apple’s photo Clean Up are yet another nail in the coffin for being able to trust our eyes
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Apple Clean Up highlights photo elements that might be deemed distracting. T.J. Thomson You may have seen ads by Apple promoting its new Clean Up feature that can be used to remove elements in a

    Current major party policies fall short for Indigenous communities. Here’s a better path forward
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bartholomew Stanford, Senior Lecturer of Indigenous Studies, Indigenous Education and Research Centre, James Cook University Since the Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023, the Indigenous Affairs portfolio has not featured prominently in policy debates at the national level. As the election campaign continues, there’s yet to be

    Good boy or bad dog? Our 1 billion pet dogs do real environmental damage
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Bateman, Associate Professor, Behavioural Ecology, Curtin University William Edge/Shutterstock There are an estimated 1 billion domesticated dogs in the world. Most are owned animals – pets, companions or working animals who share their lives with humans. They are the most common large predator in the world.

    Labor made plenty of promises at the last election. Did they deliver?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Rindert Algra-Maschio, PhD Candidate, Social and Political Sciences, Monash University Election promises are a mainstay of contemporary politics. Governments cite kept commitments as proof they can be trusted, while oppositions pounce on any failure to deliver. But beyond the politics, campaign pledges are also central to

    Australia urgently needs to get serious about long-term climate policy – but there’s no sign of that in the election campaign
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Head of Energy, Institute for Climate Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University The federal election should be an earnest contest over the fundamentals of Australia’s climate and energy policies. Strong global action on climate change is clearly

    1 in 10 tunnel workers could develop silicosis, our new research shows
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Cole, Occupational Hygienist, PhD Candidate, University of Sydney Around 10% of underground tunnel workers in Queensland could develop silicosis, our new study has found. Silicosis is a serious, incurable lung disease caused by inhaling small particles of silica dust. You might have heard about it in

    Here’s how a ‘silent’ tax hike is balancing the budget – with the heaviest burden on the lowest paid
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Murphy, Visiting Fellow, Economics (modelling), Australian National University With just over three weeks to go until the federal election, both major parties are trying to position themselves as Australia’s better economic managers. Labor was able to hand down two consecutive budget surpluses in its current term.

    Our ancestors didn’t eat 3 meals a day. So why do we?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Culinary Arts & Gastronomy, Auckland University of Technology Shutterstock Pop quiz: name the world’s most famous trio? If you’re a foodie, then your answer might have been breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s an almost universally accepted trinity – particularly in the Western

    Tripped at the first hurdle: fees-free changes could put some students off tertiary study altogether
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Ann Alabaster, PhD candidate, University of Canterbury skynesher/Getty Images The door to tertiary education will likely close for some students now changes have kicked in for the fees-free policy. In 2017, the Labour government introduced a fee holiday for students’ first year of academic study, or

    Europe tops global ranking of dynamic and sustainable cities – here’s why
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascual Berrone, Head of Strategic Management Department and Chair of Sustainability and Business Strategy, IESE Business School (Universidad de Navarra) London, New York and Paris have been named the world’s most dynamic and liveable cities. This is according to a new ranking of global cities that highlights

    Election Diary: Chalmers and Taylor quizzed on personal flaws during animated treasurers’ debate
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Perhaps the most compelling moment, at least for non-economists, in Wednesday night’s debate between Treasurer Jim Chalmers and his “shadow” Angus Taylor was when each man was forced to respond to what critics see as their personal flaws. Moderator Ross

    Politics with Michelle Grattan: Hugh White on what the next PM should tell Trump and defending Australia – without the US
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Trump ascendancy has forced international economic issues and the future strategic outlook onto the Australian election agenda, even if they are at the margins. This campaign – while dominated by domestic issues, notably the cost of living – is

    The Coalition’s domestic gas plan would lower prices – just not very much
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Hepburn, Professor, Deakin Law School, Deakin University A LNG carrier departs Gladstone. Ivan Kuzkin/Shutterstock It surprised many Australians when the Coalition announced a plan straight from the progressive side of politics: force large gas companies to reserve gas for domestic use – at a lower cost

    Can you spot a financial fake? How AI is raising our risks of billing fraud
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Grosse, Director of the Master of Business Analytics, Senior Lecturer, Accounting, University of Technology Sydney Along with the many benefits of artificial intelligence – from providing real time navigation to early disease detection – the explosion in its use has increased opportunities for fraud and deception.

    Running for parliament is still a man’s world, with fewer female candidates – especially in winnable seats
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Australian National University Despite progress towards gender equality in Australian elections, women remain underrepresented among candidates vying for office on May 3. They are also overrepresented in “glass cliff” seats, which are the ones that are difficult to

    Adam Bandt says the Greens can deliver ‘real change’ – but the party should choose its battles more wisely
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Crowley, Adjunct Associate Professor, Public and Environmental Policy, University of Tasmania Federal Greens leader Adam Bandt says the federal election offers “an opportunity for real change”, saying his party would use the balance of power in the next parliament to help deliver serious policy reforms. In

    Don’t let embarrassment stop you – talking about these anal cancer symptoms could save your life
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Mahady, Gastroenterologist & Clinical Epidemiologist, Senior Lecturer, Monash University sarkao/Shutterstock Anal cancer doesn’t get a lot of attention. This may be because it’s relatively rare – anal cancer affects an estimated one to two Australians in every 100,000. As a comparison, melanomas affect around 70 in

    Gold rush Melbourne and post-war boom: how Australia overcame housing shortages in the past
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Stevens, Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University As part of their federal election campaign, the Coalition announced plans to limit the number of international students able to commence study each year to 240,000, “focused on driving […] housing availability and affordability”. This

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: REPS. LAUREN BOEBERT AND TOM TIFFANY’S GRAY WOLF BILL PASSES THROUGH HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lauren Boebert (Colorado, 3)

    WASHINGTON D.C.– The Pet and Livestock Protection Act (PALPA) introduced by Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) and Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) passed through the House Natural Resources Committee today, a major milestone for this legislation’s path to President Trump’s desk. The House Natural Resources Committee voted 24-17 to advance the bill to the House floor.

    The bill delists the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List, prioritizes the safety and success of America’s agriculture community, removes the ability of progressive, activist judges to get in the way of science and allows states to set their own rules and regulations for managing their gray wolf population. 

    “I’m very excited to see PALPA take another step towards being signed into law, which will be a huge victory for our ranchers, farmers, and landowners in Colorado and across America,”said Congresswoman Boebert. “The science has been very clear on this topic for years: gray wolves are fully recovered and their comeback should be touted as a success story. Now it’s time we encourage states to set their own guidelines and allow ranchers, farmers, and landowners to protect their livelihoods. I look forward to voting for this bill on the House floor and ultimately getting it to President Trump for his signature.”

    “The damage to pets, livestock, and wildlife from an unmanaged wolf population can no longer be ignored. The gray wolf has exceeded federal and state recovery goals, with over 1,000 wolves now thriving in Wisconsin. It’s time to take the next step, delist them, and let the people closest to the gray wolf manage their population levels.” said Congressman Tiffany.

    “The Endangered Species Act was never meant to be a Hotel California where species check in but never leave. Congresswoman Boebert and Congressman Tiffany’s Pet and Livestock Protection Act will allow the recovered gray wolf to check out and return management to the states who know the species best. I thank Ms. Boebert and Mr. Tiffany for their work on this important issue,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04).

    “The Colorado Wool Growers Association greatly appreciates Congresswoman Boebert and Congressman Tiffany’s leadership on the efforts to delist the gray wolf,” said Bonnie Eddy, Executive Director of the Colorado Wool Growers Association. “With over 2,000 wolves on the landscape in the western United States, the species has been biologically recovered for years.  Unfortunately, ESA species are often used to restrict land use and control habitat.  Delisting will give farmers, ranchers, and agencies much needed flexibility to manage depredating wolves that kill livestock and to manage the negative impacts to our big game herds.”

    “Hunter Nation salutes the House Natural Resources Committee for voting the ‘Pet and Livestock Protection Act’ out of committee, and thanks Congressman Tom Tiffany and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert for their unwavering support of hunters and our hunting lifestyle,” said Keith Mark, President/Founder of Hunter Nation. “The delisting of the gray wolf is a policy change we have been fighting for since our founding. The recovery of the gray wolf is an incredible conservation success story that should be celebrated. This legislation allows each state to manage the now recovered wolf population just as they manage all other wildlife within the state. The best part of this legislation is the provision that prevents judicial review of the legislative action which will preclude anti-hunting groups from using activist judges to interfere with sound, science-based conservation.”

    “Colorado’s Western Slope has the second largest deposit of natural gas in the world, and wolves on the landscape will put drilling and investing at a full stop–you can open up all the leases and it won’t make a difference if wolves aren’t delisted and dealt with. Energy producers need this bill to pass, or they’ll just pack up and leave the wolves and Colorado’s economy behind,” said Mike Clark, Chairman of the Colorado Conservation Alliance. 

