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Category: Environment

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates the Navkar Mahamantra Divas

    Source: Government of India

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates the Navkar Mahamantra Divas

    Navkar Mahamantra is not just a mantra, it is the core of our faith: PM

    Navkar Mahamantra embodies humility, peace and universal harmony: PM

    Navkar Mahamantra along with the worship of Panch Parmeshthi symbolises the right knowledge, perception and conduct, and the path leading to salvation: PM

    Jain literature has been the backbone of the intellectual glory of India: PM

    Climate change is today’s biggest crisis and its solution is a sustainable lifestyle, which the Jain community has practiced for centuries and aligns perfectly with India’s Mission LiFE: PM

    PM proposes 9 resolutions on Navkar Mahamantra Divas

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 11:06AM by PIB Delhi

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and participated in Navkar Mahamantra Divas at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi today. Addressing the gathering, he highlighted the profound spiritual experience of the Navkar Mantra, emphasizing its ability to bring peace and stability to the mind. He remarked on the extraordinary feeling of tranquility, which transcends words and thoughts, resonating deeply within the mind and consciousness. Shri Modi underscored the significance of the Navkar Mantra, reciting its sacred verses and described the mantra as a unified flow of energy, embodying stability, equanimity, and a harmonious rhythm of consciousness and inner light. Reflecting on his personal experience, he shared how he continues to feel the spiritual power of the Navkar Mantra within himself. He recalled witnessing a similar collective chanting event in Bengaluru years ago, which left a lasting impression on him. The Prime Minister highlighted the unparalleled experience of millions of virtuous souls across the nation and abroad coming together in a unified consciousness. He remarked on the collective energy and synchronized words, describing it as truly extraordinary and unprecedented.

    Remarking on his roots in Gujarat, where the influence of Jainism is evident in every street, the Prime Minister highlighted how, from a young age, he had the privilege of being in the company of Jain Acharyas. “Navkar Mantra is not just a mantra but the core of faith and the essence of life”, he emphasised. He underlined its significance, which extends beyond spirituality, guiding individuals and society alike. He highlighted that every verse and even every syllable of the Navkar Mantra holds profound meaning. He added that when reciting the mantra, one bows to the Panch Parmeshthi and elaborated on the same. Shri Modi said Arihants, who have attained “Keval Gyan” and guide “Bhavya Jeevas,” embody 12 divine qualities while the Siddhas, who have eradicated eight karmas, attained Moksha, and possess eight pure qualities. He added that Acharyas follow Mahavrat and serve as pathfinders, embodying 36 virtues while Upadhyayas impart knowledge of the Moksha path, enriched with 25 qualities. He further added that Sadhus refine themselves through penance and progress toward Moksha, possessing 27 great qualities. He highlighted the spiritual depth and virtues associated with each of these revered beings.

    “One bows to the 108 divine qualities and remembers the welfare of humanity when reciting the Navkar Mantra”, said Shri Modi highlighting that the mantra reminds us that knowledge and action are the true directions of life, with the Guru as the guiding light, and the path emerging from within. He emphasized the teachings of the Navkar Mantra, which inspire self-belief and the initiation of one’s own journey. He stated that the true enemy lies within—negative thoughts, distrust, hostility, and selfishness—and conquering these is the real victory. He underlined that Jainism motivates individuals to conquer themselves rather than the external world. “Self-conquest leads one to become an Arihant”, he added, stating that the Navkar Mantra is not a demand but a path—a path that purifies individuals from within and guides them toward harmony and goodwill.

    “Navkar Mantra is truly a mantra of human meditation, practice, and self-purification”, exclaimed the Prime Minister highlighting its global perspective and its timeless nature, which, like other Indian oral and scriptural traditions, has been passed down through generations—first orally, then through inscriptions, and finally through Prakrit manuscripts—continuing to guide humanity even today. “The Navkar Mantra, along with venerating the Panch Parmeshthi, embodies right knowledge, right perception, and right conduct, serving as a path to liberation”, he emphasised. Underlining the importance of the nine elements of life, which lead to completeness, Shri Modi noted the special significance of the number nine in Indian culture. He elaborated on the prominence of the number nine in Jainism, mentioning the Navkar Mantra, nine elements, and nine virtues, as well as its presence in other traditions, such as the nine treasures, nine gates, nine planets, nine forms of Durga, and Navadha Bhakti. He highlighted that the repetition of chants—whether nine times or in multiples of nine like 27, 54, or 108—symbolizes the completeness represented by the number nine. The Prime Minister explained that the number nine is not just mathematics but a philosophy, as it represents completeness. He remarked that after achieving completeness, the mind and intellect stabilize and ascend, free from the desire for new things. Even after progress, one remains rooted in their essence and this is the essence of the Navkar Mantra, he stated.

    Underlining that the philosophy of the Navkar Mantra aligns with the vision of a developed India, the Prime Minister reiterated his statement from the Red Fort, emphasizing that a developed India signifies both progress and heritage—a nation that will neither stop nor falter, will reach new heights, yet remain rooted in its traditions. He highlighted that a developed India will take pride in its culture. He emphasized the preservation of the teachings of the Tirthankaras. Recalling the nationwide celebration of the 2550th Nirvana Mahotsav of Lord Mahavir, Shri Modi noted the return of ancient idols, including those of the Tirthankaras, from abroad.  He proudly shared that over 20 Tirthankara idols have been brought back to India in recent years. He highlighted the unparalleled role of Jainism in shaping India’s identity and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to preserving this legacy. Referring to the new Parliament building in New Delhi, describing it as the temple of democracy, he pointed out the visible influence of Jainism. He mentioned the depiction of Sammed Shikhar in the architectural gallery at the Shardul Gate entrance, the Tirthankara idol at the entrance of the Lok Sabha, which was returned from Australia, the magnificent painting of Lord Mahavir on the ceiling of the Constitution Gallery and the depiction of all 24 Tirthankaras together on the wall of the South Building. The Prime Minister remarked that these philosophies guide India’s democracy and provide the right path. He highlighted the profound definitions of Jainism, encapsulated in ancient Agama scriptures, such as “Vatthu Sahavo Dhammo,” “Charittam Khalu Dhammo,” and “Jivana Rakkhanam Dhammo.” He reaffirmed that the government is advancing with the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,” inspired by these values.

    “Jain literature has been the backbone of India’s intellectual heritage, and preserving this knowledge is a duty”, said Shri Modi, highlighting the government’s decision to grant classical language status to Prakrit and Pali, enabling further research on Jain literature. He emphasized that preserving language ensures the survival of knowledge, and expanding language leads to the growth of wisdom. The Prime Minister noted the existence of centuries-old Jain manuscripts in India, describing each page as a mirror of history and an ocean of knowledge, quoting profound Jain teachings. He expressed concern over the gradual disappearance of many significant texts and mentioned the launch of the “Gyan Bharatam Mission”, announced in this year’s Budget. He shared plans to survey millions of manuscripts across the country and digitize ancient heritage, connecting antiquity with modernity. He described this initiative as an ‘Amrit Sankalp’. “New India will explore possibilities through AI while guiding the world with spirituality”, he stressed.

    Highlighting that Jainism is both scientific and sensitive, offering solutions to global challenges such as war, terrorism, and environmental issues through its core principles, the Prime Minister said the Jain tradition’s emblem, which states “Parasparopagraho Jivanam,” emphasises the interdependence of all living beings. He underscored Jainism’s commitment to non-violence, even at the most subtle levels, as a profound message of environmental conservation, mutual harmony, and peace. He acknowledged the five major principles of Jainism and emphasized the relevance of the philosophy of Anekantavada in today’s era. He stated that belief in Anekantavada prevents situations of war and conflict, fostering understanding of others’ emotions and perspectives. He emphasized the need for the world to embrace the philosophy of Anekantavada.

    Underscoring that the world’s trust in India is deepening, with India’s efforts and results becoming a source of inspiration, Shri Modi highlighted that global institutions are now looking towards India because of its progress, which opens pathways for others. He connected this to the Jain philosophy of “Parasparopagraho Jivanam,” emphasizing that life thrives on mutual cooperation. He noted that this perspective has raised global expectations from India, and the nation has intensified its efforts. Addressing the pressing issue of climate change, he identified sustainable lifestyles as the solution and highlighted India’s launch of Mission LiFE. He remarked that the Jain community has been living the principles of simplicity, restraint, and sustainability for centuries. Referring to the Jain principle of Aparigraha, he emphasized the need to spread these values widely. He urged everyone, regardless of their location, to become flag bearers of Mission LiFE.

    Prime Minister remarked that in today’s world of information, knowledge is abundant, but without wisdom, it lacks depth. He emphasized that Jainism teaches the balance of knowledge and wisdom to find the right path. He highlighted the importance of this balance for the youth, where technology must be complemented by human touch, and skills must be accompanied by the soul. He stated that the Navkar Mahamantra can serve as a source of wisdom and direction for the new generation. 

    Shri Modi urged everyone to take nine resolutions after the collective chanting of the Navkar Mantra. The first resolution being ‘Water Conservation’, he recalled the words of Buddhi Sagar Maharaj Ji, who predicted 100 years ago that water would be sold in shops. He emphasized the need to value and save every drop of water. The second resolution is to ‘plant a tree in Mother’s Name’. He highlighted the planting of over 100 crore trees in recent months and urged everyone to plant a tree in their mother’s name and nurture it like her blessings. He also recollected his efforts in Gujarat in this regard to plant 24 trees related to 24 Tirthankaras which could not be completed due to non-availability of few trees. Stressing the importance of cleanliness in every street, neighborhood, and city, urging everyone to contribute to this mission, Shri Modi mentioned ‘cleanliness mission’ as the third resolution. ‘Vocal for Local’ being the fourth resolution, he encouraged the promotion of locally made products, turning them global, and supporting items that carry the essence of Indian soil and the sweat of Indian workers. The fifth resolution is to ‘explore India’ and he urged people to explore India’s diverse states, cultures, and regions before traveling abroad, emphasizing the uniqueness and value of every corner of the country. ‘Adopting Natural Farming’ being the sixth resolution, the Prime Minister referred to the Jain principle of One living being should not harm another and called for freeing Mother Earth from chemicals, supporting farmers, and promoting natural farming. He proposed ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ as the seventh resolution and advocated for a return to Indian dietary traditions, including millets (Shri Anna), reducing oil consumption by 10%, and maintaining health through moderation and restraint. He proposed ‘Incorporating Yoga and Sports’ as the eighth resolution and emphasized making yoga and sports a part of daily life, whether at home, work, school, or parks, to ensure physical health and mental peace. Highlighting the importance of assisting the underprivileged, whether by holding a hand or filling a plate, as the true essence of service, he proposed ‘Helping the Poor’ as the ninth and final resolution. He emphasised that these resolutions align with the principles of Jainism and the vision of a sustainable and harmonious future. “These nine resolutions will infuse new energy into individuals and provide a fresh direction to the younger generation. Their implementation will foster peace, harmony, and compassion within society”, he added.

    Noting that the principles of Jainism, including Ratnatraya, Daslakshan, Solah Karan, and the festivals like Paryushan, pave the way for self-welfare, Shri Modi expressed confidence that the World Navkar Mantra Day will continuously enhance happiness, peace, and prosperity globally. He expressed satisfaction at the unity displayed by all four sects coming together for this event, describing it as a symbol of unity, emphasising the importance of spreading the message of unity across the nation. He stated that anyone who chants “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” should be embraced and connected, as this energy strengthens the foundation of a developed India.

    Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the blessings of Guru Bhagwants being received at various locations across the country. He extended his respects to the entire Jain community for organizing this global event. He offered his salutations to Acharya Bhagwants, Muni Maharajs, Shravak-Shravikas, and all those participating in the event from across India and abroad. He congratulated JITO for their efforts in organizing this historic event and acknowledged the presence of Home Minister of Gujarat, Shri Harsh Sanghavi, JITO Apex Chairman Shri Prithviraj Kothari, President Shri Vijay Bhandari, other JITO officials, and dignitaries from around the world, extending his best wishes for the success of this remarkable event. 

    Background

    Navkar Mahamantra Divas is a momentous celebration of spiritual harmony and ethical consciousness that seeks to unite people through the collective chanting of the Navkar Mahamantra—the most revered and universal chant in Jainism. Rooted in the principles of non-violence, humility, and spiritual elevation, the mantra pays homage to the virtues of enlightened beings and inspires inner transformation. The Divas encourages all individuals to reflect on the values of self-purification, tolerance, and collective well-being. 

    People from more than 108 countries joined the global chant for peace and togetherness. They participated to foster peace, spiritual awakening, and universal harmony through the sacred Jain chant.