    Congresswoman Boebert’s opening statement from today’s Committee hearing can be found HERE.

    Additional Reading:

    9News: Wolf from Great Lakes dies in Elbert County, Colorado

    USA Today: Colorado Gray Wolf killed after attacking 5 sheep in Wyoming

    The Gazette: Wolves from Canada Arrive in Colorado, Destination Unknown

    Colorado Sun: Ranchers hit Colorado with $580,000 in wolf depredation claims after gray wolf attacks on livestock

    Background:

    The Pet and Livestock Protection Act requires the Secretary of the Interior to reissue the 2020 Department of the Interior final rule that delisted gray wolves in the lower 48 United States. It also ensures this rule cannot be overturned through judicial review, preventing activist judges, like the California judge who vacated the rule in 2022, from relisting the gray wolf by judicial fiat.

    In 2020, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under President Trump delisted the gray wolf in the lower 48 United States through a process that included the best science and data available. At over 6,000 wolves at the time of delisting, the gray wolf has been the latest Endangered Species Act (ESA) success story with significant population recoveries in the Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes regions.

    Despite clear evidence of recovery, a California judge overturned the rule in 2022, relisting the gray wolf under the ESA. In Colorado, foreign gray wolves have been imported in from Canada despite strong pushback from local stakeholders and confusion about how to fund wolf depredation claims.

    32 Members of Congress cosponsored the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, including: Reps. Nick Begich (AK-At-Large), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Cliff Bentz (OR-02), Jeff Crank (CO-05), Eli Crane (AZ-02), Troy Downing (MT-02), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Gabe Evans (CO-08), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Brad Finstad (MN-01), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Harriet Hagemann (WY-At-Large), Andy Harris (MD-01), Jeff Hurd (CO-03), Richard Hudson (NC-09), Mike Kennedy (UT-03), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Max Miller (OH-07), John Moolenaar (MI-02), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Troy Nehls (TX-22), Andy Ogles (TN-05), Scott Perry (PA-10), Bryan Steil (WI-01), Pete Stauber (MN-08), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), and Tony Wied (WI-08).

    Stakeholders that support the Pet and Livestock Protection Act include: American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Public Lands Council (PLC), National Rifle Association (NRA), Safari Club International (SCI), Hunter Nation, International Order of T. Roosevelt (IOTR), Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Blacktail Deer Foundation, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Conservation Alliance, Colorado Wool Growers, New Mexico Cattle Growers, Mesa County, CO, Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers Association, Coalition of Arizona/New Mexico Counties, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, Nebraska Cattlemen, and Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Statement on Brian Nesvik’s USFWS Nomination Clearing EPW Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    April 9, 2025

    Washington, D.C. — Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) congratulated Wyoming’s own Brian Nesvik after the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) voted to support his nomination to serve as Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). He will next be considered by the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

    “Brian Nesvik will do an amazing job leading the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Lummis. “As the committee saw today, Brian has an impressive track record in Wyoming, working with federal, state, and local partners to achieve goals in a collaborative fashion. I’m pleased to see his nomination move quickly out of Senate EPW and I urge my colleagues to swiftly confirm Brian as the next Director of the USFWS.”

    Senator Lummis spoke in support Brian Nesvik’s nomination today during the EPW Committee hearing. Watch it here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Work to protect Ocean Beach begins

    Source: Department of Conservation

    Date:  10 April 2025

    The beach has been off limits to public since 2018 when contaminants including asbestos were found on the beach.

    An asbestos removal company has since cleared about 1.2 tonnes of contaminated material from the beach.

    DOC Operations Manager Murihiku John McCarroll says the risk of public exposure is considered extremely low, but ongoing public and environmental risk is not acceptable, and further erosion will deteriorate the landfill – so there is a need to act.

    This next phase is to prevent any future contamination of the site and allow public access to be restored.

    “DOC and Invercargill City Council (ICC) are collaborating to install a rock seawall between the landfill and the beach,” says John.

    “First, waste will be excavated and sorted, reclaimable clean material will be used within the site and the rest will be removed for disposal at an authorised class A landfill. Up to 6,500 tonne of rocks will then be used to build a 90 m long wall to prevent future erosion and secure this significant heritage site for the Bluff area.”

    The coastal protection wall and landfill removal cost is around $3.5m and is being funded by DOC, ICC and Ministry for the Environment (MfE). The work is being carried out under guidance of the Ocean Beach Landfill Working Party which includes representatives from Environment Southland and Te Ao Mārama inc who represent Murihiku tangata whenua for resource management purposes.

    ICC Chief Engineer Russell Pearson said public safety will be paramount during the work being undertaken.

    “With work happening between April and June this year, there will be, at times, no access to the car park and beach areas. Restrictions will be publicly notified as early as possible.”

    Bluff Community Board Chair Ray Fife said he was glad to see progress: “I am pleased this work is now being undertaken after the extensive investigation.”

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Capito Asks Superfund Experts About Extended Cost and Timeline of Cleanups, Examples from State and Community Efforts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    To watch Chairman Capito’s questions, click here or the image above.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led ahearing on identifying improvements to the future management of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund program. 

    In her questioning, Chairman Capito asked about particular factors that contribute to delays and increase costs of Superfund cleanups, and what actions can be taken from state and volunteer efforts to provide certainty for impacted communities. Additionally, Chairman Capito highlighted the bipartisan agreement to make meaningful improvements to the Superfund program.

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    CAUSE FOR HOLD UP: 

    CHAIRMAN CAPITO: 

    “Let me just kind of dig deeper on this remediation plan and hold up, Mr. Fox, that you’ve talked about. Is it a matter of the best strategy to cleanup a particular site? Is it arguing over the best way to do it? We’ve heard it’s not really arguing over who is going to pay for it, or is that the hold up? Or is it the science has not been done? I don’t know, point to one, or two, or three things in this process that we could change that would make this go faster.”

    ROBERT FOX:

    “There are very known ways to evaluate what the risk is at the site, and how to clean them up. Some sites are more complicated than others, but those general principles that I mentioned, about knowing who’s exposed, knowing what they’re exposed to, and eliminating those pathways – I don’t want to use the wrong term – but it’s not rocket science. We’ve been doing this for a long time. What happens is, the process is so cumbersome, the reports, the back and forth on scientific stuff. It’s not a science project where you have to study every molecule. You can get there much faster, get a remedy selected.”

    ADDITIONAL COSTS COMPARED TO STATE EFFORTS:

    CHAIRMAN CAPITO:

    “I’m assuming that you’ve done cleanups for Superfund sites, and cleanups for private or state level cleanups. So, I want to contrast those. When you when you do a cleanup, say, for a state, or maybe for a private entity, and you don’t have this cumbersome process, would you agree with Mr. Fox at some of the things that are thrown into the Superfund process – how does that work in a different, when you’re doing it for the state or for a private entity?”

    STEVEN RADEL:

    “In 2022 in Indiana, the Superfund site, if we had done that cleanup under the voluntary program of Indiana, versus how we did it under the Superfund program,

    just my consulting costs alone, and to some extent, my legal costs, probably two times more doing it on the Superfund site than if we were in that same work under a voluntary program.”

    CONCERN IN COMMUNITIES:

    CHAIRMAN CAPITO:

    “From the folks that live in and around Superfund sites, they have great economic development promise, in my view, because they are clean, it’s much easier for a developer, in some cases, to come in, because the work’s already been done. What do you see when you go into different communities, about the restlessness of, why is it taking so long, not adding the economics onto the health issues that are sometimes associated with this site. I think what we’re doing, is we’re stymieing communities from being able to have confidence that they can redevelop, or be living in a healthy community.”

    ROBERT FOX:

    “I agree with you 100%, I see it over and over again. Communities are frustrated because the potential exists for a win, win, win. Redevelopment of the site, protective of their human health and the environment, and the longer it goes on, they become distrustful. They become distrustful of EPA, they become distrustful of the private parties that are doing the work, and it feeds upon itself. Speeding up the process will get this back to productive use, and eliminate the exposure of these communities, and they will eliminate that distrust.”

    BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT:

    “I would like to say just in closing, that I think, first of all, this has been an excellent hearing because you’re all so knowledgeable on the issue, having lived it. But I think we have good, bipartisan agreement here that the system is broken. We’ve put more money in this, recently, and we want to see it result in the completion of these projects as much as you do. So, let’s work together to try and find a solution. Hopefully we can ameliorate some of the problems that have been identified today.”

    Click HERE to watch Chairman Capito’s questions.