     

     

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    MJPS/SR

    (Release ID: 2120278) Visitor Counter : 113

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sols 4505-4506: Up, up and onto the Devil’s Gate 

    Source: NASA

    Written by Catherine O’Connell-Cooper, Planetary Geologist at University of New Brunswick
    Earth planning date: Monday, April 7, 2025
    Over the weekend, we completed our drive up the steep side of a canyon, up onto “Devil’s Gate,” a small butte which forms part of the ridge along the top of the canyon and now we can see down into the next canyon. It is always true that we are going somewhere no one has been before – that’s the idea of an exploratory mission after all, and everyone kind of gets used to it, we don’t stop to think about it. But today, coming over the top of a hill like this and fully looking for the first time into an area that we have only had glimpses of before, it really brings it home that the mission is doing something extraordinary, something out of this world …. and brings that feeling of awe back into focus. 
    We did not pass SRAP (Slip Risk Assessment Process) a couple of times as we climbed up the side of this canyon, meaning that the contact science instruments (APXS and MAHLI) had to stand down for that day’s planning. However, this morning, in addition to a brand new vista, we saw that all six wheels are firmly on the ground and we passed SRAP quickly this morning, which must have been a relief to the rover planner in charge of assessing it today! (no one wants to be the bearer of bad news, day after day!) 
    Bedrock here has both flat bedrock and amazing large nodular features, which appear to have “wind tails” caused by winds consistently blowing in the same direction. This is a Touch and Go plan, so APXS and MAHLI are focusing on a single target, the brushed “Coronado” target on the flat bedrock in front of us. ChemCam will use LIBS to investigate the nodular features at “La Cumbre Peak.”  
    Near the rover, Mastcam will image some small diagenetic features at “Boulder Oaks” and the LIBS target. The 3×2 (2 rows of 3 images) “La Jolla Valley” mosaic focuses on a very nodular patch, just outside of the workspace reachable by the arm. Further from the rover, the 6×2 mosaic (2 rows of 6 images) “Los Penasquitos” looks at an amazing almost vertical vein. This discontinuous vein stretches for about 6 meters (about 18 feet), with vein fins sticking above the surface at various points, like a series of shark fins breaking the bedrock surface. Much further afield, ChemCam will acquire a long distance image on “Condor Peak,” which appears to have large scale vein networks, known as “boxwork structures” and may be an early example of the boxworks we are hoping to reach in Fall 2025.  
    The ENV (Environmental and Atmospheric group) planned a Mastcam “tau” measurement, to look at dust in the atmosphere. There is a paired Navcam activity, looking at dust devils towards the north of the crater on the first sol and towards the south on the second sol. A suprahorizon movie and our usual DAN and REMS measurements round out this plan.  
    Let’s see what the next drive will reveal to us! 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Bilibili Publishes 2024 Environmental, Social and Governance Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHANGHAI, April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bilibili Inc. (“Bilibili” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BILI and HKEX: 9626), an iconic brand and a leading video community for young generations in China, today announced that it has published its 2024 Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Report, available on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.bilibili.com. The initiatives and achievements outlined in the report demonstrate Bilibili’s long-standing dedication to creating social value and sustainable development that benefits its users, content creators, employees, partners and other stakeholders.

    “Bilibili strives for more than just commercial success. We are also deeply committed to creating lasting social value,” said Mr. Rui Chen, chairman and CEO of Bilibili. “We uphold high ESG standards in every aspect of our work, from corporate governance to daily operations. Collaborating closely with our content creators, employees, suppliers and partners, we will continue fostering an engaging ecosystem with quality content, driving industry progress through tech and content innovation, spreading positive energy and making a meaningful social impact.”

    Bilibili’s 2024 ESG report provides the Company’s stakeholders with a transparent view of its operations and governance structure, as well as its initiatives supporting positive social change. The report covers content ecosystem enhancement, tech innovation, community engagement, minors’ protection, cybersecurity and privacy protection, content creator and supplier empowerment, talent development, environmental protection, charitable activities, positivity advocacy, corporate governance and more.

    Bilibili’s 2024 ESG Highlights:

    1. Content Ecosystem & User Community

    Bilibili consistently expands its vibrant content ecosystem and refines its cybersecurity measures, offering users a reliable space to explore the content they love. To keep its ecosystem thriving, the Company continuously enhances its product offerings and explores AI applications to optimize user experience, empower content creators and create community value. In 2024:

    • Daily active users approached 104 million, each averaging 102 minutes of daily time spent on the platform.
    • More than 5.1 billion average daily video views were generated, up 19% year over year, with an average of over 40 million users watching consumption-related content each day.
    • Over 90% of Bilibili businesses had received ISO Information Security Management System Certifications.

    2. Content Creator Empowerment

    Supporting content creators is at the heart of Bilibili’s mission. The Company offers content creators a suite of creative tools, strong operational support and diverse monetization opportunities, empowering them to bring their ideas to life, engage with their fans and turn their passion into sustainable success. In 2024, Bilibili:

    • Was home to approximately 4 million monthly active content creators, and nearly 3.1 million content creators earned income via various commercial channels on Bilibili.
    • Helped content creators increase their income through advertising and value-added services by 21% year over year.
    • Curated “Bilibili 2024 UP100” to celebrate the Top 100 Content Creators, nearly 90% of whom have generated content on Bilibili for over five years.

    3. Talent Nurturing and Governance

    Bilibili deeply appreciates its employees’ dedication and is committed to fostering a workplace where talent thrives by investing in employees’ career growth and development. The Company is also committed to business integrity, continuously refining internal governance and risk control under a solid management framework. In 2024, Bilibili:

    • Covered 100% of full-time employees with its comprehensive employee benefits system.
    • Provided multiple training programs to employees, with an average training duration of 35 hours per person.
    • Had no monopoly, extortion, unfair competition or money laundering incidents occur in the Company.

    4. Industry Cultivation

    Bilibili promotes openness and inclusivity, driving sustainable growth across the supply chain, supporting original content creators and their work, and collaboratively building a dynamic open-source community. In 2024, Bilibili:

    • Cumulatively aired more than 640 Chinese anime titles and distributed 98 overseas, expanding the domestic anime industry’s reach.
    • Produced over 170 documentaries and cumulatively aired more than 5,000 documentaries, providing a stage for knowledge-based content to shine.
    • Engaged in more than 60 technology sharing sessions and collaborated with industry partners to build an open-source ecosystem, driving industry-wide progress.

    5. Social Endeavors and Spreading Positive Energy

    Bilibili actively champions social causes and spreads positive energy through quality content, using its platform to raise awareness and drive meaningful change. Bilibili has:

    • Cumulatively launched 101 projects on the Bilibili Charity Platform, inspiring more than 1.07 million users to donate over RMB27 million by the end of February 2025.
    • Helped build 7 rural primary schools, with 7,195 rural students enrolled as of the end of 2024.
    • Granted a total of RMB1.29 million via the Bilibili Happy Scholarship to special enrichment programs by the end of 2024.
    • Engaged a daily average of over 15 million users with science and technology content, fostering a vibrant learning environment.
    • Delighted the platform’s 220 million users with professional knowledge.

    6. Green Philosophy

    Bilibili cares deeply about climate change and embraces its role in protecting the global environment. The Company integrates “green” principles throughout its operations while leveraging its content library to inspire and educate users on environmental protection. In 2024, Bilibili:

    • Further optimized its average actual PUE across all leased data centers.
    • Raised public awareness on environmental protection-related topics, generating 25.3 billion relevant video views, up 100% year over year.
    • Conducted research on employee commuting and business travel to further advance its Scope 3 carbon emissions assessment, examining and analyzing the Company’s carbon footprint.

    The Company’s 2024 ESG report is available in both Chinese and English. To promote environmental conservation, we encourage you to access the electronic version available on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.bilibili.com and the HKEX’s website at http://www.hkexnews.hk.

    About Bilibili Inc.

    Bilibili is an iconic brand and a leading video community with a mission to enrich the everyday lives of young generations in China. Bilibili offers a wide array of video-based content with All the Videos You Like as its value proposition. Bilibili builds its community around aspiring users, high-quality content, talented content creators and the strong emotional bonds among them. Bilibili pioneered the “bullet chatting” feature, a live comment function that has transformed our users’ viewing experience by displaying the thoughts and feelings of audience members viewing the same video. The Company has now become the welcoming home of diverse interests among young generations in China and the frontier for promoting Chinese culture across the world.

    For more information, please visit: http://ir.bilibili.com.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    In China:

    Bilibili Inc.
    Juliet Yang
    Tel: +86-21-2509-9255 Ext. 8523
    Email: ir@bilibili.com 

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Helen Wu
    Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
    Email: bilibili@tpg-ir.com 

    In the United States:

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Brandi Piacente
    Tel: +1-212-481-2050
    Email: bilibili@tpg-ir.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of British High Commissioner to Mauritius: Paul Brummell

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Change of British High Commissioner to Mauritius: Paul Brummell

    Mr Paul Brummell CMG has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Mauritius.

    Mr Paul Brummell

    Mr Paul Brummell CMG has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Mauritius in succession to Ms Charlotte Pierre who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.  Mr Brummell will take up his appointment during July 2025.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full name: Paul Brummell           

    Year Role
    2021 to present Riga, His Majesty’s Ambassador
    2018 to 2021 FCDO, Head of Soft Power and External Affairs Department
    2014 to 2018 Bucharest, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
    2013 to 2014 Pre-posting training (including Romanian language training)
    2009 to 2013 Bridgetown, British High Commissioner to the Eastern Caribbean
    2005 to 2009 Astana, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
    2002 to 2005 Ashgabat, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
    2001 FCO, Afghanistan Emergency Unit
    2000 to 2001 FCO, Deputy Head of Eastern Department
    1995 to 2000 Rome, First Secretary (Political, Press and Public Affairs)
    1993 to 1994 FCO, Environment, Science and Energy Department
    1992 New York, Conference Support Officer, UK Mission to the United Nations
    1989 to 1992 Islamabad, Third later Second Secretary (Political)
    1988 to 1989 FCO, South America Department
    1988 FCO, Research Department
    1987 Joined FCO

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Import of poultry meat and products from areas in Poland and Canada suspended

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 9) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Åšrem District of Wielkopolskie Region in Poland, and in Lambton County of Ontario Province in Canada, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

    A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 6 600 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland, and about 400 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Canada last year. 

    “The CFS has contacted the Polish and Canadian authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Joint Meeting of Four Expert Groups of APEC Energy Working Group and associated workshops held in Hong Kong for first time (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Joint Meeting of Four Expert Groups of APEC Energy Working Group and associated workshops held in Hong Kong for first time  
    This joint meeting brings together four expert groups of the APEC EWG for the first time, namely the Expert Group on Energy Data and Analysis, the Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and Conservation, the Expert Group on New and Renewable Energy Technologies and the Expert Group on Clean Fossil Energy. They are being held in conjunction with the APEC Workshop on Promoting Energy Efficiency Enhancement in Electricity Generation and the 8th Oil and Gas Security Network Forum. Over 100 experts and delegates from 18 APEC member economies as well as three international organisations have gathered to share and exchange experiences on topics such as energy security, clean energy, renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy data and analysis, and sustainable development.
     
         Mr Tse said in his welcome remarks that APEC economies consume approximately 60 per cent of the world’s energy. As the member economies pursue rapid and ongoing economic growth and urbanisation, energy demand and carbon emissions in the region will continue to rise, making it crucial to accelerate the transition to green energy, mitigate climate change risks and ensure energy security and sustainable economic development.
     
    He also said that Hong Kong is striving to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, and will cease using coal for electricity generation by 2035. Hong Kong is actively implementing various decarbonisation measures, including planning infrastructure to import more zero-carbon electricity from neighbouring regions, enhancing energy efficiency in buildings, developing green transportation and promoting hydrogen energy development for achieving a green and sustainable future.
     
         Mr Poon shared Hong Kong’s developments in the field of energy at the meeting. He thanked the APEC member economies for their continuous efforts in combating climate change, and stressed the importance of maintaining a rapport among the members for meeting the challenges from climate change.
     
    Hong Kong has been actively participating in, and hosting meetings of, the APEC EWG and its expert groups, giving full play to the contribution from the energy sector to the economic and social well-being of the APEC region, while mitigating the environmental impact of the energy supply and its use with other APEC member economies. 
    Issued at HKT 16:18

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Orenburgneft’s environmental investments in 2024 exceeded 3 billion rubles

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Orenburgneft (part of the Rosneft oil production complex) allocated more than 3 billion rubles for environmental protection activities in 2024, which is almost 13% more than the previous year. The funds were used to implement the gas investment program, improve the reliability of pipelines, reclaim land, improve the efficiency of industrial waste disposal, resource conservation, reforestation and maintain the biodiversity of water resources.