    Click HERE to watch Chairman Capito’s opening statement.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Local News – Nominations now open for 2025 Porirua Civic Awards

    Source: Porirua City Council

    Porirua City Council is calling for nominations for the city’s highest honour. The Porirua Civic Awards recognise locals who have made a significant contribution to the Porirua community by their personal leadership, inspiration, sacrifice or commitment to a cause.
    Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says volunteers are at the heart of our community with many working tirelessly behind the scenes on a wide range of activities. “Porirua Civic Awards give us a chance to recognise and thank individual volunteers for their efforts and encourage them to keep up the good work achieving positive outcomes for Porirua city,” she says. “Porirua is a city with a fantastic network of volunteers. If you know someone who’s made a difference in your community, nominate them today!” This year’s Civic Awards have an additional category, service to sport. The full list of categories, and some of the criteria, is outlined below:
    • Community service: Consistently demonstrates qualities of compassion and service to a community organisation or a variety of volunteer activities
    • Cultural & art affairs: Improvement and enhancement of participation in cultural affairs, including heritage, music and the arts
    • Educational service: Improvement and enhancement of the educational and social development of others including children and/or youth
    • Environmental: Taking a leadership role in improving and/or revitalising the environment
    • Health & wellbeing: Enhancing the health and wellbeing of our community
    • Service to sport: An individual honoured for exceptional commitment and dedication, who has significantly contributed to a club, association or sport and has gone the extra mile for an extended period of time
    • Youth service: For young people aged 15-25 who have carried out outstanding voluntary service. The emphasis should be on how actively involved the young person has been in their community.
    Nominations close on 19 May, with Council considering nominations on 12 June. Recipients will be notified later in June, before a Civic Awards event on 22 July. “Nominations are also open for the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards, which celebrate volunteer groups that make a valuable contribution to our city, and to our region,” says Mayor Baker.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Visits Southern Colorado to Discuss Colorado’s Leadership in Aerospace, Public Safety, Workforce Development & Saving Coloradans Money

    Source: US State of Colorado

    SOUTHERN COLORADO – Today, Governor Polis was in Colorado Springs and Pueblo focusing on Colorado’s nation-leading aerospace industry, and Colorado’s efforts to save people money, improve public safety, and strengthen the state’s workforce.

    Governor Polis attended the 2025 Space Symposium conference highlighting Colorado’s leadership in the aerospace sector and speaking with industry and business leaders from around the world. At the symposium, the Governor joined with Swisspod to announce their expanded presence in Colorado, including X new jobs. He also signed a Memorandum of Collaboration with New Zealand’s Space Minister Juidth Collins to strengthen the partnership between Colorado and New Zealand around aerospace, quantum and geothermal technology.

    “In Colorado, we are focused on our nation-leading work in the Aerospace industry, creating new pathways for Aerospace businesses to thrive and grow in our state, and maintaining mission readiness to ensure national security. Despite Trump’s reckless tariffs, which are threatening Colorado’s aerospace industry, workforce and military readiness, we continue working to ensure that Colorado remains the best in the nation for aerospace. I am glad  to be joined by leaders from around the world to discuss innovative ways to utilize and strengthen the aerospace economy and protect our robust space ecosystem in Colorado,” said Governor Polis.

    Earlier in the week, Lt. Governor Dianne Primvavera and co-chair of Colorado Space Coalition also toured the symposium and spoke with business and industry leaders.

    “Colorado is proud to be a national leader across national security, civil, and commercial space. From advancing space exploration to ensuring our national security in the space domain, space touches every aspect of American life,” said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera. “We are thrilled to once again welcome the global space community to Colorado Springs for the Space Symposium—an event that showcases the groundbreaking work being done right here in our state. As this ecosystem continues to grow, the Polis-Primavera administration remains committed to fostering innovation and collaboration.”

    Colorado is first in the nation for the concentration of aerospace jobs, and second nationally for total aerospace employment with more than 55,000 employees at over 2,000 Colorado aerospace companies. Colorado is also proud to be home to key national security space missions, including U.S. Space Command, U.S. Space Force Space Operations Command, and the majority of operational U.S. Space Force deltas as well asNORAD, where members of the Canadian Armed Forces are stationed and work closely alongside American counterparts to protect North American aerospace and maritime security. All of which is threatened by Trump’s tariffs. Colorado in 2024 exported $500 million in aerospace, spacecraft and related parts, accounting for roughly 4.8% of all Colorado exports. The European Union, Brazil, France, Canada and Mexico were the top five export destinations, accounting for 63% of Colorado’s aerospace exports. In 2024, Colorado imported $1 Billion of aerospace, spacecraft and related parts, accounting for roughly 6.2% of all Colorado imports. Switzerland, the EU, Germany, Canada, and France were the top five import sources, accounting for over 90% of Colorado’s aerospace imports.

    The Governor also visited Safe Passage, an accredited Children Advocacy Center in Colorado Springs. Safe Passage gives abused children and adults a voice and enables the healing process by acting as the single source of contact for medical, investigative, and legal services. Colorado is committed to increasing public safety for everyone, and creating more pathways for children to get the necessary resources needed to heal.

    “No child deserves to endure abuse or mistreatment, which is why in Colorado we are working to increase public safety and invest in more resources for victims and survivors. The caretakers at Safe Passage are doing incredible work to support victims and guide them through the healing process to a brighter future,” said Governor Polis.

    Governor Polis made two visits in Pueblo, the first focused on Colorado’s work to strengthen the state’s healthcare workforce through Opportunity Now.

    The Office of Economic Development and International Trade’s (OEDIT) Opportunity Now program has invested $1.4 million to help Coloradans train as nurses at CSU-Pueblo through the Southern Colorado Partners Leading Advancement in Nursing Track (PLANT). This effort serves 15 counties in Southern Colorado and is focused on reducing the infant mortality rate and improving quality of care for Coloradans over the age of 65.

    “In Colorado, we are committed to investing in our healthcare workforce to help save Coloradans more money on healthcare. Creating avenues where Colordans can earn the skills necessary to fill gaps in our rural healthcare system is crucial to expanding coverage for families, and older adults in Southern Colorado to receive the necessary care they deserve,” said Governor Polis.

    Next, Governor Polis visited with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members in Pueblo who are working to help Coloradans file taxes for free and take advantage of tax credits that save people money. This effort is supported by United Way of Pueblo county, and partially funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment’s Economic Mobility program. The AmeriCorps team began their work in January and will serve through April 11.The AmeriCorps NCCC team also spends one day a week supporting food security in Pueblo with Rocky Mountain Service, Employment and Redevelopment.

    “We want every Coloradan to take advantage of the tax credits available in our state, and this team of Americorps members, as well as others around the state, are helping to make that possible and they’re doing it for free. Their service is breaking through the hassle that doing taxes can be, and we appreciate their service,” said Governor Jared Polis.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance

    Source: The White House

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

    Section 1.  Purpose.  The commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce of the United States has been weakened by decades of Government neglect, leading to the decline of a once strong industrial base while simultaneously empowering our adversaries and eroding United States national security.  Both our allies and our strategic competitors produce ships for a fraction of the cost needed in the United States.  Recent data shows that the United States constructs less than one percent of commercial ships globally, while the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is responsible for producing approximately half.
    Rectifying these issues requires a comprehensive approach that includes securing consistent, predictable, and durable Federal funding, making United States-flagged and built vessels commercially competitive in international commerce, rebuilding America’s maritime manufacturing capabilities (the Maritime Industrial Base), and expanding and strengthening the recruitment, training, and retention of the relevant workforce.

    Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States to revitalize and rebuild domestic maritime industries and workforce to promote national security and economic prosperity.

    Sec. 3.  Maritime Action Plan.  (a)  Within 210 days of the date of this order, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) the APNSA deems appropriate, shall submit a Maritime Action Plan (MAP) to the President, through the APNSA and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Director) to achieve the policy set forth in this order.
    (b)  The OMB Director, in coordination with the APNSA, shall be responsible for all legislative, regulatory, and fiscal assessments related to the MAP.  
    (c)  The MAP shall, to the extent permissible and consistent with applicable law, including the Buy American Act (41 U.S.C. 8301–8305), reflect actions taken pursuant to sections 4 through 21 of this order.

    Sec. 4.  Ensure the Security and Resilience of the Maritime Industrial Base.  Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall provide to the APNSA and the OMB Director for inclusion in the MAP an assessment of options both for the use of available authorities and resources, such as Defense Production Act Title III authorities, and for the use of private capital to the maximum extent possible to invest in and expand the Maritime Industrial Base including, but not limited to, investment and expansion of commercial and defense shipbuilding capabilities, component supply chains, ship repair and marine transportation capabilities, port infrastructure, and the adjacent workforce.  The Secretary of Defense shall pursue using the Office of Strategic Capital loan program to improve the shipbuilding industrial base.  As part of their assessment, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall:
    (a)  identify key maritime components in the supply chain that are essential for rebuilding and expanding the Maritime Industrial Base and that should be prioritized for investment;
    (b)  ensure that their recommendations of public and private investments are made according to a clear metric, derived in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, of return on invested capital for the United States taxpayer and to the economic and national security of the United States; and
    (c)  ensure that their recommendations take into consideration the projected increases to commercial and defense capabilities, the projected growth in economic activity, and the projected benefits for taxpayers and the workforce.

    Sec. 5. Actions in the Investigation of the PRC’s Unfair Targeting of Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors. (a)  With respect to the actions, if any, that the USTR determines to take consistent with the USTR’s notice of public hearing entitled Proposed Action in Section 301 Investigation of the PRC’s Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance, 90 Fed. Reg. 10843 (February 27, 2025), the USTR shall:
    (i)   coordinate with appropriate agencies to collect additional information, as appropriate and to the extent permitted by law, in support of administering such actions; and 
    (ii)  coordinate with the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to take appropriate steps to enforce any restriction, fee, penalty, or duty imposed pursuant to such actions.
    (b)  Based on the USTR’s determinations arising out of its Section 301 investigation into the PRC’s targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors, the USTR shall also consider taking all necessary steps permitted by law to propose the following actions:
    (i)   tariffs on ship-to-shore cranes manufactured, assembled, or made using components of PRC origin, or manufactured anywhere in the world by a company owned, controlled, or substantially influenced by a PRC national; and
    (ii)  tariffs on other cargo handling equipment.

    Sec. 6.  Enforce Collection of Harbor Maintenance Fee and Other Charges.  In order to prevent cargo carriers from circumventing the Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF) on imported goods through the practice of making port in Canada or Mexico and sending their cargo into the United States through land borders, and to ensure the collection of other charges as applicable, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take all necessary steps, including proposing new legislation, as permitted by law to:
    (a)  require all foreign-origin cargo arriving by vessel to clear the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) entry process at a United States port of entry for security and collection of all applicable duties, customs, taxes, fees, interest, and other charges; and
    (b)  ensure any foreign-origin cargo first arriving by vessel to North America clearing the CBP process at an inland location from the country of land transit (Canada or Mexico) is assessed applicable customs, duties, taxes, fees (including the HMF), interest, and other charges plus a 10 percent service fee for additional costs to the CBP, so long as the cargo being shipped into the United States is not substantially transformed from its condition at the time of arrival into the country of land transit (with the discretion for such decisions to be determined by CBP).

    Sec. 7.  Engage Allies and Partners to Align Trade Policies.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the USTR, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce, shall engage treaty allies, partners, and other like-minded countries around the world with respect to their potential imposition of any actions taken pursuant to sections 5 and 6 of this order.  The USTR shall deliver an engagement plan and progress report on these engagements to the President.

    Sec. 8.  Reduce Dependence on Adversaries through Allies and Partners.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, shall recommend to the APNSA and the OMB Director for inclusion in the MAP all available incentives to help shipbuilders domiciled in allied nations partner to undertake capital investment in the United States to help strengthen the shipbuilding capacity of the United States.

    Sec. 9.  Launch a Maritime Security Trust Fund.  In conjunction with the formulation of the President’s Budget, the OMB Director shall, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation, develop a legislative proposal, which shall be described in detail in the MAP, to establish a Maritime Security Trust Fund that can serve as a reliable funding source to deliver consistent support for MAP programs.  This proposal shall consider how new or existing tariff revenue, fines, fees, or tax revenue could further the goal of establishing a more reliable, dedicated funding source for programs support by the MAP.

    Sec. 10.  Shipbuilding Financial Incentives Program.  In conjunction with the formulation of the President’s Budget and consistent with the findings of the report required under section 12 of this order, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit a legislative proposal to the APNSA and the OMB Director, which shall be described in detail in the MAP, that establishes a financial incentives program with broad flexibility to incentivize private investment in the construction of commercial components, parts, and vessels; capital improvements to commercial vessel shipyards; capital improvements to commercial vessel repair facilities and drydocks through grants; and Federal Credit Reform Act-compliant loans and loan guarantees.  Such proposal may augment or replace existing programs with similar purpose including the Small Shipyard Grant Program and the Federal Ship Financing (Title XI) Program.

    Sec. 11.  Establish Maritime Prosperity Zones.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall deliver a plan to the President through the APNSA for inclusion in the MAP that identifies opportunities to incentivize and facilitate domestic and allied investment in United States maritime industries and waterfront communities through establishment of maritime prosperity zones.  The proposal shall: (a) model these maritime prosperity zones on the opportunity zones established pursuant to section 13823 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-97, 131 Stat. 2054), which I signed into law during my first Administration;
    (b) include stipulations for appropriate regulatory relief in the establishment of such zones; and
    (c) provide for zones that are outside of traditional coastal shipbuilding and ship repair centers and are geographically diverse, including river regions as well as the Great Lakes.

    Sec. 12.  Report on Maritime Industry Needs.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Transportation, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the heads of other agencies as appropriate, shall deliver a report to the OMB Director and APNSA for inclusion in the MAP that inventories Federal programs that could be used to sustain and grow the supply of and demand for the United States maritime industry.  The report and inventory shall include:
    (a)  any Federal programs that provide financial and regulatory incentives for United States shipping, shipbuilding, and shipbuilding supply chains, including the training of shipbuilders and United States-credentialed mariners; 
    (b)  Maritime Administration programs such as the Tanker Security Program, Cable Security Fleet, Maritime Security Programs, Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance Program, Title XI, Assistance to Small Shipyards, Port Infrastructure Development Program, the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), and programs that support the State Maritime Academies;
    (c)  existing domestic cargo preference laws, including the Military Cargo Preference Act of 1904, as amended, (10 U.S.C. 2631) and the Cargo Preference Act of 1954, as amended, (46 U.S.C. 55304), and whether and how they can be used to ensure that United States cargo is transported on United States-built and flagged vessels, including a review of the existing waiver process and all current waivers to ensure they are consistent with the promotion of American domestic shipping;
    (d)  other available means that could further support the industry, including modifications of existing programs, establishment of new programs, and tax and regulatory relief; and
    (e)  in coordination with the National Security Council and the Office of Management and Budget, the costs and benefits of increased cargo preference rates, including on liquid cargo carriers, tankers, and military useful vessels, and options for increasing cargo preference compliance and directing open market procurement of shipping to meet urgent military needs for maritime vessels.

    Sec. 13.  Expand Mariner Training and Education.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall deliver a report to the President through the APNSA for inclusion in the MAP with recommendations to address workforce challenges in the maritime sector through maritime educational institutions and workforce transitions.  
    (a)  In preparing their report, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall consult, as needed, with industry stakeholders including private industry and labor organizations. 
    (b)  The report shall:
    (i)    include the current number of credentialed mariners and estimate the additional credentialed mariners required to support the policies described in this order;
    (ii)   analyze the impact of establishing new and expanding existing merchant marine academies as a means of educating, training, and certifying the additional credentialed merchant mariners estimated under subsection (b)(i) of this section;
    (iii)  identify any requirements for credentialing mariners that are unnecessary, insufficient, or unduly burdensome and provide recommendations for reform;
    (iv)   inventory existing educational and technical training grants and scholarships to colleges and vocational-technical training institutions for critical shipbuilding specialties and other maritime studies, and provide recommendations for enhancement; and
    (v)    assess the United States Coast Guard credentialing program applicability to United States Navy Active Duty and Reserve sailors to increase opportunities for sailors to transfer into the Merchant Marine with validated skills.
    (c)  Consistent with the findings of the report and in conjunction with the formulation of the President’s Budget, the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall deliver a legislative proposal to the APNSA and the OMB Director that:
    (i)    reflects the recommendations of the report required under this section;
    (ii)   establishes national maritime scholarships to send promising maritime experts abroad to learn cutting edge techniques and subjects, such as innovative maritime logistics, clean fuels and advanced nuclear energy, human-machine teaming, and additive manufacturing and other advanced technologies; and
    (iii)  offers scholarships to maritime experts from allied countries to teach at United States institutions. 

    Sec. 14.  Modernize the United States Merchant Marine Academy.  
    (a) The Secretary of Transportation shall: 
    (i) within 30 days of this order consistent with applicable law and available appropriations, take action to hire the necessary facilities staff and reprogram budgetary resources needed to execute urgent deferred maintenance projects and any other mission critical repair works at the USMMA;
    (ii) take immediate action to finalize a long-term master facilities plan (LMFP) for the modernization of the USMMA campus and submit such plan to the APNSA and OMB Director for concurrence; and
    (iii) within 90 days of the concurrence described in subsection (a)(ii) of this section, in consultation with the Department of Government Efficiency, submit a 5-year capital improvement plan (CIP) consistent with the LMFP to the APNSA and OMB Director that includes capital project budgets, schedules, and sequencing, as well as an inventory of deferred maintenance items necessary to sustain campus operations through completion of the CIP.
    (b) All actions taken pursuant to this section shall be detailed in the MAP.