    As part of the target gas program, in 2024 the main process equipment was installed at the gas compressor station of the Donetsk-Syrtovskoye field, and the construction of gas pipelines of the Eastern group of fields is being completed. These measures will allow additional volumes of associated petroleum gas to be sent to the Buzuluk gas processing plant, where the gas is prepared to commercial quality and a wide fraction of hydrocarbons is separated from it – a valuable raw material for the petrochemical industry.

    Investments in the implementation of the pipeline reliability improvement program ensured the planned replacement of pipeline sections, repair and inhibition of pipes. Stable operation of the field infrastructure is ensured, among other things, by diagnostics using modern devices.

    The company is implementing resource-saving technologies. Last year, Orenburgneft reduced energy consumption by 6.8 million tons of equivalent fuel, which contributed to improving the environmental performance of production. Key initiatives included optimizing the operation of pumping equipment in reservoir pressure maintenance systems, upgrading downhole submersible equipment in oil production, and reengineering ground infrastructure.

    The enterprise provides environmental monitoring of natural components. Regular sampling of atmospheric air, water, and soil is carried out in the territories where production activities are carried out. Methane emissions are monitored using advanced technical means.

    Orenburgneft uses modern technologies for recycling industrial waste. The resulting secondary products are re-involved in industrial use. The company’s volunteers contribute to preserving the environment. For several years, employees have been organizing the collection of used plastic and waste paper. Schoolchildren from the region participate in environmental campaigns of oil workers. In 2024, more than 12 tons of secondary raw materials were sent for recycling through joint efforts.

    Employees carry out volunteer campaigns to clean up the territories of the cities where they are present and the coastal zones of water bodies, and organize clean-up days. Over the past three years, oil workers have planted about 3 thousand young pines, firs, lindens, and birches. Together with activists from the “Movement of the First,” oil workers cleaned up the territory of the Dendrosad in the Buzuluksky Bor National Park. Earlier, with the support of the company’s employees, a tourist trail was laid in the reserve, which is integrated into the network of ecological trails of the National Park.

    The company’s environmental performance has been repeatedly noted at various levels. In the regional competition “Leader of Economy”, “Orenburgneft” has been recognized as the winner in the nomination “Leader of Environmental Responsibility” for over 10 years.

    Reference:

    JSC Orenburgneft, a subsidiary of NK Rosneft, carries out production activities in the Orenburg, Samara and Saratov regions. Cumulative oil production exceeds 470 million tons.

    Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft April 9, 2025

    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 United Kingdom: New Chief Scientific Adviser appointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    New Chief Scientific Adviser appointed

    Professor Anjali Goswami becomes Defra’s new Chief Scientist

    Professor Anjali Goswami has been appointed as the new Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 

    Professor Goswami, who is currently a Research Leader in Evolutionary Biology at the Natural History Museum, will join the department from 1 July 2025. She will succeed Professor Gideon Henderson, who is leaving Defra after six years in the role. 

    Professor Goswami is a celebrated scientist who has served as President of the Linnean Society of London and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. In addition to her academic achievements, she has authored a children’s book on palaeontology and received numerous prestigious awards, including the Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal, the Palaeontological Association President’s Medal, and the Humanists UK Darwin Day Medal. 

    Defra Permanent Secretary, Tamara Finkelstein said: 

    “World-leading science is fundamental to the research and development which underpins this department’s diverse responsibilities. I offer my sincere thanks to Gideon for his dedication and drive throughout his time at Defra for his scientific leadership and his wider leadership of the department.  He has been an inspiring colleague bringing his values and commitment to innovation to bear to the benefit of citizens.

    “Professor Goswami brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from her career in academia and at the Natural History Museum. I am delighted to have her as part of the Defra leadership team, providing her science expertise both in Defra and the wider government scientific community.” 

    Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed said: 

    “I would like to thank Professor Henderson for his exceptional leadership and expert insight as Chief Scientific Adviser. 

    “Supporting nature’s recovery, protecting people and animals from disease outbreaks, strengthening food security – all our key areas of focus rely on the world-class advice of our scientists. I welcome Professor Goswami and look forward to working with her as this government secures Britain’s future under the Plan for Change.” 

    Professor Anjali Goswami said: 

    “I am delighted to be joining Defra at this critical time for the UK and the planet. 

    “The UK public is rightly concerned about the impacts of environmental degradation and climate change, which are increasingly evident in our everyday lives.  Fortunately, there is immense scientific innovation that can support Defra’s mission, from cleaning our waterways and restoring nature to improving the resilience of our rural communities and our food supply to global change.   

    “I look forward to joining the Defra team and ensuring that the most cutting-edge scientific understanding is being harnessed to meet the complex challenges we face and deliver for the UK public.”  

    Current Defra Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Gideon Henderson said: 

    “It’s been a challenging but hugely enjoyable privilege to be the Chief Scientific Advisor at Defra for the last six years. 

    “The department can be proud of the way it values science and scientists as it cares for the air, water, food and natural environment that we all rely on.  I will miss working with passionate colleagues who make sure Defra’s wide range work is always informed by up-to-date and accurate science and analysis.   

    “I am pleased to hand over to Anjali who will be a great leader of Defra’s scientific community.  She will bring a wealth of knowledge and insight and I’m confident will continue to put science and analysis at the heart of Defra’s work.” 

    Professor Anjali Goswami Biography 

    • Professor Anjali Goswami is a Research Leader in Evolutionary Biology at the Natural History Museum and President of the Linnean Society of London. Her previous roles include Dean of Postgraduate Education at the Natural History Museum and Professor of Palaeobiology at UCL. 

    • Her research focuses on vertebrate evolution and development, with a focus on using mathematical approaches to understand the impact of life history and environmental change on biodiversity. 

    • Professor Goswami was elected to the fellowship of the Royal Society of London in 2024 and has been awarded the Linnean Society Bicentenary Medal, the Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal, the Hind Rattan Award, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Robert L. Carroll award, the Palaeontological Association President’s Medal, and the Humanists UK Darwin Day Medal. 

    Notes to editors 

    • The Defra Chief Scientific Adviser is responsible for overseeing the quality of evidence that the Department relies on for policy decisions, providing ministers with scientific advice and setting the priorities for scientific research and evidence-gathering.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Northern Thai communities put nature before profit

    Source: United Nations 2

    The Indigenous Karen people and the Thai Lanna community of Thailand are concerned about plans to divert and dam the Yuam river and its branches, which could undo years of careful stewardship.

    Members of both communities spoke to a team from UN University ahead of the release of the 2025 Interconnected Disaster Risks report which tracks how disasters are linked to each other as well as human behaviours.

    Community members shared how they are protecting their way of life, which values the land and waterways far beyond just their economic potential.

    Singkarn Ruenhom

    Thai Lanna fisherman

    © UNU-EHS/Molly Ferrill

    “I rely mainly on the river for my occupation, and I go fishing in the river area. Whether it can be done or not, we will try to protect nature. Protecting shellfish, crabs, fish, this is my conscience.

    When I get in the water it is a happy thing. It’s the feeling that I have arrived home. I feel proud that I sleep in a house near the water. I hear the sound of flowing water and I feel that I am lucky, lucky to have nature that gives me a lullaby and nourishes me.

    The local villagers value nature more than money. Money is acquired quickly and then it is gone, but nature will be with us for the rest of our lives.

    Now, the villagers are recording the species of fish in the Ngao River. From what they have found, about 70 to 80 per cent of the species found in the Ngao River are not found anywhere else. This, to me, has a value that cannot be measured. Our culture is to respect it. It is like the crabs and fish that used to be our friends, our food, and the trees that we used to look at are about to disappear.”

    Dao Phrasuk Moepoy

    Indigenous Karen activist

    © UNU-EHS/Molly Ferrill

    Dao Phrasuk Moepoy

    We rely on the forest and the river to sustain us and make a living. If there was no river, we would not be able to survive. Our memories since birth are connected to the river and the forest.

    Today, what we have is sufficient and abundant. We don’t want anyone to divert the water or change its direction. Our lives have always existed like this. We live with the river. We want the river to be a river that can run freely.

    The forests and rivers that we live with give us abundance. They give us food and life for almost the whole year, so we have to take care of and feed the spirits and ghosts of the forest and rivers.

    My voice is the voice of the villagers and the voice of nature, because the villagers and nature live together, they are both parts. If anyone wants to do something to nature, they should think carefully, and evaluate carefully, whether it is right to destroy nature. If nature is lost, it will be lost forever.

    We don’t know how many years or generations it will take to bring it back to life. We can’t calculate how many years each tree will take.”

    The Disaster Risks Report

    • This year’s Interconnected Disaster Risks report by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) finds that redefining what we value is one of five fundamental changes that humanity needs to make to shift towards a more sustainable and resilient world.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Large Crocodile captured near Proserpine boat ramp

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Issued: 7 Apr 2025

    A 4.5m estuarine crocodile has been captured in a baited trap near the Proserpine River boat ramp at Conway on the Proserpine River in north Queensland.

    The large male crocodile had been sighted in very close proximity to the boat ramp and pontoon, and given its size, concerning behaviour and increased risk to public safety, it was declared for removal from the wild under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan (QCMP).

    Rangers set a baited trap on Friday 4 April 2025, and it was captured during the early hours of Saturday 5 April 2025. It will be rehomed at a crocodile farm or zoo.

    During assessments of the location prior to the animal being declared for removal, Wildlife Rangers from the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) found discarded fish frames that had been left at the boat ramp.

    Members of the public have also reported entire pig carcasses being tied at the boat ramp.

    Acting Manager Northern Wildlife and Threatened Species Operations, Jane Burns said it is likely the pig carcasses had been left at the boat ramp in a deliberate attempt to lure the animal.

    “Deliberate or inadvertent feeding of crocodiles at boat ramps or fishing locations can change their behaviour, and they will hang around an area expecting food,” Ms Burns said.

    “Crocodiles do not need to be fed, and tourists and people living in crocodile habitat should make sensible choices around the water to prioritise their safety and to help prevent crocodiles being removed from the wild.

    “Under the Nature Conservation (Estuarine Crocodile) Conservation Plan 2018, it is an offence to deliberately discard fish frames or pig carcasses that may attract crocodiles,

    “This type of behaviour is very disappointing and concerning. It creates an increased risk to public safety.

    “Crocodiles can become habituated to an easy meal, and associate that with a particular location or people. This unfortunately has created a higher risk of a crocodile attack at this location.”

    Anyone with information about the deliberate feeding of this crocodile, or any crocodile in Queensland is encouraged to call 1300 130 372. Information can be provided anonymously.

    All crocodile sightings should be reported to DETSI in a timely manner.

    Crocodile sightings can be reported by using the QWildlife app, completing a crocodile sighting report on the DETSI website, or by calling 1300 130 372. The department investigates every crocodile sighting report received.

    View further information about croc safety at Be Crocwise in Croc Country.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Norton Announces Community Project Funding Application Process

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced the process for applying to her office for Community Project Funding, formerly known as earmarks, for fiscal year 2026 (FY26). For a Community Project Funding request to be considered, eligible entities must submit an application by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21st to NortonCommunityProjectFunding@mail.house.gov.

    Under the House Committee on Appropriations’ eligibility requirements for FY26, only governmental entities and public institutions of higher education will be eligible for projects under the T-HUD Economic Development Initiatives program. Memorials, museums, and commemoratives (i.e., projects named for an individual or entity) are not eligible for Community Project Funding. The subcommittees’ requirements can be found here. All projects that were included in House Reports for Fiscal Year 2025 are eligible in Fiscal Year 2026 but must be resubmitted for consideration.

    Late or incomplete applications, including applications that do not provide the information required by the relevant subcommittee, will not be considered. The project must be located in the District of Columbia.

    An application consists of all the information about the entity and project required by the applicable subcommittee, as well as the following:

    • Name of the recipient
    • Address of the recipient
    • Amount of the request
    • Explanation of the request, including purpose, and a justification for why it is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds
    • Evidence of community support
    • If on behalf of a non-profit, evidence the entity is a non-profit organization as described under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and evidence non-profit’s work is primarily focused on D.C.

    The Appropriations Committee is only permitting certain programs within specific subcommittees, listed below, that are going to participate in the Community Project Funding process.

    Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

    • Department of Agriculture–Farm Production and Conservation Programs
      • Natural Resources Conservation Service (Conservation Operations)
    • Department of Agriculture–Research, Education, and Economics
      • Agricultural Research Service (Buildings and Facilities)
    • Department of Agriculture–Rural Development
      • Rural Housing Service (Community Facilities)
      • Rural Utilities Service (ReConnect Program)
      • Rural Utilities Service (Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants)
      • Rural Utilities Service (Rural Water and Waste Disposal Grants)

    Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

    • Department of Commerce
      • NIST—Scientific and Technical Research
      • NOAA—Coastal Zone Management
    • Department of Justice
      • COPS Technology and Equipment
      • Byrne Justice
    • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
      • Safety, Security, and Mission Services

    Energy and Water Development

    • Army Corps of Engineers (Civil Works)
      • Investigations
      • Construction
      • Mississippi River and Tributaries
      • Operation and Maintenance
    • Department of the Interior/Bureau of Reclamation
      • Water and Related Resources

    Homeland Security

    • Federal Emergency Management Agency
      • Federal Assistance—Emergency Ops. Centers
      • Federal Assistance—Pre-Disaster Mitigation

    Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

    • Environmental Protection Agency
      • STAG—Clean Water State Revolving Fund
      • STAG—Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

    Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

    • Army
    • Army National Guard
    • Army Reserve
    • Navy & Marine Corps
    • Navy Reserve
    • Air Force and Space Force
    • Air National Guard
    • Air Force Reserve
    • DoD, Defense-Wide

    Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

    • Department of Housing and Urban Development
      • CDBG – Economic Development Initiatives
    • Department of Transportation
      • Airport Improvement Program
      • Highway Infrastructure Projects
      • Transit Infrastructure Projects
      • Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements
      • Port Infrastructure Development Program

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Another 10 ultra-fast charging stations for electric buses installed in the capital

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Another 10 ultra-fast charging stations for environmentally friendly ground transport have been installed in the Novokosino district in the east of the capital. This will allow more electric bus routes to be opened and the operation of existing ones to be improved, said the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry Maxim Liksutov.

    “We continue to expand the charging infrastructure at terminal stations. This allows us to replace buses with innovative Russian-made electric buses faster. In total, there are already more than 370 charging stations operating in the capital. We are developing environmentally friendly transport on behalf of Sergei Sobyanin,” said Maxim Liksutov.

    Moscow remains the leader in the number of electric buses in Europe. More than 2.3 thousand Russian-made vehicles serve 190 routes. To replace buses with electric buses, the city is developing charging infrastructure. With the creation of new charging stations in Moscow, new electric bus routes are opening.

    Charging stations for electric buses work in any weather and are suitable for all models of eco-friendly transport. The electric bus pantograph is connected to the charging dome, and the batteries are recharged.

    In total, there are about 850 ground transportation routes in Moscow, covering all districts. On a weekday, on average, more than four million trips are made on all buses and electric buses in the capital. Passengers are transported by the most modern and convenient for all categories of citizens ground city transportation.

    Moscow was the first in Russia to start building modern electric bus depots. In 2022, the first in Russia and the largest in Europe, Krasnaya Pakhra, opened in TiNAO. Eco-friendly vehicles first hit the routes in new districts. In the summer of 2023, the Mitino depot opened in the northwest of the capital. At the end of 2023, the third innovative electric bus depot, Saltykovka, opened. It serves routes in the east of the city.

    Since 2022, the capital has been supplied with improved equipment. Such vehicles have adaptive interior lighting, which changes from a cold shade to a warm one at 14:00 for the comfort of passengers. The front route indicator, increased by 18 percent, makes it even easier to see the number from afar. The interior has an electric heater, which minimizes the impact on the environment and maintains an optimal temperature. The power reserve has increased from 40-50 kilometers to 80 kilometers, while the weight of the vehicle has remained the same. Since 2024, KAMAZ and LiAZ vehicles with an updated design have been entering service.

    Electric buses are purchased under life cycle contracts. For 15 years after the vehicles are transferred to the Mosgortrans State Unitary Enterprise fleet, the manufacturers independently ensure the proper operation of the equipment on the routes.

    The new technology increases the comfort of travel and reduces the impact on the environment. The cabin has climate control, there are chargers for phones, and the nearest stops are shown on media screens. For passengers with limited mobility, there is a folding ramp and driver call buttons. If necessary, they will help enter and leave the cabin. Strollers or bicycles can be conveniently placed on the storage area.

    In 2023, Moscow signed the largest contract in Europe for the supply of 1,200 new electric buses. According to the State Budgetary Institution MosEcoMonitoring of the capital Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection, the introduction of innovative vehicles on routes has made it possible to increase the total environmental impact of replacing buses with electric transport by almost two times.

    In 2024, electric buses began to serve another 71 capital routes. This is twice as many as in 2023. Over 800 electric buses from PJSC KAMAZ and LLC LiAZ arrived in the fleets of GUP Mosgortrans, including 600 vehicles in a new, even more modern design. It is planned that by 2035, almost the entire fleet of GUP Mosgortrans will operate on electric traction.

    Three modern electric buses have entered a new route in the South-West Administrative DistrictSobyanin: Switching to electric buses has reduced pollutant emissions

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152358073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Blasts Trump’s Coal Executive Orders

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (April 8, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today released the following statement after President Trump signed four executive orders to boost the dying coal industry.
    “Just like Trump, coal is outdated, costly, and dangerous,” said Senator Markey. “Coal is the dirtiest energy source out there, both a major contributor to the climate crisis and a public health threat for communities nearby. Despite what Trump says, renewables are beating coal pound for pound in the market. Building new solar – even solar plus storage – is now cheaper than running existing coal plants in the United States.
    “The real emergency is not the lack of coal, but Trump’s order to open up America’s beautiful public lands to coal mining and expedite coal leasing and permitting. Attempts to revive this dying industry are not only costly to American taxpayers, but a danger to public health and our environment. From gutting the Environmental Protection Agency and its mission to ensure clean air and clean water, to attempting to roll back the clean energy investments in the historic Inflation Reduction Act, Trump is simply paying back his fossil fuel contributors, whose only goal is to kill clean energy and smother the revolution that has made onshore wind and solar the most cost-effective sources of electricity in the country.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 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 a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Bandt outlined the party’s election priorities and said the poll represents:

    A once-in-a-generation chance to create a country where everyone has a right to the basics – food, health, and a home. A safe climate and a healthy environment. An economy which puts people before the profits of the obscenely wealthy and the excessively profitable.

    The Greens broke new ground at the last federal election, snatching three new lower house seats and winning the balance of power in the Senate. The gains suggested the Greens were moving beyond their roots as a party of protest, and becoming a true policy force.

    But the Greens broadly failed to make the most of its greater political presence this term. In the next parliament, it should focus on building political capital and picking its battles more wisely.

    Meagre parliamentary success this term

    As a traditional party of protest, the Greens have historically tended to stick firmly to the party’s policy agenda rather than make major concessions to the government of the day.

    However, as the new Labor government focused on delivering its mostly modest reform agenda this term, the Greens party was forced to negotiate on its demands, much as the Teals have done.

    The Greens helped Labor pass its signature climate change policy, the safeguard mechanism, which seeks to limit emissions from Australia’s most polluting companies. In return, Labor agreed to the Greens’ call for a hard cap on emissions under the scheme. But it refused to bow to Greens demands for a ban on new gas and coal projects, and limiting the use of carbon credits.

    The Greens were then tested by Labor’s housing agenda – specifically, two schemes to make buying or renting a home more affordable.

    The Greens’ initially teamed up with the Coalition to block the laws, arguing they would drive up housing prices and give tax breaks to property developers. The party’s opposition was at odds with public opinion, including most Greens voters.

    The party eventually waved the housing bills through in November last year without winning any concessions from Labor, and after burning much political capital.

    The chastened Greens helped pass a flurry of other legislation late in 2024, including Reserve Bank governance reforms and a supermarket code of conduct. In return, Labor offered Greens fairly piecemeal concessions, including more money for social housing electrification and a ban on fossil fuel subsidies under the Future Made in Australia scheme.

    The Greens also offered to help salvage Labor’s troubled proposal to reform Australia’s environmental protection laws. It shelved its calls for a “climate trigger” – which would force regulators to consider the potential climate damage of a proposal before it was approved. Instead, the Greens insisted only on stronger protections for native forests.

    However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intervened at the eleventh hour to scuttle the deal.

    All this suggests the Greens party is yet to strike the right balance between pursuing its own policy agenda and supporting Labor to the extent that a healthy working relationship is achieved. So far, it has gained only meagre concessions, and its policy grandstanding has not worked.

    Flare-ups outside parliament

    Scoring political points outside parliament can be easier for the Greens than influencing policy within it.

    Environmental conflict has always fuelled the Greens’ vote, and the party continues to campaign on issues such as protecting Tasmania’s native forests, opposing salmon farming and calling for a ban on new coal and gas projects.

    But outside parliament this term, the Greens have faced controversies that may hurt them at the ballot box.

    Greens senator Lidia Thorpe quit the party over its support for the Voice referendum, and Bandt copped criticism for allegedly failing to confront bullying claims against West Australian Greens senator Dorinda Cox.

    The Gaza conflict triggered significant ruptures between the Greens and the pro-Israel movement. There were also reports that a new Muslim political movement may siphon votes from the Greens and hurt them electorally.

    There is no ready formula, then, for the Greens to shore up – let alone expand – its vote outside parliament.

    What’s next for the Greens?

    The Guardian’s polls tracker suggests the Greens’ primary vote has increased since the 2022 election, from 12.3% to 14%.

    However, the party faces several tough political contests to retain or extend the gains it won in 2022. And its disappointing results at recent elections in Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory suggest the party has its work cut out.

    As ABC election analyst Antony Green has noted, Labor holds three seats with margins below 5% where the Greens have a chance. However, the Greens also hold seats on slim margins that Labor or another candidate could win.

    The Greens’ lower-house gains at the last election came in the inner-Brisbane seats of Ryan, Brisbane and Griffith. The Greens will have to fight hard to retain all three next month.

    The most recent polls suggest Labor will be returned by a narrow margin at the May 3 election – probably helped along by the return of United States’ President Donald Trump.

    On Wednesday Bandt said the Greens “are within reach of winning seats right across the country and, in the minority government, we can make things happen”.

    However, seven new Independents won lower house seats at the last election. Should that trend continue, and if Labor does need to form a minority government, the Greens may find themselves fighting for the balance of power on a crowded crossbench.

    Picking fights or delivering policy?

    If the Greens party wants to be seen as a serious political force, it must decide if its traditional political approach – hard-nosed policy opposition and picking political fights – is still the best strategy.

    Bandt’s mentor, former Greens leader Christine Milne, got results from minority pacts with both sides of politics. She believed the Greens’ role was to build political capital and then, when an opportunity such as minority government arose, to spend that capital on achieving significant policy outcomes.

    On Wednesday, Bandt indicated a willingness to work towards meaningful policy outcomes in the next parliament. He claimed the Greens were willing to compromise in the event of minority government, saying:

    we understand the need to cooperate and to come up with an arrangement that forms stable, effective and progressive government […] We will go into any discussions with goodwill and with [an] open mind.

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

    – ref. Adam Bandt says the Greens can deliver ‘real change’ – but the party should choose its battles more wisely – https://theconversation.com/adam-bandt-says-the-greens-can-deliver-real-change-but-the-party-should-choose-its-battles-more-wisely-253851

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 9, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 9, 2025.

    Chinese-Australian voters were key to Labor’s win in 2022. Are some now swinging back to the Liberals?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wanning Sun, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, University of Technology Sydney Chinese-Australian voters were pivotal to Labor’s win in the 2022 election, with the swing against the Liberals in several key marginal seats almost twice that of other seats. Many traditionally pro-business Liberal supporters switched sides

    The ‘monogamy superiority myth’: new research suggests unconventional relationships are just as satisfying
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Anderson, Associate Professor in LGBTIQA+ Psychology, La Trobe University Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock From The Bachelor to Married at First Sight, reality TV sells us the idea that one perfect partner will complete us. The formula is familiar: find “the one,” lock it down and live happily ever after.