    Sec. 15.  Improve Procurement Efficiency.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of the National Science Foundation shall develop a proposal for improved acquisition strategies processes for United States Government vessels and submit such proposal to APNSA and the OMB Director for inclusion in the MAP.  The proposal shall:      (a) have as its objective providing American shipbuilders with market forecasting needed to justify investments in infrastructure, workforce, and intellectual property to meet United States demand;
    (b) include reforms recommended by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security related to:
    (i) staff structure and innovations in acquisition strategies that will improve Federal vessel procurement; and
    (ii) reductions of the layers of approval needed to execute, build, and improve the vessel acquisition process, including by utilizing commercial acquisition and modular design practices that reduce complexity and prevent frequent changes to ship designs;
    (c) identify for elimination excessive requirements, including the number of Government reviews and onerous regulations that add to ship design and acquisition delays; and
    (d)  consider use of broad industry standards and American-made readily available parts and components to drive up production volume while shrinking the iterative design process, which historically has led to delays and cost increases.  

    Sec. 16.  Improve Government Efficiency.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Department of Government Efficiency shall begin a separate review of the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security vessel procurement processes and deliver a proposal to the President, through the APNSA for inclusion in the MAP, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of these processes.   

    Sec. 17.  Increase the Fleet of Commercial Vessels Trading Internationally under the flag of the United States.  Within 180 days of the date of this order, in conjunction with the formulation of the President’s Budget and consistent with the findings of the report required under section 12 of this section, the Secretary of Transportation shall in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, deliver a legislative proposal to the APNSA and OMB Director for inclusion in the MAP that:
    (a)  is designed to ensure that adequate cubed footage and gross tonnage of United States-flagged commercial vessels can be called upon in times of crisis, while limiting the likelihood of Government waste;
    (b)  provides incentives that will:
    (i)   grow the fleet of United States built, crewed, and flagged vessels that serve as readily deployable assets for national security purposes; and
    (ii)  increase the participation of United States commercial vessels in international trade; and
    (c)  enhances existing subsidies to include coverage of certain construction or modification costs in a manner designed to enhance incentives for the commercial shipping industry to operate militarily useful ships that trade internationally under the flag of the United States.

    Sec. 18.  Ensure the Security and Leadership of Arctic Waterways.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall develop a strategy that identifies the vision, goals, and objectives necessary to secure arctic waterways and enable American prosperity in the face of evolving arctic security challenges and associated risks, and deliver it to the APNSA for inclusion in the MAP.

    Sec. 19.  Shipbuilding Review.  Within 45 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall conduct a review of shipbuilding for United States Government use and submit a report to the President with recommendations to increase the number of participants and competitors within United States shipbuilding, and to reduce cost overruns and production delays for surface, subsurface, and unmanned programs.  This report must include separate itemized and prioritized lists of recommendations for the United States Army, Navy, and Coast Guard and shall be included in the MAP.

    Sec. 20.  Deregulatory Initiatives.  Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall conduct a review of their regulations, and implementation thereof, across all components pertaining to the domestic commercial maritime fleet and maritime port access to determine where each agency may be able to deregulate within the framework of Executive Order 14192 of January 31, 2025 (Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation), to reduce unnecessary costs and clear barriers to emerging technology and related efficiencies.  Each agency will submit a report of its findings to the OMB Director and to the APNSA for inclusion in the MAP.

    Sec. 21.  Inactive Reserve Fleet.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct a review and issue guidance on the funding, retention, support, and mobilization of a robust inactive reserve fleet.  This review and guidance shall be delivered to the APNSA for inclusion in the MAP. 

    Sec. 22.  Coordination.  Unless otherwise specified in this order, the plans, reports, reviews, and recommendations that are required to be submitted to the President by this order shall be developed through interagency coordination in accordance with National Security Presidential Memorandum 1 of January 20, 2025 (Organization of the National Security Council and Subcommittees), or its successors.

    Sec. 23.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

    Sec. 24.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        April 9, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Good boy or bad dog? Our 1 billion pet dogs do real environmental damage

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Bateman, Associate Professor, Behavioural Ecology, Curtin University

    William Edge/Shutterstock

    There are an estimated 1 billion domesticated dogs in the world. Most are owned animals – pets, companions or working animals who share their lives with humans. They are the most common large predator in the world. Pet cats trail far behind, at about 220 million.

    We are all too aware of the negative effects of cats, both owned and feral, on wildlife. Feral dogs too are frequently seen as threats to biodiversity, although dingoes can have a positive role. By contrast, our pet dogs often seem to get a free pass.

    This is, unfortunately, based more on feelings than data. Our beloved pet dogs have a far greater, more insidious and more concerning effect on wildlife and the environment than we would like to be the case.

    In our new research, we lay out the damage pet dogs do and what can be done about it.

    Dogs are predators. They catch many types of wildlife and can injure or kill them. Their scent and droppings scare smaller animals. Then there’s the huge environmental cost of feeding these carnivores and the sheer quantity of their poo.

    We love our pet dogs, but they come with a very real cost. We have to recognise this and take steps to protect wildlife by leashing or restraining our animals.

    The predator in your home

    Dogs are domesticated wolves, bred to be smaller, more docile and extremely responsive to humans. But they are still predators.

    Pet dogs are responsible for more reported attacks on wildlife than are cats, according to data from wildlife care centres, and catch larger animals.

    Pet dogs off the leash are the main reason colonies of little penguins are nearing collapse in Tasmania.

    In New Zealand, a single escaped pet dog is estimated to have killed up to 500 brown kiwis out of a total population of 900 over a five-week period.

    Once off the leash, dogs love to chase animals and birds. This may seem harmless.
    But being chased can exhaust tired migratory birds, forcing them to use more energy. Dogs can kill fledglings of beach-nesting birds, including endangered birds such as the hooded plover.

    The mere presence of these predators terrifies many animals and birds. Even when they’re on the leash, local wildlife are on high alert. This has measurable negative effects on bird abundance and diversity across woodland sites in eastern Australia.

    In the United States, deer are more alert and run sooner and farther if they see a human with a leashed dog than a human alone.

    Several mammal species in the United States perceived dogs with a human as a bigger threat than coyotes.

    Dogs don’t even have to be present to be bad for wildlife. They scent-mark trees and posts with their urine and leave their faeces in many places. These act as warnings to many other species. Researchers in the US found animals such as deer, foxes and even bobcats avoided areas dogs had been regularly walked compared to dog exclusion zones, due to the traces they left.

    Beach-nesting birds such as hooded plovers are vulnerable to off-leash dogs, who can easily trample eggs, kill hatchlings or scare off the parents.
    Martin Pelanek/Shutterstock

    Keeping dogs healthy and fed has a cost

    The medications we use to rid our pet dogs of fleas or ticks can last weeks on fur, and wash off when they plunge into a creek or river. But some of these medications have ingredients highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, meaning a quick dip can be devastating.

    Researchers have found when birds such as blue tits and great tits collect brushed-out dog fur to line their nests, it can lead to fewer eggs hatching and more dead hatchlings.

    Then there’s the poo. In the US, there are about 90 million pet dogs, while the UK has 12 million and Australia has 6 million.

    The average dog deposits 200 grams of faeces and 400 millilitres of urine a day. This translates to a tonne of faeces and 2,000 litres of urine over a 13 year lifespan. Scaled up, that’s a mountain of waste.

    This waste stream can add to nitrogen pollution in waterways, alter soil chemistry and even spread diseases to humans and other wildlife. More than 80% of the pathogens infecting domesticated animals also infect wildlife.

    Dogs largely eat meat, meaning millions of cows and chickens are raised just to feed our pets. Feeding the world’s dogs leads to about the same emissions as the Philippines and a land use “pawprint” twice the size of the UK.

    No one likes thinking about this

    People love their dogs. They’re always happy to see us. Their companionship makes us healthier, body and mind. Many farms couldn’t run without working dogs. We don’t want to acknowledge they can also cause harm.

    Dogs, of course, are not bad. They’re animals, with natural instincts as well as the domesticated instinct to please us. But their sheer numbers mean they do real damage.

    Many of us have a large dog-shaped blind spot. Little Brutus wouldn’t have done something like that, we think. But Brutus can and does.

    Choosing to own a dog comes with responsibilities. Being a good dog owner means caring not just for the animal we love, but the rest of the natural world.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Good boy or bad dog? Our 1 billion pet dogs do real environmental damage – https://theconversation.com/good-boy-or-bad-dog-our-1-billion-pet-dogs-do-real-environmental-damage-252726

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Helps Reintroduce Bill to Protect the Ruby Mountains from Oil and Gas Drilling Pushed by the Trump Administration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) in reintroducing legislation to expand protections for and prohibit oil and gas development in Nevada’s beautiful and pristine Ruby Mountains. Their reintroduction of the Ruby Mountains Protection Act follows the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to reopen the Rubies to speculative oil and gas drilling. Last Congress, this bill advanced out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support.
    “Instead of taking meaningful action to bolster American energy independence, the Trump Administration is taking reckless and unproductive steps that endanger Nevada lands with low likelihood of oil and gas production,” said Senator Rosen. “That’s why I’m introducing this bill with Senator Cortez Masto to fight back against President Trump’s efforts and protect the Ruby Mountains from drilling. I’ll keep pushing back against this wrongheaded approach that threatens the Ruby Mountains and other beautiful parts of our state.”
    “The natural beauty of the Ruby Mountains, Nevada’s Swiss Alps, is beloved by locals and draws tourists from across the country,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Unproductive oil and gas drilling would only harm Northern Nevada’s tourism economy and keep this natural treasure from generations of future Nevadans. There’s bipartisan support for my legislation, and there is no reason not to pass it into law.”
    The Ruby Mountains Protection Act would withdraw approximately 450,000 acres of National Forest land, comprising the Ruby Mountain Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, from any eligibility for oil and gas leasing. The bill will also expand protection to the 39,926-acre Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The Ruby Mountains Protection Act would not affect any recreational use of these pristine lands, including for hunting, hiking, and fishing.
    Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto are champions for Nevada’s great outdoor spaces and public lands. They recently joined Nevada’s Congressional delegation in urging the Trump Administration to preserve national monument designations in Nevada. The Senators passed critical legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects public lands in Nevada and across the U.S. They also passed bipartisan, bicameral legislation to reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, and they delivered critical funding to protect Lake Tahoe in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Last year, Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto announced over $375 million for recreation and conservation projects across Nevada.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
    Section 1.  Purpose.  In our country, laws are supposed to provide the certainty and order necessary to foster liberty and innovation.  Instead, our vast regulatory structure often serves to constrict ordered liberty, not promote it.  The United States Code itself is more than 60,000 pages.  But unelected agency officials write most of the complex, legally binding rules on top of that, often stretching these statutory provisions beyond what the Congress enacted. 
    In particular, the previous administration added more pages to the Federal Register than any other in history, with the result that the Code of Federal Regulations now approaches a staggering 200,000 pages.  These regulations linger in such volume that serious reexamination seldom occurs.This regime of governance-by-regulator has imposed particularly severe costs on energy production, where innovation is critical.  The net result is an energy landscape perpetually trapped in the 1970s.  By rescinding outdated regulations that serve as a drag on progress, we can stimulate innovation and deliver prosperity to everyday Americans. 
    This order directs certain agencies to incorporate a sunset provision into their regulations governing energy production to the extent permitted by law, thus compelling those agencies to reexamine their regulations periodically to ensure that those rules serve the public good. 
    Sec. 2.  Definitions.  For the purposes of this order:(a)  “Conditional Sunset Date” means the date a regulation will cease to be effective and be removed from the Code of Federal Regulations, if the agency does not extend the Sunset Date pursuant to section 4(d) of this order.(b)  “Covered Agency” means one of the agencies listed in section 3(a) of this order.(c)  “Covered Regulation” means a regulation issued in whole or in part pursuant to a statutory authority listed in sections 3(b)-(j) of this order. (d)  “DOGE Team Lead” means the leader of the DOGE Team at each agency as described in Executive Order 14158.(e)  “Regulation” means each part, subpart, or individual provision of the Code of Federal Regulations promulgated under an agency rule as defined in 5 U.S.C. 551(4).
    Sec. 3.  Covered Agencies and Regulations.  (a)  This order applies to the following agencies and their subcomponents:  the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Department of Energy (DoE); the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).  It further applies to the following agency subcomponents:  the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), all within the Department of the Interior; and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), within the United States Army.(b)  For the DoE, this order applies to all regulations issued pursuant to the following statutes and any amendments thereto:(i)    the Atomic Energy Act of 1954;(ii)   the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987;(iii)  the Energy Policy Act of 1992;(iv)   the Energy Policy Act of 2005; and(v)    the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.(c)  For FERC, this order applies to all regulations issued pursuant to the following statutes and any amendments thereto:(i)    the Federal Power Act of 1935; (ii)   the Natural Gas Act of 1938; and(iii)  the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978.(d)  For the NRC, this order applies to all regulations issued pursuant to the following statutes and any amendments thereto:(i)    the Atomic Energy Act of 1954;(ii)   the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974; and(iii)  the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982.(e)  For the OSMRE, this order applies to all regulations issued pursuant to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and any amendments thereto.(f)  For the BLM, this order applies to all regulations issued pursuant to the following statutes and any amendments thereto:(i)    the Mining Act of 1872; (ii)   the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976; and (iii)  the Energy Policy Act of 2005.(g)  For the BOEM, this order applies to all regulations issued pursuant to the following statutes and any amendments thereto:(i)   the Outer Continental Shelf Act of 1953; and(ii)  the Energy Policy Act of 2005.(h)  For the BSEE, this order applies to all regulations issued pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf Act of 1953 and any amendments thereto.(i)  For the FWS, this order applies to all regulations issued pursuant to the following statutes and any amendments thereto:(i)     the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act;(ii)    the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918;(iii)   the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1934;(iv)    the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act of 1965;    (v)     the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972;(vi)    the Endangered Species Act of 1973;(vii)   the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976; and(viii)  the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982.(j)  For the EPA and ACE, within 30 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of the EPA and Secretary of the Army shall provide to the President, through the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Director), a list of statutes vesting EPA and ACE with regulatory authority that shall be subject to this order.   
    Sec. 4.  Zero-Based Regulating.  (a)  To the extent consistent with applicable law, each of the Covered Agencies shall issue a sunset rule, effective not later than September 30, 2025, that inserts a Conditional Sunset Date into each of their Covered Regulations.(b)  The sunset rule shall provide that each Covered Regulation in effect on the date of this order shall have a Conditional Sunset Date of 1 year after the effective date of the sunset rule, subject to the process set forth in subsection (d) of this section.  Unless the extension condition specified in subsection (d) of this section is satisfied, agencies will treat Covered Regulations as ceasing to be effective on that date for all purposes.  An agency shall not take any action to enforce such an ineffective regulation and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, shall remove it from the Code of Federal Regulations. (c)  In any new Covered Regulation, to the maximum extent consistent with law, the relevant Covered Agency shall include a Conditional Sunset Date that is not more than 5 years in the future.  Amendments to any Covered Regulation shall provide that they do not reset that regulation’s Conditional Sunset Date and shall be subject to the same Conditional Sunset Date as the amended regulation.  The OMB Director may exempt a new regulation or amendment from the requirements of this paragraph if he determines that the new regulation or amendment has a net deregulatory effect.(d)  The sunset provision added to existing and new Covered Regulations shall provide that the agency will offer the public an opportunity to comment on the costs and benefits of each regulation, such as through a request for information, prior to a rule’s expiration, and following such opportunity the Conditional Sunset Date for that Covered Regulation may be extended if the agency finds an extension is warranted.  A request for information shall not automatically extend the Conditional Sunset Date.  A Covered Agency may extend the Conditional Sunset Date for a particular Covered Regulation as many times as is appropriate, but never to a date more than 5 years in the future.
    Sec. 5.  Implementation.  (a)  Neither a determination to extend the Conditional Sunset Date of a particular regulation, nor a regulation that expires as a result this order, shall count towards the ten-for-one regulatory requirement in Executive Order 14192 of January 31, 2025 (Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation).(b)  Agency heads shall coordinate with their DOGE Team Leads and the Office of Management and Budget to implement this order.(c)  This order shall not apply to regulatory permitting regimes authorized by statute.
    Sec. 6.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any agency, person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other agencies, persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
    Sec. 7.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or(ii)  the functions of the OMB Director relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
    THE WHITE HOUSE,    April 9, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Government meeting (2025, No. 12)

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    1. On the draft federal law “On Amendments to Articles 162 and 264 of Part Two of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation”

    The bill proposes not to impose value added tax on funds received by an energy sales organization authorized to carry out the purchase and sale of electrical energy (capacity) for the purpose of supplying electrical energy (capacity) in the territories of new constituent entities of the Russian Federation until January 1, 2028.

    2. On the draft federal law “On Amendments to the Budget Code of the Russian Federation and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” (in terms of budget monitoring and other issues of organizing the budget process)

    The draft law is aimed, among other things, at implementing certain instructions of the President of Russia in terms of organizing control over the inclusion in state (municipal) contracts, agreements, contracts (contracts) of provisions on treasury support in cases established by the budget legislation of the Russian Federation.

    3. On the draft federal law “On Amendments to the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses”

    The bill is aimed at establishing administrative liability for violations of the provisions on treasury support.

    4. On the draft amendments of the Government of the Russian Federation to the draft federal law No. 107057-7 “On Amendments to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation”

    The draft amendments were developed in connection with the need to create a mechanism for legal regulation of state registration of the housing stock.