    ‘Germany is back’: 3 ways NZ can benefit from Europe’s renewed centre of power
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mathew Doidge, Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury Getty Images It’s unlikely many New Zealanders paid close attention to Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ statement late last year that “New Zealand and Germany are committed to enhancing their partnership”. Peters had been

    Bringing manufacturing back from overseas isn’t an easy solution to Trump’s trade war
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Stone, Credit Union SA Chair of Economics, University of South Australia Shutterstock The past week has seen the United States single-handedly rewrite the underlying paradigm for global trade. And while it is fair to say that the methods are extreme, the underlying goal of the policy

    How to build a cinematic universe: the secret to Marvel’s enormous success among a history of failures
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Tran, Academic Tutor at Swinburne University of Technology, Swinburne University of Technology Since Iron Man hit the big screen in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has made more than US$30 billion, from films to series, to merchandise and comics. As scholars and the press have

    ChatGPT just passed the Turing test. But that doesn’t mean AI is now as smart as humans
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University Hanna Barakat & Cambridge Diversity Fund/Better Images of AI, CC BY-SA There have been several headlines over the past week about an AI chatbot officially passing the Turing test. These news reports are based on a recent

    A grab bag of campaign housing policies. But will they fix the affordability crisis beyond the election?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Cull, Associate professor, Western Sydney University Secure and affordable housing is a fundamental human right for all Australians. Therefore, it is unsurprising the election campaign is being played out against a backdrop of heightened voter anxiety about rental stress and housing affordability. A growing number of

    These complementary therapies may soon be eligible for private health insurance rebates
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Wardle, Professor of Public Health, Southern Cross University Rui Dias/Pexels Private health insurers may soon be able to offer rebates for seven complementary therapies previously prohibited. This includes some movement therapies – Pilates, yoga, tai chi and Alexander technique, which teaches body awareness and posture –

    Winston Peters at 80: the populist’s populist clocks up 50 years of political comebacks
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grant Duncan, Teaching Fellow in Politics and International Relations, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Winston Peters turns a venerable 80 on April 11, but he showed no sign of retiring as New Zealand’s archetypal populist during his recent state of the nation speech. He

    Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kaitlyn DeGhetto, Associate Professor of Management, University of Dayton To attract business investment, American cities and states offer companies billions of dollars in incentives, such as tax credits. As the theory goes, when governments create a business-friendly environment, it encourages investment, leading to job creation and economic

    Election Diary: The election’s first debate was disaster-free but passion-free too
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The election’s first debate, on Sky News on Tuesday night, was disappointingly dull. Viewers who’d been following the campaign would have learned little. There was minimal spontaneity. Among the 100 undecided voters in the room, 44 said Anthony Albanese won,

    Reality check: coral restoration won’t save the world’s reefs
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Node Leader in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, Flinders University A coral ‘rope’ nursery in the Maldives Luca Saponari/University of Milan, CC BY-ND Coral reefs are much more than

    No major gaffes and no knockout punch: the first leaders’ debate was a pedestrian affair
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andy Marks, Vice-President, Public Affairs and Partnerships, Western Sydney University Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have faced off in the first leaders’ debate of the 2025 federal election. The debate, hosted by Sky News and The Daily Telegraph, was held at the Wenty

    Politics aside, new research shows there are good financial reasons to back working from home
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dorina Pojani, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Queensland Fizkes/Shutterstock In the pre-industrial era, people often lived and worked in the same building. This removed the need to travel to work. The separation of home and work occurred much later, during the Industrial Revolution. Factories

    Labor’s $1 billion for mental health is good news for young people in particular – but leaves some gaps
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sebastian Rosenberg, Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, and Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney mooremedia/Shutterstock The Labor government has announced it would invest A$1 billion in mental health if re-elected to provide more Australians – particularly young people – with “free, public mental

    We’re hardwired to laugh – this is why watching comedians try to be the ‘Last One Laughing’ is so funny
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fergus Edwards, Lecturer in English, University of Tasmania Amazon MGM Studios Last One Laughing is a battle royale for stand-ups. Ten comedians, one room, surrounded by cameras. Laugh once and they’re warned. Laugh again, and they’re out. Last comic left wins. It is an international TV phenomenon,

    Here’s a simple, science-backed way to sharpen your thinking and improve your memory
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Singh, Research Fellow, Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia Centre for Ageing Better/Unsplash Many of us turn to Sudoku, Wordle or brain-training apps to sharpen our minds. But research is increasingly showing one of the best ways to boost memory, focus and brain

    If Australia switched to EVs, we’d be more reliant on China’s car factories – but wean ourselves off foreign oil
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology Prapat Aowsakorn/Shutterstock Australia has huge reserves of coal and gas – but very little oil. Before the 20th century, this didn’t matter – trains ran on local coal. But as cars and trucks have come to

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 8, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 8, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven: President Signs Executive Orders to Strengthen Access to Affordable, Reliable Baseload Electricity

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    04.08.25

    Senator at White House for EO Signing, Working to Secure Future of Coal in Support of U.S. Energy Dominance

    ***Click for video and audio.***

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today joined President Donald Trump at the White House as he signed executive orders to strengthen access to the affordable and reliable baseload electricity provided by coal. The orders align with Hoeven’s longtime work to secure the future of the U.S. coal industry, ensuring the nation can continue to utilize this abundant energy resource in support of making the country energy dominant. Specifically, President Trump signed orders that:

    • Direct the Department of the Interior to identify coal reserves on federal lands and prioritize federal coal leasing.
    • Provide regulatory relief for coal mining and coal-fired power plants, including exempting certain coal plants from the onerous Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule imposed by the Biden administration.
      • Hoeven, along with then-Congressman Kelly Armstrong, led bicameral legislation to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing its new MATS rule.
    • Support the development of technologies like carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and encourage coal technology exports to support U.S. global energy leadership.
    • Utilize emergency authority under the Federal Power Act to address the premature retirement of coal-fired power plants and enable these facilities to continue supporting the reliability of the grid.

    “Today’s executive orders help mobilize President Trump’s team in support of our nation’s coal producers, who provide affordable and reliable baseload power that is essential to the stability of our electric grid,” said Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “Leveraging our vast coal reserves, including those on federal lands, is a key part of our efforts to make the U.S. truly energy dominant. North Dakota has long led the way on priorities like CCUS, and I look forward to continuing my efforts with the administration, including Interior Secretary Burgum and Energy Secretary Wright, to provide the regulatory relief and legal certainty needed to unlock our country’s energy potential.”

    Leading in CCUS

    Hoeven has worked for more than 15 years to advance North Dakota’s leadership in cracking the code on CCUS technologies to enable the next generation of clean, coal-fired electric power, including:

    • Putting in place the legal, tax and regulatory requirements to advance CCUS.
    • Making North Dakota the first state to be granted regulatory primacy for Class VI wells, to ensure CO2 is safely and securely stored below the surface.
    • Advancing Basin’s Dakota Gasification synfuels plant, the largest coal-based carbon capture project in the world, which is currently in operation and captures up to 2.25 million metric tons of CO2 per year.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Statement on President Trump Signing Coal Executive Orders

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    ***Click here for audio.***
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement following President Trump signing executive orders relating to coal mining and coal powered electricity production:
    “It was a really good day for American energy. These executive orders that President Trump signed today reflect not just a temporary reprieve in the war against coal, but really a revolutionary break from the Biden administration’s pessimistic philosophy of scarcity. This shift toward a brighter future for energy abundance really does solidify President Trump’s promise to pursue energy dominance by ensuring that coal, which is of course our nation’s most abundant energy resource, remains available to help keep the lights on, and we know how important that is. North Dakota’s lignite coal industry gives consumers the lowest average electric rates in the country, and has for decades, but it faced a very uncertain future under the failed policies of the Biden administration. This action today really restores sanity to our national energy policy by elevating the importance of domestic energy production to a power manufacturing renaissance and it ensures that affordable, reliable electricity is available for many generations.”
    During the Biden administration, Cramer highlighted how its regulatory actions against coal would lead to disastrous consequences.  He introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Clean Power Plan 2.0 rule and celebrated the agency’s announcement to roll it back on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Deregulation Day, when the EPA announced 31 actions intended to revitalize the American energy industry.  He also publicized attempts by President Obama’s Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, to bar coal leasing on federal lands. This moratorium is expressly terminated by today’s actions.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Community invited to contribute to Natural Reserve Management Plans

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    The City of Greater Bendigo is developing Environmental Management Plans for Kennington Reservoir, Riley Street, Ryalls Lane and Crusoe Reservoir and No. 7 Park Natural Reserves and is inviting the community to have input into the plans.

    City of Greater Bendigo Climate Change and Environment Michelle Wyatt said the purpose of developing the plans is to establish a set of goals for the protection and enhancement of local biodiversity.

    “The plans will identify the values and threats of each site and establish goals and actions aimed at enhancing environmental and passive recreation opportunities for the community,” Ms Wyatt said.

    “The community has a wealth of knowledge of the flora, fauna and ecological communities and use many of the natural reserves we manage.  Their feedback is important to help us understand how they use the sites, what is important to them and how the City can enhance the values and use of each site.”

    Community engagement is currently underway to gather information on how the community uses the following reserves and their priorities for future management:

    • Crusoe Reservoir and No.7 Park (Big Hill) 
      Home to Box-Ironbark forest, reservoirs, walking and cycling trails and abundant native flora and fauna, including 190 species of bird
    • Kennington Reservoir (Kennington) 
      This site supports recovering Box-Ironbark forest and a reservoir which is home to three species of turtle, abundant birdlife and several fish, frog and mammal species
    • Ryalls Lane and Sheepwash Creek (Owl’s Roost Reserve) (Strathfieldsaye)
      This site encompasses parts of Sheepwash Creek and a number of smaller tributaries that support creekline grassy woodland and plains woodland vegetation communities. The Ryalls Lane site was a recent acquisition and is a popular roosting spot for the endangered Powerful Owl
    • Riley Street Natural Reserve (East Bendigo)
      This former quarry has been transformed into an important urban natural reserve, supporting threatened fish species and providing a haven for frogs, reptiles, mammals and birds. Formed tracks allow walking and nature watching

    Residents can have their say on the City’s Let’s Talk website until 5pm on Friday May 9, 2025.

    To provide input, visit:

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Prescribed hazard reduction burns in Hardy’s Range and Uriarra

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services



    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 09/04/2025

    Two prescribed hazard reduction burns in Hardy’s Range and Uriarra Station will commence today, subject to suitable weather and fuel moisture conditions.

    The prescribed hazard reduction burns in Hardy’s Range and Uriarra Station are being conducted to reduce the fire hazard in the area.

    See the location map of the burn sites.

    Experienced ACT Parks and Conservation Service fire managers will conduct and oversee the burning operations. Every effort is made to conduct burns in weather conditions that will minimise the impact of smoke, but temporary smoke cover is possible and may be visible across parts of Canberra.

    Fire crews will be on the ground monitoring and patrolling the prescribed burns to their conclusions.

    Smoke, flame, and glowing embers may be seen at these sites, which is normal for these types of operations. The public are asked not to call emergency triple-zero unless they see any unattended fire.

    Prescribed burns are an important part of the ACT’s annual Bushfire Operations Plan to enhance ecological quality, reduce the risk of bushfires and help keep Canberrans safe.

    More information about prescribed hazard reduction burns is available on the Parks ACT website.

    – Statement ends –

    ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate | Media Releases

    Media Contacts

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Directorate Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER DEMANDS FEMA IMMEDIATELY REVERSE DEVASTATING $300+ MILLION CUT FOR DISASTER PREPARDNESS, FLOOD MITIGATION & INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES ACROSS NEW YORK TO ENSURE CONSTRUCTION CAN CONTINUE & TO…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Last Week FEMA Announced It Will Eliminate The Building Resilient Infrastructure And Communities (BRIC), Cutting Projects Across NY; BRIC Was Set To Provide $325M For NYS Projects And Has Distributed $5B In Fed Grants Nationally Since It Started In 2020

    BRIC Program – Created By Schumer And Signed Into Law By Trump – Helps State And Local Government Improve Infrastructure By Raising Roads, Improving Drainage, Creating Power Sources, And More With Projects In Capital Region, NYC, Buffalo, And More Set To Lose Funding

    Schumer: FEMA Is Putting New Yorkers At Risk During Next Disaster By Cutting Off Funding

    After Trump abruptly canceled FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program, including over $300 million in federal funding headed to New York, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today demanded FEMA reverse this harmful decision which will rip resources away from New York State’s disaster preparedness efforts. The senator said as New York has faced more extreme weather than ever, FEMA has played a critical role in helping communities rebuild and cutting off this lifeline with hurt New York families, businesses, and more in every corner of the state.

    “New Yorkers are no strangers to natural disasters and FEMA’s BRIC program was one of the best tools for helping communities big and small rebuild to keep communities safe in the face of flooding, snowstorms and more. By ripping away over $300 million in funding for projects with no warning or explanation, imperiling them from moving forward, FEMA is going against its mission and putting the lives & safety of New Yorkers during the next emergency at risk,” said Senator Schumer. “When communities are hit by disaster, when roads are flooded, downtowns destroyed, or worse – it is FEMA that is supposed to come to help them rebuild. We cannot leave New York’s families, businesses, and neighborhoods fending for themselves by cutting off this vital lifeline. I’m demanding FEMA immediately reverse these cuts and restore BRIC to keep New Yorkers safe.”

    FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) in 2020 and was previously signed into law by President Trump during his first administration. BRIC allocates resources to state and local governments to help mitigate damage from natural disasters, such as raising roads or building underground storage which will help make communities more resilient to extreme weather such as hurricanes or floods. When announcing that it would end the program, FEMA labeled BRIC as an “ineffective FEMA program” and said eliminating it was part of the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate “waste, fraud and abuse.”

    Schumer added, “I created BRIC to provide support for critical projects including rebuilding roads, improving drainage, creating emergency power sources, and more in every corner of the state – and Trump signed it into law. ‘DOGE’ claims to eliminate government waste, so why is Trump canceling a program that he signed into law? This newest announcement will only create more waste when houses, roads, and more are ruined with no resources to rebuild.”

    In a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Schumer explained that BRIC provides a lifeline for New York and other states that have been facing more extreme weather as they prepare for the next storm. For example, last year New York State set a record for most tornadoes in a year since they were first recorded in 1950 and experienced an earthquake that was felt throughout the state. Schumer said BRIC has and should continue to play a critical role in supporting New York’s infrastructure improvements and mitigating damage caused by extreme weather and natural disasters and called on the Trump administration to reverse these cuts and maintain BRIC.

    Schumer said canceled projects are in every corner of New York State, including New York City, Westchester, the Capital Region, and Buffalo. For example, according to Governor Hochul, $100 million was cut off for two flood mitigation projects in Central Harlem and East Elmhurst, $24 million was cut off for the New York Power Authority to reduce the formation of ice jams in the Capital Region, and over $700,000 was cut off for the removal of a dangerous dam in Westchester.

    Schumer explained that BRIC is one of several FEMA preparedness and resilience programs that help communities reduce the impacts of future disasters. The Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program (FMA) and State Hazard Mitigation Revolving Loan Program, established by the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act of 2020, or the STORM Act, provide critical support to communities that have been hit by disasters to help them prepare for the next major storm. Secretary Noem’s previous comments asserting that the Trump administration will “eliminate FEMA” put not just the BRIC and preparedness programs at risk, but also programs and funds that allow the federal government to respond to major disasters and help communities rebuild in the immediate and long-term aftermath.

    Schumer’s letter to Secretary Noem can be found HERE or below:

    Dear Secretary Noem:

    I write to urge you to reverse your recent decision to cancel the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. By cancelling this program, New York State will lose over $325 million for projects that have not yet begun construction that would help mitigate or prevent flooding in local communities, helping to save lives and reduce the damages and costs of extreme weather. $56 million in funding has already helped begin some resilience projects, although this decision now puts those dollars at risk. Funding to help states invest in preparedness and resilience not only saves lives and property, but also saves money for local, state, and the federal government in the long term. I implore you to revisit your decision to end the BRIC funding for states and restore the $325 million investments in New York’s resilience to extreme weather.

    The BRIC program provides local, state, territorial and Tribal governments resources to reduce their hazard risk when extreme weather strikes. In recent years, New York has seen its fair share of disasters, including 23 federally declared disasters with New Yorkers receiving $1,385 in federal aid per capita from disasters that occurred 2011 – 2024, the third highest cost per capita in the country. Just last year, New York saw tornadoes and flooding that left communities devastated. Hurricane Ida brought record-shattering rainfall and devastated New York City in 2021, drowning 11 people in their basement apartments, demonstrating the dire need for improved wastewater infrastructure to ensure no more lives are lost at the hand of extreme rainfall. Programs like BRIC that invest in resilience will help mitigate the impacts of these storms, preventing some or all of the most severe damages that these weather systems bring. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has stated that every $1 invested in disaster preparedness saves communities $13 in damages, cleanup, and recovery costs. The BRIC investments are not only a smart choice to save lives and property, but they also make economic sense.

    Across New York City, 10 projects totaling over $280 million were slated to help improve flooding resiliency. The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has several projects to mitigate flooding impacts by reducing storm-related runoff and flooding from high intensity rainfall. These projects would improve and strengthen stormwater infrastructure across the city, including in the Historic South Street Seaport, Central Harlem, East Elmhurst, Corona East, at the NYCHA Polo Grounds Tower Development, and other areas of the city. In Upstate New York, three projects totaling over $1 million are at risk because of this reckless decision to cancel the BRIC program. In Westchester, the Upper Minkel Dam Decommissioning and Riparian Corridor Restoration project would restore a stream and surrounding land to reduce flood hazards, potentially eliminating any future flooding event at this site. The New York Power Authority was slated to address ice jams in Vischer Ferry along the NYS canal system, flushing ice from the Vischer Ferry impoundment to avoid jam flooding and the potential for ice dam formations. Lastly, the City of Buffalo was slated to utilize BRIC funds to improve building codes and invest in local workforce training and development, helping to improve energy use and the utilization of emerging technologies. All these projects, and more across the state, detailed today by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, would help improve community safety and invest in local workforce development, but are unfortunately now at risk thanks to the administration’s decision to cancel the BRIC program.

     The BRIC program, along with FEMA’s other disaster preparedness and resilience programs such as the Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program (FMA) and State Hazard Mitigation Revolving Loan Program, established by the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act of 2020, or the STORM Act, provide critical support to communities that have been hit by disasters to help them prepare for the next major storm. I urge you to swiftly restore the BRIC program to ensure these dollars can continue doing this important work to create safer communities and save costs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Reintroduces Bill to Protect the Ruby Mountains from Oil and Gas Drilling Pushed by the Trump Administration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) reintroduced her legislation to expand protections for and prohibit oil and gas development in Nevada’s beautiful and pristine Ruby Mountains. Her reintroduction of the Ruby Mountains Protection Act follows the Trump administration’s decision to reopen the Rubies to speculative oil and gas drilling. Last Congress, this bill passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) is a cosponsor of the legislation.

    “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.”

    “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 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. Last Congress, the Ruby Mountains Protection Act passed the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on a bipartisan basis.

    Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have been champions for Nevada’s great outdoor spaces and public lands. They passed critical legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects public lands in Nevada and across the U.S. Cortez Masto’s bipartisan, bicameral legislation to restore Lake Tahoe was recently passed into law, and she delivered critical funding to protect Lake Tahoe in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Cortez Masto and Rosen also helped pass the historic Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law and provides robust funding to preserve and maintain public lands across the country. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: University Research – Global infant mortality will rise – in contrast to United Nations projections – Flinders

    Source: Flinders University

    A new report presented in New York on 8 April reveals that current United Nations projections on infant mortality rates are inaccurate.

    The Fragile Futures report says crucial factors missing from current United Nations projections – the impacts of climate change and population on infant mortality – will cause infant mortality to rise and children’s overall health to decline this decade.

    While current United Nations projections predict a continuing decline in infant mortality, new evidence in the Fragile Futures report shows that climate change and population dynamics in the most climate-vulnerable regions will increase infant mortality rates.

    UK-based NGO Population Matters funded the independent Fragile Futures evidence review, conducted by the Future Child Health research team at The Kids Research Institute Australia, with help from The University of Western Australia and Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology Corey Bradshaw from Flinders University in South Australia.

    Representatives from Population Matters and the Future Child Health research team attended the United Nations Commission on Population Development in New York, and presented the Fragile Futures research at a side event (“A Discussion on Child Health and Climate”) on 8 April.

    Report co-author Professor Corey Bradshaw from Flinders University says that evidence revealed in the Fragile Futures report shows that infant mortality is rising.

    “Although United Nations’ projections on infant mortality show a continuing decline to 2100, recent evidence suggests that infant mortality is increasing in several countries, including the United States, France, India, Madagascar, Cambodia, Nepal, and the Philippines.”

    The report also presents evidence that climate change will increase pre-term births. “Rising temperatures are linked to a 60% increase in preterm births, a major contributor to higher rates of infant mortality and health complications later in life even in those children who survive,” says co-author Dr Melinda Judge from The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia.

    “The risk of pre-term birth is already higher in low- and middle-income countries. Sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia accounted for 65% of all preterm births globally in 2020, and this will increase due to more frequent and persisting heatwaves.”

    Children’s respiratory health is identified as being at increased risk. “Climate change and higher population density also causes more exposure to air pollution, increasing cases of asthma, eczema, and allergies in young children,” says co-author Professor Peter Le Souëf from The University of Western Australia and The Kids Research Institute Australia. “In Africa, air pollution was linked to 449,000 additional infant deaths in 2015.”

    The report shows that preventable deaths of women and newborns are increasing. In 2020, 287,000 women died from preventable pregnancy-related complications, and 80% of newborn deaths were due to preventable and treatable conditions. Investment in sexual and reproductive healthcare saves lives.

    Cuts to international aid budgets are also having an effect on these figures. “The withdrawal of USAID support between 2025 and 2028 is projected to result in 1,200 additional preventable maternal deaths in Afghanistan alone,” says Professor Bradshaw.

    “The total impacts of lost aid on women and children’s health remains unknown – but will be catastrophic without intervention.”

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Pressure from Warren, Trump Nominee Commits to Holding Private Military Landlords Accountable, Protecting Housing Rights for Servicemembers, Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 08, 2025

    Mr. Marks: “I believe that residents do need to have robust rights to include where they live.” 

    Mr. Marks: “If confirmed, you have my commitment to work with this committee, you, and others, and the services on behalf of our residents (to ensure safe and high quality housing). We owe them that for the service that they give our great nation.”

    Video of Exchange (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, questioned Mr. Dale Marks, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment, on his vision for addressing military housing problems for servicemembers and their families. 

    After a 2018 Reuters investigation revealed that military families were subjected to mold, pest infestations, and other safety hazards, Congress and the Department of Defense (DoD) began work to improve housing conditions. Congress passed multiple reforms in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020, including a Tenant Bill of Rights and creation of a public complaint database that became the Housing Feedback System, which allows servicemembers and their families to submit and document publicly concerns about the safety of their homes. 

    Mr. Marks agreed to use the Housing Feedback System to hold private military housing contractors accountable, saying that, as a former military housing resident himself, he is committed to “build(ing) transparency and trust with our residents.”  

    Senator Warren highlighted that, despite the reforms passed by Congress, families are still denied justice through concepts like the Enclave Doctrine, which says that tenants living on federal lands are not entitled to the same rights as those living outside of them. 

    After being questioned by Senator Warren, Mr. Marks committed to “dig deeper to see how we could address (the Enclave Doctrine)” and affirmed that “residents do need to have robust rights to include where they live.” He also committed to working with Senator Warren, SASC, and the military services to ensure service members and their families receive safe and high quality housing. 

    Senator Warren called for the committee to address the issues with military housing conditions in this year’s NDAA. 

    “We have a duty to make sure that military families’ homes are safe so they can stay focused on the mission of keeping the rest of us safe. Substandard housing conditions hurt military readiness. That’s a problem we could fix,” Senator Warren concluded.  

    Transcript: Hearing to consider the nominations of: Mr. Bradley D. Hansell to be Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security; Mr. Earl G. Matthews to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense; Mr. Dale R. Marks to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment; and Honorable Brandon M. Williams to be Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security
    Senate Armed Services Committee 
    April 8, 2025 

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations to all of our nominees. 

    So, after a 2018 Reuters investigation found that military families were living in homes that were filled with mold, pest infestations, and other safety hazards, this committee opened an inquiry and instituted a slate of reforms in 2019 to hold private military housing contractors accountable.

    One of these reforms was the creation of a Tenant Bill of Rights to ensure that military families have the quality housing they deserve. Another was the creation of a public database for military families to report when their landlords fail to provide that quality housing.

    I am glad that DOD finally created that database, called the Housing Feedback System, last year. I’m sorry that servicemembers had to wait five years for it. DOD needs to do better to rebuild trust with military families.

    Mr. Marks, if you are confirmed, it will be your job to make sure that servicemembers and their families have “safe, high-quality, and affordable” housing. So will you commit to preserving and using DoD’s Housing Feedback system to hold private military housing contractors accountable? 

    Mr. Dale Marks, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment: Senator, thank you for that. And as someone who has been a military housing resident, I appreciate the additional oversight to include that database which has been implemented. And I have watched that roll out at the local installation level. If confirmed, you have my commitment we will continue to build transparency and trust with our residents. We owe them that. 

    Senator Warren: Good. I appreciate that and I appreciate your strong response here. While the reforms we’ve put in place are an important start, military families are still being treated as second-class citizens by unscrupulous landlords. At Fort Belvoir, the housing conditions in these private homes were so reprehensible that families couldn’t even live there. But the families had to continue paying rent for their unlivable homes while they made do in temporary housing. 

    Mr. Marks, do you agree that military families deserve the same tenant protections provided to their civilian neighbors – so for example the right to terminate their leases if their landlord fails to address safety hazards, or the right to sue their landlords for relief if their family got sick because of poor conditions in their home?

    Mr. Marks: Senator, we owe our residents the highest standards of quality in homes and to continue to make robust the informal and formal dispute resolution processes. And, if confirmed, I would want to work with you and this committee to see what we can do. 

    Senator Warren: Let me just – my question is: should our military families have the same rights that their civilian neighbors have to insist under local and state laws to get protection?

    Mr. Marks: Senator, I understand. There are some laws to include the Enclave Act that needs to be addressed. And so what I would want to do is, if confirmed, dig deeper to see how we could address that. I believe that residents do need to have robust rights to include where they live.

    Senator Warren: Well, you know, we already have a pretty bad example here because these families at Fort Belvoir who have tried to file claims under the Virginia consumer and housing protection laws and their complaints were dismissed because of the Enclave Doctrine. This is the doctrine that says on federal lands tenants might not be entitled to the same rights as other members of the state or community. 

    I want to work with my colleagues to address this in the NDAA but DOD also recently provided a response to a letter that I sent with Senators Ossoff and Kaine that said the military services already have the authority to require private military housing companies to take corrective action and can negotiate to provide families with additional rights. 

    So let me ask you, Mr. Marks, will you work with this committee and the military services to fight for and enforce military families’ housing protection rights and ensure they receive the safe and high quality housing they’re entitled to?

    Mr. Marks: Senator, if confirmed, you have my commitment to work with this committee, you, and others, and the services on behalf of our residents. We owe them that for the service that they give our great nation.

    Senator Warren: I appreciate that and I hope this is something we’ll take up in the NDAA. We have a duty to make sure that military families’ homes are safe so they can stay focused on the mission of keeping the rest of us safe. Substandard housing conditions hurt military readiness. That’s a problem we could fix. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Risch, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve the Recreational Trails Program (RTP)

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and James Risch (R-ID) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) by increasing the transparency and ensuring the accountability of its funding program. Since 1991, the Recreational Trails Program has provided funding to states to develop and maintain outdoor recreational trails, allowing millions of Americans and their families to enjoy activities such as hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and 4-wheel driving.
    “Minnesota snowmobilers, hikers, ATV users, cyclists, and countless others who enjoy the outdoors rely on the Recreational Trails Program to explore our state’s natural wonders and support our local businesses,” said Klobuchar. “Our bipartisan legislation will ensure states receive the resources they deserve to protect and improve these trails for generations to come.”
    “The Recreational Trails Program provides Idahoans and visitors to our state with access to our public lands,” said Risch. “This legislation ensures trail maintenance projects can continue and future generations can enjoy Idaho’s great outdoors for years to come.”
    “From Vermont’s green mountains to Utah’s ‘Mighty Five’ National Parks, America is home to unmatched natural beauty. The Recreational Trails Program plays a vital role in helping build and maintain hiking trails across the country so folks can enjoy and explore our great outdoors,” said Welch. “Our bipartisan bill will support this crucial program to ensure that future generations can experience the joy of hiking our nation’s scenic trails for many years to come.”
    “From Murphy to Manteo, North Carolina’s network of recreational trails not only attracts tourism to our state, but also allows North Carolinians to enjoy the natural beauty our state has to offer. I am proud to join Senator Klobuchar in introducing this bipartisan legislation to help maintain, improve, and expand upon the natural infrastructure of our public lands,” said Budd. 
    The RTP Full Funding Act—which is supported by recreational groups from snowmobilers to cyclists and hikers to off-highway power sport vehicle users—will ensure that federal funds collected for this program are maximized to support more trail projects in the future. The bill signals strong support for bringing the Recreational Trail Program funding in line with the revenue collected from the federal gas tax already paid by off-road recreational vehicle users without impacting funding for other federal transportation programs. The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Curtis (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
    The RTP Full Funding Act will increase the accuracy and transparency of RTP funding by:

    Requiring a study to determine the total amount of funds collected;

    Improving reporting on expenditures from the RTP to improve accountability and oversight; and

    Streamlining RTP funding distribution to the states by reducing unnecessary paperwork.

    The bill is supported by the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC), Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT), Motorcycle Industry Council,  Safe & Responsible Use at the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association, American Trails, International Mountain Bicycling Association, The Corps Network, International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, American Council of Snowmobile Associations, American Horse Council & American Horse Council Foundation, American Hiking Society, Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), PeopleForBikes, Back Country Horsemen of America, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Association, and Rails to Trails Conservancy.
    “The Recreational Trails Program has produced tens of thousands of successes across the nation, benefiting the health, safety and enjoyment of millions of hikers and bicyclists and ATVers and snowmobilers and equestrians and more.  It has forged national and regional partnerships among those who use trails – overcoming potential competition with plans that deliver great opportunities for all.  RTP projects benefit from the sharing of best practices and from widespread volunteerism and Public-Private-Partnerships.  Because RTP offers flexibility in uses including maintenance and education, the program can improve other trail projects.  Best of all, RTP unifies the nation across our diversity – north and south, urban and rural, young and old, Red and Blue and more, and connects more Americans to their shared legacy of public lands and waters.  We thank our wonderful  Congressional Champions for making this possible!” said Marianne Fowler and Derrick Crandall, Co-Chairs of the Coalition for Recreational Trails.
    “The RTP is vitally important to trail users everywhere.  The program funds trail construction, maintenance, safety, interpretation, and other important projects. The funding for this program has remained flat for too long.  We would like to thank the bill sponsors for taking action to ensure that these important priorities will be fully funded,” said Duane Taylor, Director of Safe & Responsible Use,  Specialty Vehicle Institute of America.
    “The International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association and the American Council of Snowmobile Associations applaud the continued leadership of Senators Klobuchar and Risch and the active support of Senators Welch, Budd, Tillis, Merkley and Curtis to return to outdoor recreation the resources required to build and maintain our recreational trail infrastructure. Their persistence in pushing for this funding partially addresses the greatest inequity contained in our federal aid highway program.
    “In the past decade almost $3 billion in revenue generated by motorized trail enthusiasts has been deposited in the Federal Highway Trust Fund. Unfortunately, the vast majority of that revenue has been diverted to infrastructure inaccessible to motorized recreational products. While the Recreational Trail Program makes a portion of that funding available for motorized trail infrastructure, it is woefully deficient.
    “The public should know that 100% of the RTP funding released by the Klobuchar/ Risch legislation is generated by motorized recreation with the federal gas taxes paid every time our recreation vehicles are filled up. Only a portion of those funds are returned to the trails, with 30% guaranteed for motorized trails, 30% for non-motorized trails and 40% for multiuse trails.
    “This legislation is a step in the right direction for the continued support of the trails system – and the rural communities across the United States! Thank you for your support and leadership!” said Jaret Smith, President of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, and Christine Jourdain, Executive Director of the American Council of Snowmobile Associations.
    “The Recreational Trails Program is vital for building and maintaining trails for cyclists across the country.  At PeopleForBikes, we strongly support more funding for all bicycle infrastructure programs and applaud the bipartisan leadership of this legislation for their support of recreational trails,” said Jenn Dice, CEO of PeopleForBikes.
    “American Hiking Society and the 59 million strong hiking community praises the bipartisan leadership of Senators Klobuchar and Risch in support of the Recreational Trails Program! The RTP Full Funding Act of 2024 will ensure that the over three decades long impact of RTP can continue to provide the tens of millions of non-motorized and motorized trail users in urban and rural areas the benefits of trails including health and wellness, connectivity, and economic growth. Hikers and trail users across the country thank Senators Klobuchar, Risch, Budd, Welch, Tillis, Curtis, and Merkley for their support of our nation’s trails!” said Tyler Ray, Senior Director for Programs and Advocacy, American Hiking Society.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Energy

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
     1.  Coal-fired electricity generation is essential to ensuring that our Nation’s grid is reliable and that electricity is affordable for the American people, and to promoting our Nation’s energy security.  The Federal Government plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the Nation’s power supply remains secure and reliable.  Forcing energy producers to comply with unattainable emissions controls jeopardizes this mission. 
    2.  On May 7, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule titled National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants:  Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Review of the Residual Risk and Technology Review, 89 FR 38508 (Rule), which amended the preexisting Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule to make it more stringent.  The Rule’s effective date was July 8, 2024.  Id.  Its compliance date is July 8, 2027, 3 years after its effective date.  See 89 FR 38519.
    3.  The Rule places severe burdens on coal-fired power plants and, through its indirect effects, on the viability of our Nation’s coal sector.  Specifically, the Rule requires compliance with standards premised on the application of emissions-control technologies that do not yet exist in a commercially viable form.  The current compliance timeline of the Rule therefore raises the unacceptable risk of the shutdown of many coal-fired power plants, eliminating thousands of jobs, placing our electrical grid at risk, and threatening broader, harmful economic and energy security effects.  This in turn would undermine our national security, as these effects would leave America vulnerable to electricity demand shortages, increased dependence on foreign energy sources, and potential disruptions of our electricity and energy supplies, particularly in times of crisis.NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 112(i)(4) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412(i)(4), do hereby proclaim that certain stationary sources subject to the Rule, as identified in Annex I of this proclamation, are exempt from compliance with the Rule for a period of 2 years beyond the Rule’s compliance date — i.e., for the period beginning July 8, 2027, and concluding July 8, 2029 (Exemption).  The effect of this Exemption is that, during this 2-year period, these stationary sources are subject to the compliance obligations that they are currently subject to under the MATS as the MATS existed prior to the Rule.  In support of this Exemption, I hereby make the following determinations:a.  The technology to implement the Rule is not available.  Such technology does not exist in a commercially viable form sufficient to allow implementation of and compliance with the Rule by its compliance date of July 8, 2027.b. It is in the national security interests of the United States to issue this Exemption for the reasons stated in paragraph 3 of this proclamation.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand thiseighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.                                 DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241

    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 order to secure America’s economic prosperity and national security, lower the cost of living, and provide for increases in electrical demand from emerging technologies, we must increase domestic energy production, including coal. Coal is abundant and cost effective, and can be used in any weather condition. Moreover, the industry has historically employed hundreds of thousands of Americans. America’s coal resources are vast, with a current estimated value in the trillions of dollars, and are more than capable of substantially contributing to American energy independence with excess to export to support allies and our economic competitiveness. Our Nation’s beautiful clean coal resources will be critical to meeting the rise in electricity demand due to the resurgence of domestic manufacturing and the construction of artificial intelligence data processing centers. We must encourage and support our Nation’s coal industry to increase our energy supply, lower electricity costs, stabilize our grid, create high-paying jobs, support burgeoning industries, and assist our allies.
    Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States that coal is essential to our national and economic security. It is a national priority to support the domestic coal industry by removing Federal regulatory barriers that undermine coal production, encouraging the utilization of coal to meet growing domestic energy demands, increasing American coal exports, and ensuring that Federal policy does not discriminate against coal production or coal-fired electricity generation.
    Sec. 3. Strengthening Our National Energy Security. The Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) shall designate coal as a “mineral” as defined in section 2 of Executive Order 14241 of March 20, 2025 (Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production), thereby entitling coal to all the benefits of a “mineral” under that order. Further, Executive Order 14241 is hereby amended by deleting the reference to “4332(d)(1)(B)” in section 6(d) of that order and replacing it with a reference to “4532(d)(1)(B)”.
    Sec. 4. Assessing Coal Resources and Accessibility on Federal Lands. (a) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Energy shall submit a consolidated report to the President through the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy that identifies coal resources and reserves on Federal lands, assesses impediments to mining such coal resources, and proposes policies to address such impediments and ultimately enable the mining of such coal resources by either private or public actors.
    (b) The Secretary of Energy shall include in the report described in subsection (a) of this section an analysis of the impact that the availability of the coal resources identified could have on electricity costs and grid reliability.
    Sec. 5. Lifting Barriers to Coal Mining on Federal Lands. (a) The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall prioritize coal leasing and related activities, consistent with applicable law, as the primary land use for the public lands with coal resources identified in the report described in section 4(a) of this order and expedite coal leasing in these areas, including by utilizing such emergency authorities as are available to them and identifying opportunities to provide for expedited environmental reviews, consistent with applicable law.
    (b) The Secretary of the Interior, pursuant to the authorities in the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended and supplemented (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947, as amended (30 U.S.C. 351-359), and the Multiple Mineral Development Act of 1954 (30 U.S.C. 521-531 et seq.), shall acknowledge the end of the Jewell Moratorium by ordering the publication of a notice in the Federal Register terminating the “Environmental Impact Statement Analyzing the Potential Environmental Effects from Maintaining Secretary Jewell’s Coal Leasing Moratorium”, and process royalty rate reduction applications from Federal coal lessees in as expeditious a manner as permitted by applicable law.
    Sec. 6. Supporting American Coal as an Energy Source. (a) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of the Treasury shall identify any guidance, regulations, programs, and policies within their respective executive department or agency that seek to transition the Nation away from coal production and electricity generation.
    (b) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the heads of all relevant executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall consider revising or rescinding Federal actions identified in subsection (a) of this section consistent with applicable law.
    (c) Agencies that are empowered to make loans, loan guarantees, grants, equity investments, or to conclude offtake agreements, both domestically and abroad, shall, to the extent permitted by law, take steps to rescind any policies or regulations seeking to or that actually discourage investment in coal production and coal-fired electricity generation, such as the 2021 U.S. Treasury Fossil Fuel Energy Guidance for Multilateral Development Banks rescinded by the Department of the Treasury and similar policies or regulations.
    (d) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the Chief Executive Officer of the International Development Finance Corporation, the President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and the heads of all other agencies that have discretionary programs that provide, facilitate, or advocate for financing of energy projects shall review their charters, regulations, guidance, policies, international agreements, analytical models and internal bureaucratic processes to ensure that such materials do not discourage the agency from financing coal mining projects and electricity generation projects. Consistent with law, and subject to the applicable agency head’s discretion, where appropriate, any identified preferences against coal use shall immediately be eliminated except as explicitly provided for in statute.
    Sec. 7. Supporting American Coal Exports. The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Energy, the United States Trade Representative, the Assistant to the President for National Security, and the heads of other relevant agencies, shall take all necessary and appropriate actions to promote and identify export opportunities for coal and coal technologies and facilitate international offtake agreements for United States coal.
    Sec. 8. Expanding Use of Categorical Exclusions for Coal Under the National Environmental Policy Act. Within 30 days of the date of this order, each agency shall identify to the Council on Environmental Quality any existing and potential categorical exclusions pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, increased reliance on and adoption of which by other agencies pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 4336c could further the production and export of coal.
    Sec. 9. Steel Dominance. (a) The Secretary of Energy, pursuant to the authority under the Energy Act of 2020 (the “Act”), shall determine whether coal used in the production of steel meets the definition of a “critical material” under the Act and, if so, shall take steps to place it on the Department of Energy Critical Materials List.
    (b) The Secretary of the Interior, pursuant to the authority under the Act, shall determine whether metallurgical coal used in the production of steel meets the criteria to be designated as a “critical mineral” under the Act and, if so, shall take steps to place coal on the Department of the Interior Critical Minerals List.
    Sec. 10. Powering Artificial Intelligence Data Centers. (a) For the purposes of this order, “artificial intelligence” or “AI” has the meaning set forth in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3).
    (b) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Energy shall identify regions where coal-powered infrastructure is available and suitable for supporting AI data centers; assess the market, legal, and technological potential for expanding coal-based infrastructure to power data centers to meet the electricity needs of AI and high-performance computing operations; and submit a consolidated summary report with their findings and proposals to the Chair of the NEDC, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and the Special Advisor for AI and Crypto.
    Sec. 11. Acceleration of Coal Technology. (a) The Secretary of Energy shall take all necessary actions, consistent with applicable law, to accelerate the development, deployment, and commercialization of coal technologies including, but not limited to, utilizing all available funding mechanisms to support the expansion of coal technology, including technologies that utilize coal and coal byproducts such as building materials, battery materials, carbon fiber, synthetic graphite, and printing materials, as well as updating coal feedstock for power generation and steelmaking.
    (b) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Energy shall submit a detailed action plan to the President through the Chair of the NEDC outlining the funding mechanisms, programs, and policy actions taken to accelerate coal technology deployment.
    Sec. 12. 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.
    DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Lifts Burdensome EPA Restrictions on Coal Plants

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    SUPPORTING OUR NATION’S COAL INDUSTRY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation granting two-years of relief from a stringent Biden-era environmental rule to certain coal-fired power plants, safeguarding the Nation’s energy grid and security, and saving coal plants from closure.
    The proclamation allows certain coal plants to comply with a less stringent version of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule for two years, instead of the more onerous version put in place by the Biden Administration.
    The move ensures these plants are not prematurely forced offline due to unattainable compliance requirements under the new rule.
    ADDRESSING THE THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY AND ENERGY STABILITY: President Trump recognizes that environmental advocate overreach jeopardizes America’s energy reliability, economic vitality, and national security.
    Coal is essential to our Nation’s grid, making up 16% of U.S. electricity generation.
    Compliance with the Biden-era standards requires the application of emissions-control technologies that, for many coal plants, are not commercially viable.
    The current compliance timeline of the Biden-era rule could force widespread coal plant shutdowns, risking thousands of jobs and the stability of our electrical grid.
    These shutdowns could lead to electricity shortages, increased reliance on foreign energy, and heightened vulnerability during crises.
    This relief is necessary to maintain operational coal plants, protect energy security, and allow time for viable technology solutions, avoiding broader risks to America’s economy and defense readiness.
    BALANCING ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS WITH AMERICAN PROSPERITY: President Trump has consistently prioritized a pragmatic approach, ensuring environmental policies support rather than undermine America’s economic strength and national security.
    President Trump has sought to protect American industries while maintaining standards that allow Americans to have among the cleanest air and water in the world.
    He directed the EPA to repeal the Obama-era Clean Power Plan during his first term, replacing it with the Affordable Clean Energy rule in 2019 that set achievable standards to preserve jobs while addressing emissions.
    He paused the expansion of windmills, recognizing their detrimental environmental impact, particularly on wildlife, often outweighs their benefits.
    He has championed an energy dominance strategy, boosting domestic oil and gas production to reduce reliance on foreign energy while maintaining practical environmental oversight.
    His approach encourages industry to develop cost-effective solutions like improved emissions technologies rather than imposing unfeasible mandates that risk economic disruption.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Questions USDA Deputy Secretary and General Counsel Nominees During Agriculture Committee Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) participated in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry confirmation hearing today for President Donald Trump’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture nominee Stephen Vaden and General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture nominee Tyler Clarkson. 
    Stephen Vaden comes from a farming family and is currently a judge of the United States Court of International Trade which possesses exclusive jurisdiction over most of the United States’ trade matters. He served nearly the entirety of the first Trump Administration in the Office of General Counsel and clerked for two of our nation’s federal judges. Tyler Clarkson served as USDA’s deputy general counsel in the first Trump Administration and previously worked in President Trump’s first Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
    During the hearing, Senator Marshall questioned Mr. Vaden and Mr. Clarkson on conservation efforts, precision agriculture, Proposition 12, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), and the United States’ international trade deficit.
    Senator Marshall is a fifth-generation farm kid and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology.

    [embedded content]

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full line of questioning.
    Highlights from the hearing include: 
    On the United States’ international trade deficit:
    Senator Marshall: “Judge Vaden, I’ll close with my question for you, dealing with our trade deficit, $1.2 trillion trade deficit. For the first time in my lifetime, an agriculture deficit. We’re importing more food than we’re exporting… In your new role, what can you do to decrease the international trade deficit, and how will you be promoting strengthening domestic demand for agriculture products?”
    Stephen Vaden, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture nominee: “Senator, I think you hit on it in the verbs you used in your questions, we’ve got to promote, and that involves a salesmanship activity. I know the Secretary has committed to visiting six countries this year in terms of promoting more ag exports. That’s important. No one else is going to sell our stuff. We’ve got to sell it.
    “Secondly, we’ve got to keep track of foreign trade barriers, whether they be tariff or non-tariff-related, and we’ve got to remind the trade team that as they’re out there looking for new trade deals, as they’re standing up for other American industries, they need to stand up for American agriculture too and oppose these efforts that are trying to keep our wonderful farmers’ products out of the international market.” 
    On conservation efforts and precision agriculture:
    Senator Marshall: “Judge, my [family’s farm] goes back 100 years. I think yours were even 100 years older than my family’s. And I’d like to think that my great grandfather, your great, great, great were the original conservationists – that they wanted to leave this world cleaner, healthier, and safer than we found it, just like you and I want to leave it – for our future generations – cleaner, healthier and safer than we found it.
    “I’ll also note, though, that my farmers and ranchers depend upon certain pesticides and fertilizers, and there [are] great opportunities… for precision agriculture, we’re growing more with less every day. In your office, if confirmed, how can you help defend the crop protection and precision ag tools that our farmers rely upon?”
    Mr. Vaden: “Well, Senator, I thank you for the question, and I really appreciate how you have linked, because I think the linkage is proper, conservation with the scientific advancements and chemicals that make that possible. 
    “No-till agriculture was kind of launched in West Tennessee. I grew up going with my father to the Milan No-Till Festival, which still goes on and was kind of an initial effort at evangelizing this notion that you do not have to plow the field every year, which, as you know, is bad for soil health.
    “But that only becomes possible if you have in your toolkit as a farmer the amazing chemicals that are provided in order to clear the land so that you can plant. If you take those chemicals away, what you are doing is you are taking a tool out of the toolkit of the farmer and requiring him to revert, in my view, to the somewhat antiquated plow. That’s bad for soil health, and quite frankly, it threatens a lot of the work done by the old Soil Conservation Service, and now the Natural Resources Conservation Service, to instill best practices in farms. Because, as you know, if you’re destroying the soil, it’s the equivalent of eating into your principal to pay living expenses.”
    On the Commodity Credit Corporation:
    Senator Marshall: “Let’s talk about the [Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)] for a second. It’s been used for different purposes and I was concerned with the last administration that the Secretary of Agriculture used it to promote Green New Deal type of initiatives, which I think feels like to me, was outside of the intention of the CCC.
    “Do you think that the use of the CCC by the previous administration was legal, and how do we ensure that the CCC is used for its intended use of supporting farmers and not backing special interest?”
    Tyler Clarkson, General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture nominee: “I do think that the prior administration’s use of CCC required quite a bit, quite a bit of legal creativity that strained the statutory text and practice in a manner that I don’t think I anticipate continuing were I confirmed as general counsel.”
    On California’s Proposition 12:
    Senator Marshall: “Proposition 12 dictates, in my humble opinion, tries to tell Kansas farmers how to grow pigs, and it’s really hard for that small producer. If Kansas, or if… California has a way they want us to grow them. If Texas has a way we want to grow them. If Ohio has a way they want to grow pigs. It’s really hard for my small producers. Is there anything that USDA could do to administratively ensure that certain states are not able to dictate production standards for livestock producers nationwide?”
    Mr. Vaden: “I’m well aware of the challenge that such state propositions provide to farmers who have to operate in a national market. As you know, when I was General Counsel, we were very active in supporting the efforts of those who challenged the proposition, and I’m happy to say those efforts ended up to be bipartisan, because, though it’s not frequently noted, both the first Trump Administration and the Biden Administration both opposed, in the federal courts, Proposition 12 on the grounds of our and their belief that it violated the Dormant Commerce Clause. 
    “The Supreme Court, unfortunately, came to a different conclusion, and in the opinion written by the Supreme Court, they basically put it in Congress’s hands and said that Congress has the power under the Commerce Clause to stop this if it wants. And so, when it comes to any administrative authorities that USDA might have, if any are in existence, they would have to be given [to] us by Congress.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Griffith Statement on Trump Coal Executive Actions

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

    U.S. President Donald Trump announced a series of actions at the White House to help the U.S. American coal industry. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee Chair and U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) attended the White House event. Following the event, Rep. Griffith issued the following statement:

    “The ‘War on Coal’, launched by the Obama Administration and continued by the Biden Administration, destroyed American jobs and devastated communities whose lifelines depended on coal. 

    “It is clear that coal is not going away anytime soon. Not only does the United States have the resources to be a leading coal supplier. But we can also make use of coal in a manner which is cleaner than anywhere else in the world.

    “I welcome President Trump’s actions to support American coal jobs, boost America’s energy independence and rein in harmful regulations.”

    BACKGROUND

    In the 118th Congress, Rep. Griffith chaired the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations.

    The 119th Congress is Rep. Griffith’s first term as the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee Chair.

    Rep. Griffith is Co-Chair of the Congressional Coal Caucus. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Coalition Statement Responding to U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

    Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union

    Public Service Unions, Small Business, Veterans and Conservation Organizations and Rule of Law Advocates Vow to Continue Fight

    WASHINGTON – In response to today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court granting the government’s request for a stay of the preliminary injunction against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) blocking the firings of thousands of federal workers, the coalition of plaintiffs and co-counsel in the case released the following statement: 

    “There is no doubt that thousands of public service employees were unlawfully fired in an effort to cripple federal agencies and their crucial programs that serve millions of Americans every day. Today’s order by the U.S. Supreme Court is deeply disappointing but is only a momentary pause in our efforts to enforce the trial court’s orders and hold the federal government accountable.

    “Despite this setback, our coalition remains unwavering in fighting for these workers who were wronged by the administration, and in protecting the freedoms of the American people. In fact, plaintiffs will be back in court tomorrow developing alternative grounds for relief. This battle is far from over.”

    MIL OSI USA News –