    5. On the allocation to the Ministry of Construction of Russia in 2025 from the reserve fund of the Government of the Russian Federation of budgetary appropriations for the provision of subsidies from the federal budget to the budgets of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Zaporizhia region for the purpose of co-financing the expenditure obligations of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation arising from the implementation of measures to build apartment buildings, the developers or owners of which have not been determined

    The draft order is aimed at ensuring the completion of construction and commissioning of multi-apartment residential buildings in the territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Zaporizhia Oblast, the developers or owners of which have not been identified.

    6. On the draft federal law “On Amendments to Article 2516–1 of the Federal Law “On the Procedure for Leaving the Russian Federation and Entering the Russian Federation”

    The development of the bill was dictated by the need to create favorable conditions for increasing the number of foreign citizens entering the country for tourism, business, humanitarian and guest purposes, while maintaining the proper level of migration control and national security requirements.

    7. On the draft amendments of the Government of the Russian Federation to the draft federal law No. 810019-8 “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources””

    The draft amendments are aimed at clarifying certain provisions of the bill concerning the procedure for re-registering and terminating agreements for the use of fishing areas.

    8. On amending the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of June 15, 2018 No. 682 (in terms of amending the Regulation on the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation)

    The draft resolution is aimed at bringing the powers of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia into line with Article 179.1 of the Budget Code of the Russian Federation.

    9. On the allocation by the Ministry of Education of Russia in 2025 from the reserve fund of the Government of the Russian Federation of budgetary appropriations for the provision, within the framework of the state program of the Russian Federation “Development of Education”, of a subsidy from the federal budget to the budget of the Arkhangelsk Region for the purpose of co-financing the expenditure obligations of the Arkhangelsk Region arising from the construction of schools

    The adoption of the Government order will help resolve a socially significant issue for the Arkhangelsk region in terms of increasing the availability of general education in the region.

    10. On the allocation to the Ministry of Transport of Russia in 2025 from the reserve fund of the Government of the Russian Federation of budgetary appropriations for the provision of one-time financial assistance in the form of a subsidy from the federal budget to the budget of the Saratov Region in order to reimburse the expenses incurred by the budget of the Saratov Region arising from the implementation of measures to update public transport

    The draft order provides for the allocation of funds to provide financial assistance to the budget of the Saratov region in order to reimburse part of the costs incurred in the acquisition of two-section trams.

    Moscow, April 9, 2025

    The content of the press releases of the Department of Press Service and References is a presentation of materials submitted by federal executive bodies for discussion at a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Nick Langworthy Introduces Infrastructure Project Acceleration Act, Legislation Critical in Cutting Red Tape to Ensure Micron’s Success in New York

    Source: US Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) today introduced the Infrastructure Project Acceleration Act, a targeted bill to streamline environmental review processes for critical manufacturing projects—particularly in states like New York with already rigorous environmental standards. Congressman Langworthy is joined by Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) as the co-lead on the legislation.

     

    The Infrastructure Project Acceleration Act aims to reduce delays in the construction of major manufacturing projects by allowing an exemption from the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process for projects in states with environmental standards that are equally or more stringent than NEPA. This exemption would apply to a small number of states—New York, California, and Massachusetts—that already enforce comprehensive environmental review systems.

     

    “Bureaucratic red tape is the enemy of economic growth and job creation,”said Congressman Nick Langworthy.“New York is notorious for having some of the most stringent environmental regulations in the nation and the last thing we should be doing is making companies go through an additional review process that would lead to an indistinguishable outcome. By simply streamlining duplicative reviews, this bill will ensure that companies like Micron and other manufacturers avoid unnecessary construction delays and ensures the long-term success of these much-needed investments in Upstate New York.”

     

    The Infrastructure Project Acceleration Act would include a key exemption in the Building Chips in America Act if projects are undergoing an equivalent or more stringent state environmental review process. This new authority would still give the lead agency the ability to ensure that critical environmental protections have been thoroughly considered before expediting the NEPA process and would cover only three states with exceedingly stringent environmental reviews – New York, Massachusetts, and California. 

     

    Despite the permitting provisions included in the Building Chips in America Act, which was signed into law last Congress, Micron and other manufacturers are still facing duplicative environmental reviews by having to undergo a federal environmental review process along with a state-level process that is just as stringent. For Micron under this law, in its review process for the four-fab project in Central New York, they are now the only semiconductor company that must undergo an environmental impact statement, while other semiconductor companies must only complete environmental assessments.

     

    Micron is the only semiconductor company that this uniquely impacts given the project’s location in New York, which has one of the most stringent environmental processes. Replicating such a process on the federal level will substantially impact Micron’s construction timeline the ultimate success of a key project for brining chips manufacturing to Upstate New York. 

     

    “We need to do everything we can in Congress to remove the bureaucratic red tape that is holding our nation’s manufacturing sector back, especially when it comes to the vital semiconductor industry,” said Rep. Mike Collins. “I want to thank Rep. Langworthy for introducing the Infrastructure Project Acceleration Act, which stops duplicative environmental regulations from slowing down the progress our economy needs while jumpstarting the domestic microchip industry.” 

     

    This legislation is co-led by Rep. Mike Collins (GA-10) and cosponsored by Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24), Rep. Josh Riley (NY-19), Rep. Michael Lawler (NY-17), Rep. John Mannion (NY-22), and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11).

     

    “Reinvesting in America’s manufacturing sector is a key aspect of restoring our economy under President Trump. Yet states like New York are imposing burdensome regulations on manufacturing, slowing progress and the creation of jobs. The Infrastructure Project Acceleration Act simplifies New York’s onerous environmental review process to allow Micron to avoid a lengthy construction timeline and support this critical investment in Upstate New York,”said Congresswoman Tenney.

     

    “New York State is at the forefront of the semiconductor industry, and increasing our domestic production capacity is a national security priority,” said Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17). “The Infrastructure Project Acceleration Act will help ensure critical projects move forward efficiently while maintaining New York’s high environmental standards. By aligning state and federal processes, we’re supporting the continued growth of innovation and job creation in New York and across the country.”

     

    Representative John W. Mannion (NY-22) said,“Micron’s historic investment in Central New York is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our region’s economy and secure America’s place as a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing. The bipartisan Infrastructure Project Acceleration Act will keep New York competitive, improve efficiency, and expedite important environmental reviews so we can quickly move forward and create thousands of good-paying jobs. I’m proud to be a cosponsor and I thank Rep. Langworthy and other members of the New York State delegation for their partnership in advancing this legislation.”

     

    This bill will support economic development projects like Micron and grow the semiconductor ecosystem in New York. 

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Legislation Introduced to Support Municipalities with Pilot Framework for Safe Disposal of Derelict Structures

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 9, 2025

     Today, Minister Eric Schmalz introduced amendments to The Construction Codes Act to support the Government of Saskatchewan’s pilot framework to assist municipalities in dealing with derelict structures.

    “Municipalities are in the best position to ensure the long-term safety and prosperity of their communities,” Government Relations Minister Eric Schmalz said. “By updating this legislation to support our derelict buildings pilot framework, the Government of Saskatchewan is helping local leadership practically and effectively address the challenges posed by municipally-owned derelict properties.”

    Derelict buildings can present economic, financial and social challenges for municipalities and can be costly to maintain or remove. At the Saskatchewan Association for Rural Municipalities’ annual convention in March, the provincial government announced the development of a pilot framework intended to help eligible municipalities dispose of these structures as well as provide a training opportunity for local volunteer fire departments.

    “We have heard from SARM, SUMA and other municipal leaders that have asked for this opportunity to provide training scenarios for our world class volunteer firefighters that are the cornerstone of our rural communities,” Environment Minister Travis Keisig said. “We look forward to seeing the continued collaboration that will benefit many across our province.”

    The pilot framework’s parameters are being developed in partnership with multiple ministries and agencies and details will be available to municipalities in summer 2025.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    Media, Government Relations
    Government Relations
    Regina
    Phone: 306-789-7045
    Email: media.gr@gov.sk.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Dog Fighting

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, with the final three months to be served in community confinement, after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing animals for use in an animal fighting venture, in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

    John D. Murphy, of Hanson, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $10,000 fine. He was indicted by a federal grand jury last year after being identified on recorded calls discussing dog fighting and subsequent court-authorized searches of his Facebook accounts which revealed a long involvement in dog fighting. Law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Murphy’s Hanson residence in June 2023 and seized numerous items — like various breeding and training devices and literature and medical and veterinary supplies — associated with dog fighting. 

    Photos of dogs running on treadmills found in Murphy’s basement; from sentencing memo in United States v. John Murphy, 24-cr-10074 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. 
    Photo of dog fighting paraphernalia, including break sticks, seized in Murphy’s basement; from sentencing memo in United States v. John Murphy, 24-cr-10074 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

    “Dog fighting is a brutal and inhumane form of entertainment and is associated with other organized criminal activity, including illegal gambling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to holding violators accountable. We commend the collaboration between federal and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting this case.”

    “Dogfighting is a blood sport rooted in cruelty and greed. For years, Mr. Murphy brutalized defenseless animals for profit and sport – training them to fight, suffer and die for his own financial gain. His actions were not only illegal but deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “This sentencing marks a historic moment in the first federal dogfighting conviction in Massachusetts and serves as a stark warning: those who engage in this barbaric practice will be exposed, prosecuted and punished. We will not tolerate animal cruelty in our communities.”

    “The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Office of Inspector General.

    To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the USDA’s Office of Inspector General complaint hotline at: https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline or 1-800-424-9121.

    The USDA’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; USMS; Maine State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor; Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the police departments of Hanson, Boston and Acton.

    Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial E. Bennett and Kaitlin J. Brown for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Dog Fighting

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, with the final three months to be served in community confinement, after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing animals for use in an animal fighting venture, in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

    John D. Murphy, of Hanson, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $10,000 fine. He was indicted by a federal grand jury last year after being identified on recorded calls discussing dog fighting and subsequent court-authorized searches of his Facebook accounts which revealed a long involvement in dog fighting. Law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Murphy’s Hanson residence in June 2023 and seized numerous items — like various breeding and training devices and literature and medical and veterinary supplies — associated with dog fighting. 

    Photos of dogs running on treadmills found in Murphy’s basement; from sentencing memo in United States v. John Murphy, 24-cr-10074 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. 
    Photo of dog fighting paraphernalia, including break sticks, seized in Murphy’s basement; from sentencing memo in United States v. John Murphy, 24-cr-10074 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

    “Dog fighting is a brutal and inhumane form of entertainment and is associated with other organized criminal activity, including illegal gambling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to holding violators accountable. We commend the collaboration between federal and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting this case.”

    “Dogfighting is a blood sport rooted in cruelty and greed. For years, Mr. Murphy brutalized defenseless animals for profit and sport – training them to fight, suffer and die for his own financial gain. His actions were not only illegal but deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “This sentencing marks a historic moment in the first federal dogfighting conviction in Massachusetts and serves as a stark warning: those who engage in this barbaric practice will be exposed, prosecuted and punished. We will not tolerate animal cruelty in our communities.”

    “The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Office of Inspector General.

    To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the USDA’s Office of Inspector General complaint hotline at: https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline or 1-800-424-9121.

    The USDA’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; USMS; Maine State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor; Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the police departments of Hanson, Boston and Acton.

    Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial E. Bennett and Kaitlin J. Brown for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: DevOpser Launches Secure AI Application Hosting and Development SaaS in AWS Marketplace

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HARISH, Israel, April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DevOpser has launched its Secure AI Application Hosting and Development SaaS in AWS Marketplace. This end-to-end AI development platform includes a browser-based IDE, staging and production environments, and automated GitOps pipelines—allowing businesses to leverage prebuilt templates and get fully up and running in under 60 minutes.

    Designed for businesses working with the U.S. federal government, their vendors, suppliers, and startups seeking enterprise acquisition who need to meet enterprise security requirements, DevOpser ensures NIST Cybersecurity Framework compliance while freeing developers to focus on creating great AI-driven user experiences.

    Key Features:

    • Parameterized One-Click Deployment – Launch a full AI application hosting and development pipeline with staging and production environments in under an hour.
    • Complete Development Environment – Work from a browser-based IDE with a dedicated workspace for seamless collaboration.
    • Automated GitOps Pipelines – Integrates directly with GitHub for continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD).
    • Enterprise Security & Compliance – Meets NIST Cybersecurity Framework standards.
    • High Availability & Disaster Recovery – Supports autoscaling, rollback capabilities, and failover protection at the Availability Zone level.
    • AWS Bedrock Integration – Connects to your AWS account’s Bedrock, enabling access to all available large language models.

    Built for Fast-Moving, Security-Focused Teams

    “DevOpser eliminates the complexity of AI application infrastructure, so teams can focus on innovation,” said Liat Hoffman, Founder of DevOpser. “We empower businesses to move quickly while meeting the strict security and compliance requirements necessary for working with enterprise.”

    Availability & Pricing

    The DevOpser Secure AI App Hosting and Development SaaS is now available in AWS Marketplace. For pricing details, visit https://devopser.io/pricing.html.

    Start using DevOpser at https://app.devopser.io.

    About DevOpser

    DevOpser is a DevOps services company creating secure, compliant, and highly available AI infrastructure solutions. DevOpser ensures AI applications run reliably in production environments, exactly when it matters most. With deep expertise in security, automation, and cloud infrastructure, we help businesses build and scale AI solutions with confidence.

    Follow DevOpser on X: @betterdevops

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Hageman Champions Conservation Easement Reform

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman

    Washington, DC – Today, Congresswomen Harriet Hageman (R-WY) and Julie Fedorchak (R-ND), introduced the Landowner Easement Rights Act. This bill would prohibit the Department of the Interior (DOI) from entering into new conservation easements exceeding 30 years and empower landowners to renegotiate terms, renew agreements, or buy back conservation easements at fair market value. This does not prevent Americans from entering into conservation easements or force them to renegotiate easements they wish to continue, but instead provides optionality to those seeking to change their agreements, an option not currently available. 

    “Under our current system of perpetual conservation easements, the devil is in the details. Americans seeking new means of conservation and financial returns on their land enter conservation easements and soon discover they’ve ceded some of their most important private property rights, including development rights and management decisions, to third parties who increasingly work more as government agents than with the landowner. Intergenerational land use restrictions can cause serious problems with little to no recourse. This bill ends the current policy and allows a landowner to enter into time-limited conservation easements, thereby ensuring that each generation can make decisions regarding their property,” said Rep. Hageman.

     “North Dakota landowners are among the best stewards of our natural resources, and they don’t need the federal government locking up their land forever,” Rep. Fedorchak said. “Easements shouldn’t last multiple generations. This bill restores balance, gives landowners flexibility, and allows them the freedom to reassess, renegotiate, and reclaim control over their property. Conservation should be a partnership, not a one-sided permanent restriction.”    
     
     “No one has the right to permanently impair the property rights of future generations, but that is exactly the role forever conservation easements play,” said Margaret Byfield, Executive Director of American Stewards for Liberty.“Rep. Hageman and Fedorchak’s Landowners Easement Rights Act limit the easements held by the Department of the Interior to 30 years. This is a vital step in making the property rights whole again and reducing the stranglehold the federal government has over landowners. It is not our right to tell future generations what they can and cannot do with their land.” 

    Background  

    Conservation easements are legal agreements which allow landowners to retain and use their property but permanently remove development rights to achieve conservation priorities and in exchange for certain tax benefits. Most landowners are told of the incentives when entering into the agreement but not their downside, namely the loss of private property rights, the lack of productive development from the land, and the inability to change the land use in the future. Additionally, the third parties which manage the easement act more in concert with the government and its restrictive land management priorities rather than that of the owner. Easements also reduce local revenue and can increase dependency on the federal government.  

    ###

    Contact: Esteban Elizondo, Communications Director 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Dog Fighting

    Source: United States Department of Justice 2

    A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, with the final three months to be served in community confinement, after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing animals for use in an animal fighting venture, in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

    John D. Murphy, of Hanson, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $10,000 fine. He was indicted by a federal grand jury last year after being identified on recorded calls discussing dog fighting and subsequent court-authorized searches of his Facebook accounts which revealed a long involvement in dog fighting. Law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Murphy’s Hanson residence in June 2023 and seized numerous items — like various breeding and training devices and literature and medical and veterinary supplies — associated with dog fighting. 

    Photos of dogs running on treadmills found in Murphy’s basement; from sentencing memo in United States v. John Murphy, 24-cr-10074 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. 
    Photo of dog fighting paraphernalia, including break sticks, seized in Murphy’s basement; from sentencing memo in United States v. John Murphy, 24-cr-10074 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

    “Dog fighting is a brutal and inhumane form of entertainment and is associated with other organized criminal activity, including illegal gambling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to holding violators accountable. We commend the collaboration between federal and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting this case.”

    “Dogfighting is a blood sport rooted in cruelty and greed. For years, Mr. Murphy brutalized defenseless animals for profit and sport – training them to fight, suffer and die for his own financial gain. His actions were not only illegal but deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “This sentencing marks a historic moment in the first federal dogfighting conviction in Massachusetts and serves as a stark warning: those who engage in this barbaric practice will be exposed, prosecuted and punished. We will not tolerate animal cruelty in our communities.”

    “The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Office of Inspector General.

    To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the USDA’s Office of Inspector General complaint hotline at: https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline or 1-800-424-9121.

    The USDA’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; USMS; Maine State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor; Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the police departments of Hanson, Boston and Acton.

    Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial E. Bennett and Kaitlin J. Brown for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –