NewzIntel.com

Category: Environment

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Is it okay to boil water more than once, or should you empty the kettle every time?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Faisal Hai, Professor and Head of School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Wollongong

    Avocado_studio/Shutterstock

    The kettle is a household staple practically everywhere – how else would we make our hot drinks?

    But is it okay to re-boil water that’s already in the kettle from last time? While bringing water to a boil disinfects it, you may have heard that boiling water more than once will somehow make the water harmful and therefore you should empty the kettle each time.

    Such claims are often accompanied by the argument that re-boiled water leads to the accumulation of allegedly hazardous substances including metals such as arsenic, or salts such as nitrates and fluoride.

    This isn’t true. To understand why, let’s look at what is in our tap water and what really happens when we boil it.

    What’s in our tap water?

    Let’s take the example of tap water supplied by Sydney Water, Australia’s largest water utility which supplies water to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra region.

    From the publicly available data for the January to March 2025 quarter for the Illawarra region, these were the average water quality results:

    • pH was slightly alkaline
    • total dissolved solids were low enough to avoid causing scaling in pipes or appliances
    • fluoride content was appropriate to improve dental health, and
    • it was “soft” water with a total hardness value below 40mg of calcium carbonate per litre.

    The water contained trace amounts of metals such as iron and lead, low enough magnesium levels that it can’t be tasted, and sodium levels substantially lower than those in popular soft drinks.

    These and all other monitored quality parameters were well within the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines during that period. If you were to make tea with this water, re-boiling would not cause a health problem. Here’s why.

    It’s difficult to concentrate such low levels of chemicals

    To concentrate substances in the water, you’d need to evaporate some of the liquid while the chemicals stay behind. Water evaporates at any temperature, but the vast majority of evaporation happens at the boiling point – when water turns into steam.

    During boiling, some volatile organic compounds might escape into the air, but the amount of the inorganic compounds (such as metals and salts) remains unchanged.

    While the concentration of inorganic compounds might increase as drinking water evaporates when boiled, evidence shows it doesn’t happen to such an extent that it would be hazardous.

    Let’s say you boil one litre of tap water in a kettle in the morning, and your tap water has a fluoride content of 1mg per litre, which is within the limits of Australian guidelines.

    You make a cup of tea taking 200ml of the boiled water. You then make another cup of tea in the afternoon by re-boiling the remaining water.

    On both occasions, if heating was stopped soon after boiling started, the loss of water by evaporation would be small, and the fluoride content in each cup of tea would be similar.

    But let’s assume that when making the second cup, you let the water keep boiling until 100ml of what’s in the kettle evaporates. Even then, the amount of fluoride you would consume with the second cup (0.23mg) would not be significantly higher than the fluoride you consumed with the first cup of tea (0.20mg).

    The same applies to any other minerals or organics the supplied water may have contained. Let’s take lead: the water supplied in the Illawarra region as mentioned above, had a lead concentration of less than 0.0001mg per litre. To reach an unsafe lead concentration (0.01mg per litre, according to Australian guidelines) in a cup of water, you’d need to boil down roughly 20 litres of tap water to just that cup of 200ml.

    Practically that is unlikely to happen – most electric kettles are designed to boil briefly before automatically shutting off. As long as the water you’re using is within the guidelines for drinking water, you can’t really concentrate it to harmful levels within your kettle.

    But what about taste?

    Whether re-boiled water actually affects the taste of your drinks will depend entirely on the specifics of your local water supply and your personal preferences.

    The slight change in mineral concentration, or the loss of dissolved oxygen from water during boiling may affect the taste for some people – although there are a lot of other factors that contribute to the taste of your tap water.

    The bottom line is that as long as the water in your kettle was originally compliant with guidelines for safe drinking water, it will remain safe and potable even after repeated boiling.

    Faisal Hai 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. Is it okay to boil water more than once, or should you empty the kettle every time? – https://theconversation.com/is-it-okay-to-boil-water-more-than-once-or-should-you-empty-the-kettle-every-time-260293

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: Giant panda birthday season event held in China’s Sichuan

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

    A cub of giant panda Cancan plays at the Shenshuping giant panda base of Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, July 17, 2025. A giant panda birthday season event, hosted by the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda, was held here on Thursday. The much-anticipated giant pandas, including Fubao and Xiao Qiji, met the public and enjoyed delicacies such as carrots, watermelons, etc. (Xinhua/Xue Chen)

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: BNZ Growth Academy to help Manawatū-Whanganui businesses drive greater growth

    Source: BNZ Statements

    Nine local businesses from the Manawatū-Whanganui region are set to benefit from an expanded nationwide programme designed to help them grow faster and compete more effectively.

    BNZ is scaling up its BNZ Growth Academy programme to help businesses across Aotearoa kickstart growth as the country emerges from its deepest per-capita recession since the Global Financial Crisis.

    Delivered in partnership with growth navigation software company, D/srupt, the businesses will take part in hands-on workshops and use sophisticated AI tools to refine their strategy, enhance performance, and create new pathways for growth.

    Brian Gardner, BNZ Head of Commercial, Agri, & Business for Wellington and Top of the South, says it’s a solution to the challenge many owners face – moving from working ‘in’ their business to working ‘on’ their business.

    “As New Zealand’s largest business bank, we’ve seen time and again how successful businesses thrive when owners can step back from daily firefighting to focus on strategy,” Gardner says.

    Applicable no matter where you are in you journey

    BNZ’s local Growth Academy workshop will run on July 22. Some of the Manawatū-Whanganui businesses taking part include:

    • Air Dynamics
    • Central Environmental Limited
    • Freedom Plus Limited
    • Jones Brothers Limited
    • Law Corner
    • Roadrunner Manufacturing

    The Growth Academy has already delivered valuable learnings for Feilding based business, Advanced Accounting.

    Director Aaran McLeod attended a pilot workshop in Wellington last year and says the biggest learning he took away was the importance of ensuring your business is always sale ready – structuring things so it’s efficient, attractive and resilient, regardless of whether a sale is imminent.

    “We’re always about constant improvement, and this was another layer of refinement – further improving how we operate and make decisions.

    “The Impact Return Model stood out as a powerful framework to evaluate where to focus our efforts for the greatest return and impact. It’s something we’ve already started applying internally.”

    Asked whether he would recommend the programme to other local businesses, Aaran says, “definitely.”

    “It’s a great chance to work on the business rather than just in it. The content is applicable no matter where you are in your journey.”

    Leveraging AI

    D/srupt uses AI to make strategic planning faster and more accessible for small to medium businesses.

    “Our platform cuts through the complexity that often makes strategic planning feel overwhelming,” says D/srupt founder Debbie Humphrey.

    “We combine practical guidance with technology to help turn big picture thinking into concrete action plans you can actually implement, and what might have taken a full day can now be done in minutes. For time-poor business owners constantly juggling priorities, this means strategic planning actually happens instead of being perpetually pushed to the bottom of the to-do list.”

    The programme launched on 31 March with workshops in 16 locations from Whangārei to Invercargill, plus online options ensuring accessibility for businesses throughout New Zealand. It runs for 12 months and includes workshops reaching 1,400 businesses nationwide, access to D/srupt’s platform, funding guidance, and direct connection to BNZ’s banking expertise.

    Supporting the regions

    Gardner says the workshops are just one example of how BNZ is investing in its communities and being there for customers.

    “We recognise that regional businesses are the lifeblood of our local economies, so we have dialled up our specialist support with our small business partners and agribusiness teams available to meet customers in branch.

    “Since April this year, all our branches have been open at least five days a week, as we heard from our customers that they wanted more opportunities to talk to us face-to-face.

    “We’re also investing in branches as part of our nation-wide upgrade project to improve the branch experience for our customers. Our refurbished branch at The Plaza Palmerston North reopened at the end of May, with our Fielding branch refurbishment kicking off this week (25 July), using New Zealand suppliers and materials to support local economies.”

    The post BNZ Growth Academy to help Manawatū-Whanganui businesses drive greater growth appeared first on BNZ Debrief.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Amid Trump Cuts to the FDA, Senators Markey and Booker Introduce Legislation to Get Dangerous Chemicals Out of Food

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF) | One Pager (PDF)

    Washington (July 17, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today introduced the Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act, legislation that would direct the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to strengthen the Substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Rule. The GRAS Rule acts as a loophole that is currently used by companies to avoid getting pre-market FDA approval for more than 1,000 food chemicals. As a result of this rule, nearly 99 percent of new food chemicals are able to be added to products without triggering any FDA oversight.

    The Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act would prevent chemicals that have been linked to cancer, developmental toxicity, or reproductive toxicity from being categorized as GRAS. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are cosponsors of the legislation. 

    “Americans deserve to know the food on their kitchen tables is safe for them, their families, and their loved ones to eat,” said Senator Markey. “Our legislation ensures the FDA has the authority it needs to fulfill their responsibility to guarantee the food we eat is safe—free from substances that cause cancer and harm development. It is long past time that we revise existing food safety measures and close the loophole that allows manufacturers to self-regulate which new substances enter our food supply and our bodies.”

    “It is unacceptable that hundreds of new chemicals have entered the food supply without the FDA requiring an independent, scientific review of their safety. This has led to the use of ingredients that have evidence of carcinogenicity or endocrine disruption in thousands of food products,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation will require the FDA to thoroughly review new chemicals before they can be added to foods, finally closing the loophole that has left Americans at risk.”

    “The Ensuring Safe and Toxic Free Foods Act is an important step towards fixing the broken GRAS system that allows manufacturers to put food chemicals on the market without notifying FDA. We must not allow toxic additives to slip through the GRAS loophole and stay in the food supply for decades without getting reassessed for safety. EDF appreciates Senator Markey’s years of leadership on this critical issue to protect Americans’ health,” said Maria Doa, Senior Director of Chemicals Policy at the Environmental Defense Fund.

    “EWG applauds the reintroduction of the Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act. For too long, food and chemical companies have exploited loopholes that allow them, not the FDA, to decide what is safe. This bill restores common sense to our federal food chemical regulations and will help ensure that the chemicals added to our food are safe,” said Melanie Benesh, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group.

    “For far too long, companies have utilized the GRAS loophole to secretly introduce new chemicals into our foods without even notifying the FDA,” said Anupama Joshi, Vice President of Programs, Center for Science in the Public Interest. “The Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act of 2025 will finally close the GRAS loophole by requiring meaningful independent, science-based safety review by the FDA.”

    Specifically, the Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act would direct the FDA to revise the GRAS Rule to include provisions that:

    • Prohibit manufacturers from designating substances as safe without supplying proper notice and supporting information to the Secretary of HHS.
    • Require safety information be publicly available on the FDA website and subject to a 90-day public review period.
    • Prohibit carcinogenic substances from receiving GRAS designation.
    • Prohibit substances that show evidence of reproductive or developmental toxicity from receiving GRAS designation.
    • Prohibit people with conflicts of interest from serving as experts in reviewing and evaluating scientific data regarding GRAS designations.
    • Create a procedure of reassessment for substances receiving previous GRAS designations.

    The Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act is endorsed by the Environmental Working Group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

    Senator Markey has long been an advocate for food safety and a strong FDA. In 2024, Senator Markey and Senator Booker urged the agency to ban phthalates—chemicals that affect the durability, flexibility, and transparency of plastics—from use in food contact materials (FCM) due to their effect on brain development in infants and children.

    In 2016, he called on the FDA to take steps to strengthen the GRAS rule and update guidance to mitigate conflicts of interest for outside experts evaluating GRAS substances. In 2018, he sent the FDA a letter about reports that Johnson & Johnson had concealed information about baby powder products containing carcinogenic substances from regulators and the public. In 2019, Senator Markey sent a letter to the FDA, urging it to establish mandatory standards to strictly limit heavy metals in children’s food, including fruit juices.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur Statement at the Full Committee Markup of the 2026 Energy and Water Development Funding Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)

    Washington, DC — Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the full committee’s markup of its fiscal year 2026 bill:

    Thank you very much, Chairman Cole. Ranking Member DeLauro, my dear friend, Chair Fleischmann and all the members as we gather today to mark up this Fiscal Year 2026 Energy and Water Development Bill. I have to restate, Chairman Fleischmann, I have truly appreciated working with you. You are always open to suggestions and, to all of our colleagues on this subcommittee that is a very, bipartisan subcommittee to develop and pass these bills, and our committee has long had this practice. We affect every single Congressional District in this country.

    I’m truly saddened that this vital subcommittee is, being steered yet again to return to a partisan process not caused by our subcommittee, but as we move forward with this Fiscal Year 2026 House bill.

    I would like to begin by thanking our diligent staff for all their hard work on this bill from the minority staff Scott McKee, Anisha Singh, and Adam Wilson, and on our personal staff, Kaitlin Ulin, TJ Lowdermilk, and Margaret McInnis. Truly thank you to you all.

    Engineered energy and water systems undergird America’s way of life. They are not optional, but essential to sustaining life. Of late, we have been piercingly reminded about our subcommittee’s purpose, especially as related to water management by the extreme flash flooding and tragic loss of over 132 lives, and with over 101 missing, in the Guadalupe River catchment area in Texas.

    The deadly West Virginia flash flooding this past month significantly damaged over 100 homes. Unfortunately, taking the lives of at least nine people, including a three year old, in Valley Grove, West Virginia. And we’ve seen flooding events in central North Carolina and New Mexico. All our hearts go out to the families of the victims and their communities. These tragedies inform us of the power of water and wild energy in our atmosphere. Not because of cloud seeding, but because of nature’s awesome power generated inside the thin seven layer atmosphere surrounding our spinning and rotating earth. Let me be clear. No matter how much members on the other side of the aisle want to pretend that the climate isn’t changing, for the record, the last ten years are the ten hottest in recorded history.

    So many have been held up on their plane flights back here. It’s an unusual change in the weather across this country, and members are personally experiencing these delays, as are the American people. These recent floods are made worse by the heating atmosphere. We had four 1,000 year floods last week alone. That is a record.

    So far in July, our country has seen over 1,200 flooding events, more than double the normal for an average July, and we’re just halfway through the month. Constitutionally, it is our sworn duty to prepare and protect the people in our communities, and it is hard to accept that no warning sirens had been installed along the Guadalupe River, despite prior tragedies along that very treacherous corridor. Our nation needs to install warning systems and build resilient infrastructure, and we are behind.

    For example, in a district like mine, we had to bring funding for tornado sirens many years ago. I was shocked that they didn’t exist. And in Ohio, we do zone to prevent flooding from threatening human life. But many places in our country do not, and we cannot keep bailing out places that are irresponsible in their behavior. My home in the City of Toledo has gone into Billions of dollars of debt to build new sewers, along with gigantic underground catchment basins, some as large as two football fields in size, in order to handle increasing water loads.

    We are making investments all over our district to protect Lake Erie shoreline and its tributaries. But in places where infrastructure investments aren’t cost effective, how does our nation make sure that families will be protected with adequate local planning and disaster warning systems? America needs more rigor in land and water planning systems, and my friends, quite frankly, we as a nation don’t get a grade A on that.

    It is our awesome responsibility as public servants to address the structural shortcomings at the federal, state, and local level that contributed to the recent loss of life. Sadly, this Republican energy and water bill does not meet our nation’s imperative for the future. It’s over $700 Million below last year. We must invest faster in modern infrastructure, and become energy independent in perpetuity. That is our responsibility. In a nation of 350 million people headed to 500 million people, we must make energy cost less and invest in grid resilience, which is sadly behind what this country needs.

    I find it interesting that Russell Vought, the chief architect of the budget cuts that we are being asked to endure in this bill, claims that he’s so savvy. But how is it possible? He’s supposed to be known as a budget cutter, right? But how is it possible that he has added $3.4 Trillion, despite our cuts to the national debt over the next ten years? Over 20 years, he’s adding $9.5 Trillion, and $18.7 Trillion by 30 years out. So that’s a total of $32 Trillion, if temporary measures are extended permanently. Think about that one. So if they’re doing such a good job over there at the Executive Branch and OMB, how come the national debt is rising when we’re cutting every single bill that we are discussing today, and those that will follow?

    This bill fails to address the cost of living crisis. The price of electricity has risen 5.8% over the last year. Every family in this country knows that, and even higher energy bills lie ahead for families and businesses. China is investing record levels in energy, my friends. But this bill retreats from US global leadership in the future in the form of a diversified and clean energy economy. This energy and water bill cuts $1.6 Billion, or 47%, from the Department of Energy’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. The adage analysis prevention is worth a pound of cure applies to our nation’s imperative to deliver clean, affordable, and secure energy to the American people and to ensure our nation leads, not lags, in the global race toward energy independence in perpetuity, including an abundant clean energy future.

    Our mom and dad taught us how to be thrifty and not wasteful. Dad would say, “it’s not how much you make, it’s how much you save,” and that applies to energy and fresh water. Conservation are good goals for the future of our children and grandchildren, and we’ve made some strides toward those horizons. The United States on the oil front is producing more than ever before, record high levels of production, but we are still tethered to a volatile global energy market dominated by cartels and petroleum dictators like OPEC. We must advance an all of the above energy strategy to be successful long term. Europe learned the hard way about being too reliant on one source of energy, Russian gas. In their case when Russia invaded Ukraine. Let us heed that chilling warning.

    China aims to be the OPEC for the next century, and gain dominance in clean energy, and they are well on their way. Their investments dwarf the rest of the world’s. A Chinese company has developed an EV battery. Are you ready for this? That can travel 1,800 miles in a single charge and recharge in just five minutes. Think about that. What sense does it make for this Energy and Water Bill to slash the Department of Energy’s vital research and development programs?

    The Republican plan cripples America’s energy future by awarding giant tax breaks to Millionaires and Billionaires in the Big Billionaire Bonanza Bill that’s creating the big, huge additions to the debt. America must focus on building an economy that works for everyone, especially our working families and retirees, not just the wealthy few. The bill this bill eliminates funding for the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, and worse, it revokes $5.1 Billion of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law resources from the Department of Energy that will cede the US global lead in hydrogen, direct air capture, battery recycling, and energy savings in every public and private structure. Already, US businesses have canceled. This is shocking number. More than $15 Billion in investments in new factories and electricity production projects this year, as a result of the Republican Bonanza for Billionaires Bill. Those canceled projects were expected to create nearly 12,000 new jobs, all now gone.

    I can remember when we brought back the heavy Ford heavy truck line from Mexico to the region that I represent, and I stood next to the CEO of the company at that time, and I said, what can I do to keep these jobs anchored here in Northern Ohio? And he looked at me and he didn’t waste a moment. He said, cut my energy bills by a third. Well, think about that one.

    Thus I strongly oppose the Republican cuts to vital energy production and conservation and our future through the US Department of Energy. Shortchanging these advances pushes our nation backwards and raises already high energy prices for consumers. Why drive America backwards by slow walking energy innovation and failing to modernize our nation’s electric grids, which are old.

    In other areas, this bill dangerously short changes our national security, and this is really critical. The bill slashes $412 Million from the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account. This effectively guts our efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, detect covert nuclear threats, and uphold arms control agreements that keep us safe. All a big gift for Iran, Russia, China, Belarus, and North Korea. Think about that Spiderweb of Tyranny.

    Additionally, this bill turns its back on communities still living with the toxic legacy of America’s atomic past. Zeroing out the Army Corps program to clean up radioactive waste at early nuclear sites. It slashes $779 Million from the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup efforts. Delaying the cleanup of these communities have been promised for decades. I’ll note for the committee that one of these sites is in the village of Luckey, Ohio, not so far from my district, and believe me, you don’t want to breathe in or ingest atomic waste anywhere in the world. Finally, this bill includes numerous controversial poison pill riders that sadly show some extremists among us are not interested in real bills that can gain bipartisan support and become law.

    In closing, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. America can, and must meet the new age frontiers of energy and water. We owe it to the future. Nature is signaling, times are changing. And it’s good to remind ourselves, 200 years after Daniel Webster stated this, that is up on the wall in the House of Representatives chamber. “Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether also we in our time and generation may not perform something worthy to be remembered.” That is our mandate today.

    Thank you, and I yield back.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Security with Respect to Sterile Medical Equipment

    Source: US Whitehouse

    class=”has-text-align-center”>By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    1.  The use of ethylene oxide is critical for the sterilization of medical equipment, which protects patients against infection and the transmission of disease.  The continued utilization of ethylene oxide by commercial sterilization facilities is essential to ensuring that our Nation provides its sick and injured with the best outcomes possible — an objective that is at the forefront of the Federal Government’s responsibility to the American people.  
    2.  On April 5, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule, pursuant to section 112 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412, titled National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants:  Ethylene Oxide Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review, 89 FR 24090 (EtO Rule).  The EtO Rule imposes new emissions-control requirements on commercial sterilization facilities. 
    3.  The EtO Rule places severe burdens on commercial sterilization facilities.  About 50 percent of all sterile medical devices in the United States are sterilized with ethylene oxide, and sterilization with ethylene oxide may be the only method of sterilizing many medical devices without damaging them.  By requiring compliance with standards premised on the application of emissions-control technologies that do not exist in a commercially viable form, the EtO Rule risks making critical sterile medical devices unavailable to care for patients in our civilian and military medical systems.  The current compliance timeline as set forth at 89 FR 24101-24103 of the EtO Rule will likely force existing sterilization facilities to close down, seriously disrupting the supply of medical equipment.  Our Nation would be unable to adequately supply the sterilized medical equipment that medical personnel need to safely treat their patients in hospitals, operating rooms, and other medical facilities.  In short, the current compliance timeline would undermine our national security.
    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, 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 EtO Rule, as identified in Annex I of this proclamation, are exempt from compliance with the EtO Rule for a period of 2 years beyond the EtO Rule’s relevant compliance dates (Exemption).  This Exemption applies to all compliance deadlines established under the EtO Rule applicable to the stationary sources listed in Annex I, with each such deadline extended by 2 years from the date originally required for such deadline.  The effect of this Exemption is that, during each such 2-year period, these stationary sources will remain subject to the emissions and compliance obligations in effect prior to the issuance of the EtO Rule.  In support of this Exemption, I hereby make the following determinations:

    The technology to implement the EtO Rule is not available.  Such technology does not exist in a commercially viable form sufficient to allow implementation of and compliance with the EtO Rule by the compliance dates set forth in the EtO Rule.

    It is in the national security interests of the United States to issue this Exemption for the reasons stated in paragraphs 1 and 3 of this proclamation.

      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
      seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

                                     DONALD J. TRUMP

      ANNEX I
           1. International Sterilization Laboratory
                 i. Affected Facility/Source: Groveland Facility, Florida 

      1. Becton Dickinson and Company
        1. Affected Facility/Source:
          1. BD Covington, Georgia
          2. BD Madison, Georgia
          3. BD Medical, Utah
          4. BD Medical Pharmaceutical Systems, Nebraska
          5. Edwards Lifesciences Technology Sàrl, Puerto Rico

        3. KPR US, LLC d/b/a Kendall Patient Recovery 
                    i. Affected Facility/Source: Augusta Facility, Georgia 

      1. MedXL, LLC
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Ardmore Facility, Oklahoma
      1. Aligned Medical Solutions
        1. Affected Facility/Source:
          1. 1602 4th Ave. Facility, Billings, Montana
          2. 1400 Montana Ave. Facility, Billings, Montana
      1. Professional Contract Sterilization, Inc.
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Taunton Facility, Massachusetts
      1. Sterigenics U.S., LLC
        1. Affected Facility/Source:
          1. Atlanta Facility, Georgia
          2. Charlotte Facility, North Carolina 
          3. Grand Prairie Facility, Texas
          4. 4900 S Gifford Ave. Facility, Los Angeles, California
          5. 4801-63 E 50th St. Facility, Los Angeles, California
          6. Ontario Facility, California
          7. Queensbury Facility, New York
          8. Salt Lake City Facility, Utah
          9. Santa Teresa Facility, New Mexico
      1. Cosmed Group, Inc.
        1. Affected Facility/Source:
          1. Erie Facility, Pennsylvania
          2. Franklin Facility, New Jersey
          3. Linden Facility, New Jersey
      1. Arthrex
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Ave Maria Facilities (2), Florida
      1. Cook Incorporated
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Ellettsville North Facility, Indiana
      2. ALCON Research Ltd.
        1. Affected Facility/Source: ALCON Advance Optic Device Center, North Facility, West Virginia
      1. B. Braun U.S. Device Manufacturing LLC
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Allentown Manufacturing Facility, Pennsylvania
      1. DeRoyal Industries, Inc.
        1. Affected Facility/Source:
          1. 1135 Highway 33 South, New Tazewell, Tennessee
          2. 1211 Highway 33 South, New Tazewell, Tennessee
      1. Sterilization Services of Georgia, Inc.
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Atlanta Facility, Georgia
      1. Sterilization Services of Virginia, Inc.
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Richmond Facility, Virginia
      1. Trinity Sterile, Inc.
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Trinity Sterile, Inc., Maryland
      1. LivaNova USA, Inc.
        1. Affected Facility/Source: LivaNova Arvada Facility, Colorado
      1. Covidien LP
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Covidien North Haven Facility, Connecticut
      1. Medtronic Xomed LLC
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Jacksonville Facility, Florida
      1. Medtronic Puerto Rico Operations Company, Inc.
        1. Affected Facility/Source:
          1. Villalba Facility, Puerto Rico
          2. Juncos Facility, Puerto Rico
      1. Advanced Product Solutions
        1. Affected Facility/Source: Columbia Facility, Alabama

      Affected Facility/Source: Salinas, Puerto Rico

      Steri-Tech, Inc.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fenced sanctuary closer for skink on the brink

    Source: NZ Department of Conservation

    Date:  18 July 2025

    A recent survey of skink numbers shows the work is urgent and the fence, near Reefton, will be built earlier than planned to ensure the species’ survival.

    Protecting a five-hectare area, the fence will be constructed from a durable stainless-steel mesh specially designed to keep mice, rats and stoats out.

    Department of Conservation Ranger Supervisor Gemma Hunt says the fence will hopefully stop the population’s decline, turning the tide for the skinks.

    “Even though we reduced mouse numbers earlier this year through pest control, there has been a constant threat of mice reinvading from outside the treatment area and continuing to prey on the skinks,” says Gemma.

    “Long-term population monitoring by DOC and Auckland Zoo indicated there were between 40 and 100 skinks early last year, but more recent estimates suggest a worryingly low number of just 30.

    “We hope to find more skinks when we continue our surveys this spring but in the meantime a predator-proof fence is necessary to secure the population and prevent extinction. 

    “Following the pest control operation earlier this year, we decided to move some skinks to safe housing at Auckland Zoo as a precaution,” says Gemma.

    DOC and zoo staff managed to find three skinks in late autumn before cooler temperatures prevented further collection and these were transferred to the zoo.  

    “When it’s cold, the skinks burrow into the ground to protect themselves from extreme low temperatures and move very little. This not only makes it harder for us to find them but makes them easy prey for mice who can access these same burrows.

    “Most Kiwis don’t realise just how bad the situation is for many of our native species. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of threatened species in the world, with 4,000 species, including the Alborn skink, at risk of extinction. Once these species are gone from here, they are gone for good.

    “We know fenced enclosures work for protecting populations of skinks,” says Gemma.

    “Other populations such as Kapitia skinks are doing great in the fenced enclosures DOC has built. We believe that two or three baby skinks are born to females each year so, if we can protect these families from predators, their numbers will steadily grow.

    “We’re aiming to complete the $700,000 fence and remove predators by November and are optimistic that the remaining skinks should be able to breed quickly in relative safety.

    “We’re asking the public to support our work through donations to the New Zealand Nature Fund. Your donations will help the skink population to recover to a healthy level, funding pest control, monitoring, and research into whether there are more populations of the skinks living nearby.

    “Building this fence to keep predators away will help us stop an extinction in real-time. We might be playing all our cards now, but we need to go all in to make sure these skinks survive,” says Gemma.

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Iron Ore Processing Security

    Source: US Whitehouse

    class=”has-text-align-center”>BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

    A PROCLAMATION

         1.  Taconite iron ore processing is fundamental to the United States’ steel production and manufacturing sectors.  The facilities involved in the process supply essential raw materials used to make steel, which is used in national defense systems, critical infrastructure, and a broad range of industrial applications.  Preserving and enhancing domestic taconite processing capabilities is vital to reducing reliance on foreign sources and ensuring resilience of American industrial supply chains.
         2.  On March 6, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule, pursuant to section 112 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412, titled National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Taconite Iron Ore Processing, 89 FR 16408 (Taconite Rule).  The Taconite Rule imposes new emissions-control requirements on taconite iron ore processing facilities.
         3.  The Taconite Rule places significant burdens on a sector critical to the Nation’s industrial foundation.  The Taconite Rule mandates compliance with standards that rely on emissions-control technologies that have not been demonstrated to work in the taconite industry, are untested at commercial scale, or are not reasonably achievable under current operational conditions.  If enforced under the current timeline as set forth at 89 FR 16408, the Taconite Rule risks forcing shutdowns, reducing domestic production, and undermining the Nation’s ability to supply steel for defense, energy, and critical manufacturing.  The United States must not allow inflexible regulatory deadlines to jeopardize a material critical to our industrial base.  Maintaining this capacity is essential to our national security and economic resilience.
         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, 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 Taconite Rule, as identified in Annex I of this proclamation, are exempt from compliance with the Taconite Rule for a period of 2 years beyond the Taconite Rule’s relevant compliance dates (Exemption).The technology to implement the Taconite Rule is not currently available, and it is necessary to issue this Exemption now because long design, permitting, and construction lead times mean that regulated entities will not be able to meet the relevant compliance deadlines absent compliance relief.This Exemption applies to all compliance deadlines established under the Taconite Rule, with each such deadline extended by 2 years from the date originally required for such deadline.The effect of this Exemption is that, during each such 2-year period, these stationary sources are subject to the emissions and compliance obligations that they are currently subject to under the applicable standard as that standard existed prior to the Taconite Rule.In support of this Exemption, I hereby make the following determinations:
         a.  The technology to implement the Taconite Rule is not available.  Such technology does not exist in a commercially viable form sufficient to allow implementation of and compliance with the Taconite Rule by the compliance dates in the Taconite Rule.
         b.  It is in the national security interests of the United States to issue this Exemption for the reasons stated in paragraphs 1 and 3 of this proclamation.
        IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
    seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

                            DONALD J. TRUMP
     

    ANNEX I    

     1.    United States Steel Corporation 
             i.    Affected Facility/Source:
             i.    Keetac Plant, Keewatin, Minnesota
             ii.   Minntac Plant, Mountain Iron, Minnesota

         2.    Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
             i.    Affected Facility/Source:
             i.    United Taconite, Minnesota
             ii.   Northshore Mining, Minnesota
             iii.  Hibbing Taconite, Minnesota
             iv.   Minorca Mine, Minnesota
             v.    Tilden Mine, Michigan
             vi.   Empire Mine, Michigan

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Chemical Manufacturing Security

    Source: US Whitehouse

    class=”has-text-align-center”>By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    1. The United States relies on a strong chemical manufacturing sector to support industries like energy, national defense, agriculture, and health care. These facilities produce essential inputs for critical infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, medical sterilization, semiconductors, and national defense systems. Maintaining a robust domestic chemical industry is vital to safeguarding the supply chains that underpin our economy and to reducing the Nation’s dependence on foreign control over materials critical to national resilience. As adversaries expand influence over key inputs, continued domestic production is essential not only to economic resilience but also to military readiness, public health, and national preparedness.

    2. On May 16, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule titled New Source Performance Standards for the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry and Group I & II Polymers and Resins Industry, 89 FR 42932 (HON Rule). The HON Rule imposes new emissions-control requirements on certain chemical manufacturing facilities, some of which were promulgated pursuant to section 112 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412.

    3. The HON Rule imposes substantial burdens on chemical manufacturers already operating under stringent regulations. Many of the testing and monitoring requirements outlined in the HON Rule rely on technologies that are not practically available, not demonstrated at the necessary scale, or cannot be implemented safely or consistently under real-world conditions. For many facilities, the timeline for compliance as set forth at 89 FR 42953-42955 would require shutdowns or massive capital investments before any proven pathway to compliance exists. The HON Rule imposes requirements that assume uniform technological availability across facilities, despite significant variation in site conditions, permitting realities, and equipment configurations. A disruption of this capacity would weaken key supply chains, increase dependence on foreign producers, and impair our ability to respond effectively in a time of crisis. These consequences would ripple across sectors vital to America’s growing industrial strength and emergency readiness.

    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, 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 HON Rule, as identified in Annex I of this proclamation, are exempt from compliance with those aspects of the HON Rule that were promulgated under section 112 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412 for a period of 2 years beyond the HON Rule’s relevant compliance dates (Exemption). This Exemption applies to all compliance deadlines established under the HON Rule applicable to the stationary sources listed in Annex I, with each such deadline extended by 2 years from the date originally required for such deadline. The effect of this Exemption is that, during each such 2-year period, these stationary sources will be subject to the emissions and compliance obligations that they are currently subject to under the applicable standard as that standard existed prior to the HON Rule. In support of this Exemption, I hereby make the following determinations:

    a. The technology to implement the HON Rule is not available. Such technology does not exist in a commercially viable form sufficient to allow implementation of and compliance with the HON Rule by the compliance dates in the HON Rule.

    b. It is in the national security interests of the United States to issue this Exemption for the reasons stated in paragraphs 1 and 3 of this proclamation.

    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

    DONALD J. TRUMP  

    ANNEX I

    1. Shell Chemical LP
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Geismar Plant, Louisiana

    2. SABIC Innovative Plastics Mt. Vernon, LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Manufacturing Plant, Indiana

    3. Bakelite Synthetics
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Riegelwood, North Carolina;
    b. Conway, North Carolina;
    c. Crossett, Arkansas;
    d. Louisville, Kentucky;
    e. Lufkin, Texas;
    f. Taylorsville, Mississippi

    4. The Dow Chemical Company
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Glycol II Plant, Louisiana

    5. Trinseo LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Trinseo Facility, Georgia
    b. Trinseo Facility, Michigan

    6. Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A.
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Formosa Plastics Corporation, Louisiana
    b. Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas

    7. Union Carbide Corporation/The Dow Chemical Company
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Seadrift Operations, Texas
    b. Hahnville, St. Charles Parish Facility, Louisiana

    8. Westlake Vinyl’s LLC/Westlake Corporation
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Petrochemical Complex, Louisiana
    b. Styrene Monomer Production Facility, Louisiana
    c. Styrene Marine Terminal, Louisiana
    d. Lake Charles South Facility, Louisiana
    e. Lake Charles North Facility, Louisiana

    9. BASF TotalEnergies Petrochemicals LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Port Arthur Facility, Texas

    10. BASF Corporation
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Geismar Facility, Louisiana;
    b. North Geismar Facility, Louisiana;
    c. Freeport Facility, Texas

    11. Rubicon LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Geismar Facility, Louisiana

    12. CITGO Petroleum Corporation
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Lake Charles Refinery, Louisiana
    b. Corpus Christi Refinery, Texas
    c. Lemont Refinery, Illinois

    13. INEOS Americas LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Bayport EO Plant, Texas

    14. Celanese Corporation
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Narrows Facility, Virginia
    b. Clear Lake Facility, Texas
    c. Bishop Facility, Texas
    d. Bay City Facility, Texas

    15. Huntsman Petrochemical LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Huntsman Pensacola, Florida
    b. Huntsman Conroe, Texas

    16. TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc.
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc., Alabama
    b. Cos-Mar StyreneMonomer Plant, Alabama
    c. TotalEnergies Polystrene Plant, Louisiana
    d. Port Arthur Refinery, Texas

    17. Indorama Ventures Xylenes and PTA
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Decatur Facility, Alabama

    18. Denka Performance Elastomer LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source: LaPlace Neoprene Production Facility, Louisiana

    19. Sasol Chemicals (USA) LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Lake Charles Chemical Complex, Louisiana

    20. Philips 66 Company
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Sweeny Refinery, Texas
    b. WRB Refining LP Calvert Refinery, Illinois
    c. WRB Refining LP Borger Refinery, Texas

    21. Indorama Ventures Oxides, LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Port Neches Facility, Texas

    22. Eastman Chemical Company
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Longview Facility, Texas

    23. DuPont Specialty Products USA, LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Pontchartrain Site, Louisiana

    24. Stepan Company
    i. Affected Facility/Source: Millsdale Facility, Illinois

    25. Ascend Performance Materials Operations LLC
    i. Affected Facility/Source:
    a. Ascend Decatur, Alabama;
    b. Ascend Alvin, Texas;
    c. Ascend Pensacola, Florida

    MIL OSI USA News –

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

    Source: US Whitehouse

    class=”has-text-align-center”>By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    1.  Coal-fired electricity generation is essential to ensuring that our Nation’s grid is reliable and that electricity is affordable to 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, pursuant to section 112 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412, 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, 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 paragraphs 1 and 3 of this proclamation.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
    seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

    DONALD J. TRUMP

    ANNEX I

    Affected Facility/Source: Cardinal Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3, Ohio

    Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association

    Affected Facility/Source: Craig Generating Station Unit 2 and Unit 3, Colorado

    City Water, Light and Power

    Affected Facility/Source: Dallman Unit 4, Illinois

    Cardinal Operating Company

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker Introduces Pesticide Injury Accountability Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act, legislation that would ensure that pesticide manufacturers can be held responsible for the harm caused by their toxic products. Specifically, this bill would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1972 (FIFRA) to create a federal right of action for anyone who is harmed by a toxic pesticide.

    Despite growing peer-reviewed scientific evidence linking widely used pesticides to a host of health harms including cancers, birth defects, endocrine disruption, Parkinson’s disease, and infertility, a coordinated effort is being led by pesticide manufacturers in state legislatures and in Congress seeking legal immunity – a liability shield – for these big corporations.

    If these largely foreign-owned companies are successful, this liability shield would leave farmers, farmworkers, and other injured individuals without meaningful recourse for the harms caused by these toxic substances. 

    Chemical companies are seeking liability shields because they know the harm their products have already caused. Syngenta, a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned company ChemChina, reached a $187.5 million settlement in 2021 for paraquat-related Parkinson’s disease claims. Monsanto, now owned by Germany’s Bayer, has paid billions of dollars to settle lawsuits linking Roundup (glyphosate) to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

    “Rather than providing a liability shield so that foreign corporations are allowed to poison the American people, Congress should instead pass the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act to ensure that these chemical companies can be held accountable in federal court for the harm caused by their toxic products,” said Senator Booker.

    “CHD opposes any liability shield for any industry that has a direct impact on the health of the American people,” said Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense. “Granting blanket immunity to corporations who have a fiscal responsibility to their shareholders, and not a responsibility to consumer safety, is one of the most dangerous propositions imaginable. CHD sincerely thanks Senator Booker for his leadership in sponsoring this critical piece of legislation to protect the American people over corporations.”

    “No one can dispute that crop pesticides are poisons. They are designed to kill weeds, but they also kill non-target plants and there is sound evidence linking them to human health problems,” said Jim Goodman, president of the National Family Farm Coalition. “To date, Bayer alone has paid out over $11 billion in legal settlements for medical problems caused by their herbicide Roundup. To avoid paying for damages caused by their poisons, agri-chemical companies routinely lobby for federal and state laws that shield them from any liability for the damages they are responsible for. People sickened by their poisons go bankrupt paying for their medical care and sometimes ultimately die. The Pesticide Injury Accountability Act of 2025 will hold agri-chemical companies accountable for the irreparable harms they cause.”

    “Moms Across America strongly supports the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act, which reaffirms our 7th Amendment right to sue for harm or damage,” said Zen Honeycutt, Founding Executive Director, Moms Across America. “It is unconscionable that corporations are pushing our elected officials to manipulate laws so that they can avoid accountability for safety and protect their profits over the health and safety of Americans. We must protect the American people from harm – especially from products that are proven to cause infertility, cancer, liver disease and many other negative health effects.”

    “People exposed to and suffering from the health effects of toxic chemicals should not be denied their right to seek justice,” said Geoff Horsfield, Policy Director, Environmental Working Group. “We applaud Senator Booker for his efforts to protect the rights of farmers, rural communities, workers, children and families.”

    “Granting legal immunity to pesticide manufacturers would leave farmers and their families with no way to seek justice after suffering health or crop damage from these chemicals,” said Kelly Ryerson, Co-Founder, American Regeneration. “Farmers have a right to hold companies accountable and protect their livelihoods from devastating illness.” 

    Last month, Senator Booker led a group of 20 of his colleagues in calling on Senate leadership to oppose any efforts to limit existing state and local authority to regulate pesticides in the upcoming Farm Bill or any other legislation.  

    To see a full list of endorsing organizations, click here.

    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Slaty hut gets an old school makeover

    Source: NZ Department of Conservation

    By Jose Watson

    The refurbishment of Slaty Creek Hut in the Grey Valley has been a labour of love for rangers, and a great way to pass on age old woodworking skills.

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    ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?fit=580%2C435&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=580%2C435&ssl=1″ alt=”Photograph of Slaty Creek Hut before its renovation. Two people are next to the hut, one person standing and one sitting with large tramping bags next to them.” class=”wp-image-56972″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=600%2C450&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?resize=200%2C150&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/475-073.jpg?w=1740&ssl=1 1740w” sizes=”(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px”/>

    Photo: Brian Dobbie

    The hut was built in the 1950’s by deer cullers, as a winter project. The timber used in the build was all hewn by hand from beech trees from the surrounding forest, giving the hut a charming look and a very distinctive character.

    Slab huts are a surviving form of the slab houses which European settlers built in 19th century New Zealand to accommodate themselves in a practical and cost-effective way, using a material found readily in many areas – trees.

    Before the introduction of water and steam powered sawmills, trees were dissembled by splitting, sawing or hewing, and it is these techniques that were carried on into the 20th century in building slab huts for deer cullers, musterers and gold fossickers in rural areas of New Zealand.

    Because of the impermanence of wood due to rot, and that slab houses were only seen by settlers as temporary housing until something more permanent could be built when resources allowed, very few slab houses or buildings remain, making slab huts like Slaty Creek Hut a real link to the past. There are 12 slab huts on public conservation land in the South Island.

    Because of its historic nature, and the difficulty of maintaining the hut when standard boards fundamentally change the look of the hut, it was decided that some training of rangers, to upskill people in the woodworking techniques used to make the boards, was needed.

    Senior Heritage Advisor Mike Gillies, spent a couple of days with rangers going through the process of breaking down beech logs and creating boards and timbers that would be used in fixing up the hut. Here, Mike is explaining some hints and tricks to fashion the timbers to Rangers Casey Rhodes (holding a timber to repair a bunk bed), Miguel Dijkstra and Callum Nolan-Smith.

    Photo: DOC

    First, metal wedges are driven into a log to drive a split into it.

    Photo: DOC

    A crowbar is then used to break the log in two, then the process is repeated until suitable sized wedges are formed. These are then hewn with an adze into “slabs”, essentially weatherboards.

    Photo: DOC

    Mike Gillies says working in this way “is the best feeling in the world, compared to a modern building site where there are lots of power tools and you are working with treated timber. It’s very quiet, all you can hear are the axes and adzes hewing. It’s a real privilege to be able to continue this tradition and this craft that’s been passed down for a really long time.”

    Photo: DOC

    Once the boards were repaired, it was time to head to Slaty Creek Hut and start the refurbishment. You can see new boards here where replacements were required because of rot. Where possible, boards which were replaced were reused to repair smaller areas, thus keeping as many historic materials as possible.

    Photo: Matt Ainge | DOC

    Inside the hut, repairs were also required. The rangers carefully removed the floorboards which were sagging in places, laid new subfloor timbers, and re-laid the historic boards. The fire hearth was replaced and chimney repaired to ensure the fire can be used safely. Casey says that as they are working, they are making decisions all the time about what can be saved and reused in order to keep true to the character of the hut. The rangers report the fire heats the hut really well, which was essential for the wet couple of weeks they spent working there.

    Photo: Matt Ainge | DOC
    Photo: Matt Ainge | DOC
    Photo: Matt Ainge | DOC

    The area around the hut was prone to flooding, so the Rangers installed a drainage channel, which will ensure the foundations of the hut stay dry and protected from rot. It was muddy work. Here is Ranger Casey Rhodes partway through the job.

    Photo: Matt Ainge | DOC
    Photo: Matt Ainge | DOC

    The refurbishment was finished and it was time to head out of the bush back to town. Rangers Casey Rhodes and Matt Ainge are pleased to see this work done for future adventurers, who will appreciate the charm and history of this rustic little slab hut.

    Slaty Creek Hut is a four bunk backcountry hut and there is no formed track leading to it. Anyone wanting to visit should be experienced and well equipped, with suitable route finding and navigational skills.

    The hut is on the Amuri Pass tramping route, an advanced multi-day trip which follows a historic route between the West Coast and Canterbury which was once used to move stock.

    Photo: DOC
    Photo: DOC

    For more info: Slaty Creek Hut: Ahaura River & Lake Brunner catchments area, West Coast region

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Rosen & Gallego, Representative Garcia Introduce Bill to Declare Extreme Heat as a Major Disaster

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29) introduced legislation to declare extreme heat as a major disaster so that communities can access federal aid. Their Extreme Heat Emergency Act would explicitly authorize extreme heat as eligible for a Major Disaster Declaration by the President under the Stafford Act, which recognizes fires, floods, explosions, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes as eligible disasters. This would help communities like those in Nevada, Arizona, and Texas access federal resources and funding to respond to these disasters and prepare for future extreme heat waves. On Monday, Las Vegas had the hottest day recorded so far this year, and the death toll of heat-related deaths has already risen to 29 people in Southern Nevada.
    “Last year, more than 500 people died in one single county in Nevada from heat-related illnesses,” said Senator Rosen. “Current federal policy ignores the physical and health risks that such extremely high temperatures have on our communities, which is why I’m introducing a bill to change that. By classifying extreme heat as a major disaster, our communities will be able to receive the federal funding needed to respond and prepare for future extreme heat events.”
    “Each year, extreme heat kills more Americans than every other form of extreme weather combined. But still the federal government sits on the sideline, leaving state and local governments to drain their funds trying to keep people safe,” said Senator Gallego. “By adding extreme heat to FEMA’s list of major disasters, we can unlock the funds and support our communities desperately need.”
    “If you found out that thousands of Americans were dying every year from a single cause, you’d be shocked to learn that the federal government has no plan. But that’s exactly what’s happening with extreme heat. Without a disaster declaration, federal response teams and experts are forced to sit on the sidelines while people suffer and die. That’s unconscionable and it needs to change,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “I’m proud to sponsor the Extreme Heat Emergency Act with Senators Rosen and Gallego to ensure local and state governments don’t have to face this challenge alone. Federal law must catch up to the reality we’re living.”
    “It’s only mid-July, and the Southwest, Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England have already experienced record high temperatures. Each year, extreme heat causes thousands of deaths and hundreds of billions of dollars in damages to critical infrastructure and economic productivity and overwhelms the capabilities of local governments,” said Hannah Safford, Associate Director of Climate and Environment at the Federation of American Scientists. “The Extreme Heat Emergency Act recognizes extreme heat for what it is – an emergency – that the federal government needs to be ready to support response to before, during, and after the disaster. Recognizing extreme heat as an emergency is critical to a heat-ready nation, as FAS emphasizes in its 2025 Heat Policy Agenda.”
    Senator Rosen has been leading the fight to ensure that Nevadans have access to federal resources to stay safe during natural disasters. For years, she has been calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide federal assistance to address extreme heat in Nevada. Last summer, Senator Rosen visited a cooling center in Las Vegas to discuss the need for federal resources to protect against extreme heat.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Armstrong urges strong support for transportation infrastructure in testimony to U.S. Senate committee

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Gov. Kelly Armstrong testified today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, urging lawmakers to maintain robust funding for transportation infrastructure, provide maximum flexibility for states and streamline the permitting and regulatory processes to reduce project delays and costs.

    The governor thanked the committee’s chair, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, a committee member, for inviting him to testify and offer a state’s point of view during a hearing titled “Constructing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill: Stakeholders’ Perspectives.”

    “In rural states like ours, transportation infrastructure isn’t merely about convenience – it’s a pillar of our communities and thriving local economies,” Armstrong testified on behalf of the National Governors Association. “Our highways, roads and bridges are essential lifelines connecting our agricultural producers, energy industry, small businesses and families to markets, health care, education and emergency services.”

    “My request for this Committee today is simple: continue providing robust funding, give maximum flexibility to states and watch us go to work,” he continued. “A key piece of ensuring states can successfully and efficiently build projects is formula-based funding. The next highway bill should maintain or increase the percentage of program dollars distributed by formula, allowing states to more quickly deliver critical transportation projects. This is especially important in states like North Dakota that don’t have that long of a construction season.”

    Armstrong also urged policymakers to use surface transportation reauthorization to enact bipartisan permitting reform and streamline the permitting process.

    “Robust funding is important, but all the money in the world means nothing if it can’t be deployed because of a broken permitting system,” Armstrong stated in his written testimony, adding, “Our current regulatory framework imposes excessive delays and escalating costs, and injects uncertainty into critical infrastructure projects. It also discourages private sector investment, while making federal investment less effective and efficient.”

    Armstrong, who served six years as North Dakota’s lone member of Congress before being elected governor last November, said the Senate committee and their House colleagues have “a real opportunity to ensure efficiency, certainty and transparency in the permitting process, all while protecting our environment.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey, Reps. Matsui, Barragán, Schneider, Carbajal Introduce Legislation to Create Coordinated Federal Response to Climate and Health Crisis

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF)

    Washington (July 17, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Representatives Doris Matsui (CA-07), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), and Brad Schneider (IL-10) today reintroduced the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act, legislation that would improve America’s public health response to climate change by establishing an Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). OCCHE was originally established by President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. In January 2025, President Trump eliminated OCCHE and terminated its staff. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are cosponsors of this legislation.

    The reestablished OCCHE would support climate health research, health impact monitoring, and climate resilience initiatives within the health sector. In addition to codifying OCCHE, the bill would also direct the Secretary of HHS to develop a National Strategic Action Plan to assist health professionals in preparing for and responding to the public health effects of climate change. 

    “Climate change is making people and the planet sicker, and we need a national treatment plan to address the worst effects,” said Senator Markey. “While the Trump administration tries to fire everyone with any ability to fight the health impacts of the climate crisis, and while Republicans pass bills that kick millions of people off their health care, we are demanding a different future—one with a resilient health system that protects us all. My Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act will put us on track for a healthier, and brighter, future.”

    “Climate change is already endangering the health of Americans nationwide,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “President Trump and his Republican allies want to bury their heads in the sand, but we’ve seen the life-threatening effects of climate change in the Sacramento region, as flooding and wildfires are becoming more frequent and more intense. These impacts will only worsen as climate change accelerates. The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act will ensure our healthcare system is prepared to face this new reality.”

    “The climate crisis is a persistent threat to our way of life – it is not just an environmental threat but is a public health emergency,” said Congressman Schneider. “The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act will help ensure we are better prepared and supplied to protect the health and well-being of our communities and our planet. I’m proud to co-lead this bill with Reps. Matsui, Barragán and Carbajal and I’m hopeful that the coordination and investment it promotes will strengthen our ability to confront the health impacts of climate change head on.”

    “Climate change is already impacting the environment around us, and those changes bring real risks to our public health,” said Congressman Carbajal. “Our country must have a clear strategy for meeting these mounting threats to our air, water, and food supplies. This legislation marks a key step forward to defending both our environment and our well-being.”

    “Climate change is a very real problem that affects millions of Americans, from the growing health challenges they face to the care they receive,” said Congresswoman Barragán. “Yet, the Trump administration has undermined our federal agencies’ ability to protect our communities from climate change, especially as many of our underserved communities often fall through the cracks. That is why I am proud to co-lead this bill with Representative Matsui, which prioritizes public health and protects the environment by making sure that our agencies have the proper tools and resources they need to help combat climate change.”

    “The Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act of 2025 would implement an evidence-based approach to protecting Americans from the health threats of hazards like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and storms. Data shows these climate-related events are increasing in severity and frequency,” said Jenny Keroack, Director of Program Strategy & Management in Health Care Without Harm’s U.S. Climate Program. “As a civil servant who worked at the now-defunct HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, I was proud to help health care organizations support their patients and staff in the face of climate threats. We must redouble these efforts and use all of our public health tools to safeguard our communities from natural disasters and extreme weather.”

    “The climate crisis is also a health crisis and requires a robust whole-of-government approach to combat it,” said Ranjani Prabhakar, Legislative Director, Healthy Communities at Earthjustice Action. “From extreme heat to intense natural disasters, climate change is causing and exacerbating negative health outcomes in communities across the country. We thank Senator Markey and Rep. Matsui for recognizing the critical link between climate and public health and obligating the government to act.” 

    Specifically, the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act would:

    • Formally establish an Office of Climate Change and Health Equity within the Department of Health and Human Services.
    • Provide technical support to state and local health departments to develop preparedness plans and conduct community outreach.
    • Enhance modeling of environmental and disease data and expand research into the relationship between climate change and health.
    • Prioritize communities who have been disproportionately harmed by the climate crisis.
    • Improve monitoring of infectious diseases and environmental health indicators.
    • Develop a National Strategic Action Plan for climate and health.
    • Require health impact assessments to determine how current and proposed laws, policies, and programs would protect against the health impacts of climate change.

    This legislation is endorsed by Health Care Without Harm, American College of Physicians, Center for Organizing, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Public Citizen, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Earthjustice, Climate Justice Alliance, and the International Transformational Resilience Coalition.

    Senator Markey has introduced several pieces of legislation to address the intersecting climate and health crises, including the Green New Deal for Health Act, which he introduced with Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) in 2023.

    In July 2025, along with Representative Barragán, Senator Markey introduced a resolution recognizing climate change as a growing threat to public health and calling for a coordinated federal strategy to protect communities from worsening climate-fueled harms. 

    Last Congress, Senator Markey introduced the Protecting Moms and Babies against Climate Change Act with Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-04), the Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act with Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), and the Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act with Representatives Paul Tonko (NY-20) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: 287,000 jobs and $55 billion in economic growth on the line with key climate program’s extension

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jul 17, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – As Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders continue to work on extending the state’s preeminent climate program – Cap-and-Invest – new reports out this week highlight how critical the program is to the state’s economic future, and how uncertainty is costing the state billions. 

    According to a study released by the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenline Insights, extending Cap-and-Invest, also known as Cap-and-Trade, through 2045 is “expected to generate 287,000 jobs, $55 billion in economic growth, and $232 million in net savings for households.” Extending the program is estimated to “raise a minimum of $47 billion for California Climate Investments.” 

    That builds on the program’s $28 billion already invested in the last 10 years – which has wiped out emissions equivalent to taking 80% of the state’s gas cars off the road.

    This comes as another report released this week shows the need for extension this year. According to Clean and Prosperous California, the program has lost up to $3 billion in potential revenue in the past year due to poor auction results “caused by uncertainty over legislative extension.” 

    Clean and Prosperous California reports: “We expect California will continue losing between around $600 million and $1 billion in revenue from each quarterly auction until the California legislature reauthorizes the cap-and-trade program.” 

    As Governor Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said in April announcing efforts to extend the program this year: “Cap-and-trade is a huge success and, working together, we’ll demonstrate real climate leadership that will attract investment and innovation to deliver the technologies of tomorrow, right here in California.” 

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jul 16, 2025

    News What you need to know: With the Trump administration illegally terminating grant agreements funding California high-speed rail, Governor Newsom said the state is “putting all options on the table” to fight Trump’s action. SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued…

    Jul 16, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Jennifer Osborn, of Orangevale, has been appointed Director at the California Department of Industrial Relations. Osborn has been Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of…

    Jul 16, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom visited local businesses in the Los Angeles area that have been impacted by the federal government’s indiscriminate immigration raids, called on Trump to end his deployment of soldiers, and shared new “know your rights”…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – Danish Presidency debriefs EP committees on priorities

    Source: European Parliament

    Denmark holds the Presidency of the Council until the end of 2025. This text will be updated regularly as the hearings take place.

    Agriculture and Rural Development Committee

    On 15 July, Jacob Jensen, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, said that the Presidency will focus on easing the administrative burden for farmers while continuing to promote the green transition and animal welfare. Concluding the current negotiations on the common agricultural policy (CAP) simplification package and starting discussions on the post-2027 CAP will also be priorities.

    Several MEPs called for fair conditions between farmers inside and outside the EU in connection with the Mercosur Agreement and animal welfare. They asked how the presidency will help guarantee the EU’s protein and fertiliser self-sufficiency and support organic farmers. Others raised the issue of ensuring that the green transition does not compromise the agriculture sector’s sustainability.

    Regional Development Committee

    On 15 July, Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre argued that cohesion policy should continue to play a crucial role in the EU budget, as the Presidency works on proposals for the next multiannual financial framework (MFF). She said that funding should also support competitiveness and be flexible in the face of unexpected events. Ms Bjerre highlighted the need to strengthen rule of law conditionality in the allocation of EU funds.

    MEPs agreed on the need to modernise cohesion policy and make it more flexible, but asked for the Presidency’s support in defending the policy’s core purpose – reducing inequalities between regions – and the role of regions and local authorities.

    Legal Affairs Committee

    On 15 July, Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard stressed the need to boost EU competitiveness but also to protect common values while advancing the green and digital transition. He committed to make progress on draft bills on the protection of adults and insolvency, while promoting rules on parenthood.

    Morten Bødskov, Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, will strive to simplify existing rules for the benefit of EU businesses in the upcoming negotiations on sustainability reporting and due diligence obligations. Mr Bødskov also intends to advance the patent package and the “28th regime” initiative (a single set of EU rules to support innovation).

    MEPs inquired about plans to strengthen the rule of law, fight illegal migration and improve licensing, considering the planned withdrawal of the proposal on standard essential patents. They also asked for work to move ahead on the special tribunal for the crime of aggression, for measures to ensure that simplification does not lead to deregulation, and for efforts to balance rights and copyright in the context of new technologies.

    Foreign Affairs Committee

    On 15 July, European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre said that the Presidency wants to advance EU accession negotiations with all candidate countries. She also added that the EU must act more independently to ensure its security. The dialogue with Türkiye will continue, but its accession negotiations will remain on hold.

    MEPs called for more support for some candidate countries on their EU path. They also enquired on possible new strategic partners for the EU, given recent developments in relations with the US, and called for the deepening of relations with Latin America. They also asked what steps the Presidency intends to take to help the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

    Environment, Climate Change and Food Safety Committee

    On 15 July, Jacob Jensen, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, highlighted the need to simplify EU legislation for farmers and food producers, and to promote innovation through tools such as new genomic techniques, on which the Presidency aims to strike a deal with Parliament. He stressed the importance of making the EU’s agri-food sector more competitive while maintaining high standards of sustainability and food safety. Other priorities include an EU strategy for plant-based proteins, animal welfare, and action to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

    MEPs raised questions about the future of the CAP, demanding greater fairness, increased support for smaller farms, and clear targets for pesticide reduction. MEPs also enquired about trade agreements, such as with Mercosur, and a possible ban on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

    Lars Aagaard, Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, stressed the importance of reaching an agreement on the EU 2040 climate target, to offer clear guidance for climate action, investment, and industrial competitiveness. He underlined the need for an agreement before the COP30 in Brazil on 10–21 November 2025, to show EU leadership and unity.

    Some MEPs raised concerns about energy affordability and the social impact of the new emissions trading system, while others stressed excessive flexibility would undermine the 2040 target.

    Civil liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee

    On 15 July, Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said the Presidency would prioritise work on the fight against serious cross-border and organised crime, action to improve victims’ rights, and police cooperation to counter migrant smuggling. The Presidency will also advance work on the directive and regulation to combat child sexual abuse.

    Torsten Schack Pedersen, Minister for Resilience and Preparedness, called for implementation of the “Preparedness Union” strategy to strengthen EU security, resilience and preparedness. The Presidency will advance work on the reformed EU civil protection mechanism, the stockpiling strategy and measures to protect critical infrastructure.

    MEPs asked the Presidency about progress on the directives on combating corruption and victims’ rights. According to the Justice Minister, work on both will continue promptly as a priority. MEPs and the Ministers also discussed law enforcement access to data, and measures against terrorism and online radicalisation.

    Kaare Dybvad, Minister for Immigration and Integration, emphasised the need to implement the Asylum and Migration Pact in full. The Presidency will work on proposals on safe third countries, safe countries of origin and a common approach to returns. He also mentioned the possibility of developing external partnerships and possible return hubs in third countries, stressing the need to uphold international law and human rights. Other priorities are action to combat migrant smuggling and the EU talent pool.

    On Migration and Asylum Pact implementation, MEPs asked about the solidarity platform, protection of human dignity, and cooperation with third countries. The minister replied that priority should be given to people in need of refugee status. Economic migrants must use legal channels, and those with no right to stay need to be returned to their home countries.

    Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs, said the Presidency aimed to strengthen the link between respect for EU values and access to EU funds, enhance the Council’s rule of law dialogues, and support tools such as the Commission’s rule of law report. It will also work to reinforce the conditionality mechanism in the next long-term budget, by increasing funding for it and ensuring more automatic application.

    Some MEPs raised concerns about the situation in Hungary, and called for a stronger conditionality mechanism and better protection of media freedom and civil society. Others called for clarity on the definition of rule of law, and raised the issues of spyware use against journalists and the situation in Gaza.

    Employment and Social Affairs Committee

    On 15 July, Employment Minister Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen stressed that the Presidency would focus on investing in skills, fair labour mobility, strengthening social dialogue, and occupational health. She aims to advance the revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMRD) and the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers. Minister for Social Affairs and Housing Sophie Hæstorp Andersen highlighted the need to improve independent living for persons with disabilities and to improve access to sustainable and affordable housing.

    MEPs highlighted the lack of legislative proposals in social areas and voiced concern about the future of the European Social Fund+. They stressed the need to strengthen the European Labour Authority, and addressed the working conditions of non-EU nationals, the lack of skilled workers, and the migration of qualified workers. Others asked for action on employment rights for persons with disabilities, the coordination of social security systems, and the European Child Guarantee.

    Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee

    On 15 July, Caroline Stage Olsen, Digital Affairs Minister, emphasised the need for action to boost investment and cut red tape. Special attention will be given to protecting minors online through firm Digital Services Act enforcement, new age verification rules and action to tackle addictive design. She supported postponing elements of the AI Act to give business, especially smaller companies, more time to comply.

    Morten Bødskov, Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, stressed the Presidency’s intention to tackle customs challenges, unfair competition, slow growth and job loss. The minister also expressed strong support for the green transition and the need to advance work on simplification packages and regulatory burden reduction targets.

    MEPs asked about the Presidency’s plans to work on e-commerce, the posting of workers, attracting talent and the “28th regime” (a single set of EU rules to support innovation). They also enquired about digital policy loopholes and the Digital Fairness Act, and the need to advance negotiations on the late payments regulation and the European defence industrial strategy.

    Development Committee

    On 15 July, Foreign Affairs Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called for a stronger Team Europe approach, given the widening gap between humanitarian needs and the resources available. Presidency priorities include the Global Gateway, the Samoa Agreement, the EU-African Union (AU) Summit, human rights and the sustainable development goals. The Presidency will champion external action in negotiations on the next long-term EU budget.

    MEPs stressed the importance of development aid and the need to make sure foreign investment upholds human rights, while also voicing concern over irregular migration. They called for a broader EU presence at the next EU-AU Summit, and asked about the Presidency’s plan for the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

    Public Health Committee

    On 16 July, Sophie Løhde, Danish Minister for Interior and Health, highlighted the need to strengthen EU preparedness through efficient medical countermeasures, ensure better access to medicines, and address antimicrobial resistance. She shared the Presidency’s commitment to finalising the Council’s position on the critical medicines act, hoping an agreement with Parliament could be reached on the pharmaceutical package by the end of the year.

    MEPs quizzed the minister on medicine affordability, rare diseases, and healthcare workforce shortages. Some called for a greater focus on women’s health, action against PFAS contamination, and improved EU coordination of health and military crisis preparedness.

    Constitutional Affairs Committee

    On 16 July, European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre said the Presidency priorities were to advance a merit-based EU accession process and uphold the rule of law. She also highlighted the need to reinforce democratic resilience, for instance through the Commission’s Democracy Shield and improved transparency of foreign interests. The Presidency is also committed to strengthening interinstitutional cooperation and pursuing institutional reforms within the existing treaty framework.

    MEPs raised questions on the link between internal EU reforms and future accessions, the use of qualified majority voting to overcome institutional deadlocks, the right of inquiry, and electoral reform. Bjerre replied that the lack of consensus among member states on possible treaty changes made that a less feasible path.

    Security and Defence Committee

    On 16 July, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that one of the priorities was to continue to support Ukraine politically, militarily and financially, and work on integrating the Ukrainian defence industry into the EU one. This includes paving the way for Ukrainian companies to set up facilities in the rest of Europe. He also mentioned the need for Europe to be able to defend itself by 2030 by increasing its defence readiness and production, and freeing up defence financing.

    MEPs questioned the minister on a range of topics, including the use of frozen Russian state assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction, a dedicated European defence fund, removing hurdles to support the Ukrainian defence industry, and the pros and cons of non-EU country access to EU defence funds.

    Fisheries Committee

    On 16 July, Jacob Jensen, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, said the Presidency would prioritise the green transition, simplification, including for the Ocean Pact, and better regulation of fisheries. They will also focus on fishing opportunities in the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea for 2026 to allow fishers to plan early.

    MEPs highlighted fleet renewal, the Baltic Sea’s herring situation and the MFF’s role in achieving sustainability, simplification, and climate goals. They expressed concern over the 24-metre fleet renewal restriction and called for specific funding mechanisms for the Ocean Pact. Finally, they welcomed the focus on 2026 fishing quotas and sustainability objectives.

    Transport and Tourism Committee

    Boosting competitiveness, easing the administrative burden, ensuring a green transition in transport and tourism, but also military mobility, are the main drivers of Danish presidency, said Thomas Danielsen, Minister of Transport on 16 July. He hoped to start talks with MEPs on passenger rights and rules on counting CO2 emissions, as well as to finish negotiations on railway capacity infrastructure. Morten Bødskov, Minister of Business, Industry and Financial Services, added the Presidency perspective on shipping transport and upcoming EU ports and maritime industry strategies.

    The majority of transport committee MEPs welcomed the Presidency priorities, the ambition to reach a Council position on weights and dimensions rules, while some questioned the focus on the green transition. On passenger rights, MEPs were frustrated with the Council decision to force into a tight deadline to reach a deal on future rules, and asked the minister not to forget the multimodal part of the package.

    Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee

    On 16 July, Minister for Environment and Gender Equality, Magnus Heunicke, outlined priorities including combating gender-based violence, promoting equal opportunities by involving men and boys, and strengthening LGBTQI equality amid rising hate and harassment. He announced that a Council meeting on 17 October would focus on equality and non-discrimination.

    MEPs raised concerns about the absence of an EU-wide consent-based definition of rape, the lack of progress on the revision of the Victims’ Rights Directive, the under-representation of women in government, and the stalled horizontal anti-discrimination directive. In response, Heunicke confirmed that there would be a discussion on a consent-based rape definition, and that finalising the Victims’ Rights Directive negotiations was a priority.

    International Trade Committee

    On 16 July, Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen named agreements on the revised general scheme of preferences (GSP) and the foreign investment screening review as being among his priorities. The phasing-out of Russian gas imports and ratification of the trade agreement with Mercosur are also high on the agenda. The Presidency will also work to negotiate a new trade relationship with the US, while being prepared for other scenarios.

    MEPs welcomed the priorities, particularly on concluding the Mercosur Agreement, phasing out Russian gas imports and concluding the revision of the GSP. Some MEPs also questioned the Presidency on how EU-Israel trade relations should evolve given the humanitarian situation in the Middle East.

    Culture and Education Committee

    On 16 July, Mattias Tesfaye, Minister for Education and Youth, said that Presidency wanted to make vocational education and training more attractive, ensure learning mobility, and focus on how the digitalisation affects learning outcomes. The Presidency will also prioritise negotiations on the next generation of Erasmus+ and on the European education area.

    Many MEPs expressed their concerns about the future of the Erasmus+ programme and enquired about the protection of children online, recognition of competences, and the safety of young students in the workplace.

    Jakob Engel-Schmidt, Minister for Culture, Media and Sports Policy, highlighted the need to prohibit the use of images, voice and other personal features in deepfakes or lifelike imitations. The EU Copyright Regulation should be updated to address the challenges posed by artificial intelligence to the cultural and creative sectors, either by guaranteeing fair remuneration for rights holders or by achieving the best possible conditions for licensing agreements. In sport, the Presidency promises to do more to uphold democratic values and integrity in the awarding of international sports events.

    MEPs asked for measures to help EU countries implement the European Media Freedom Act and highlighted the revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. MEPs also raised issues such as protecting heritage against natural disasters and gender equality programmes in sport.

    Industry, Research and Energy Committee

    On 16 July, Caroline Stage Olsson, Minister for Digital Affairs, outlined two priorities: enhancing digital competitiveness and protecting minors online. She advocated for reducing the administrative burden on business and for strategic investment for a more sovereign Europe. She also highlighted work on enforcing the Digital Services Act (DSA), stricter regulations for age verification and data protection, and the establishment of a competitiveness fund.

    Some MEPs stressed the need to reduce dependency on non-European tech companies and to balance regulation with simplification, to foster innovation while protecting consumers. Questions were asked about the impact of the DSA on free speech and privacy, and about investment in less connected regions.

    Troels Lund Poulsen, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, outlined four priorities: enhancing Europe’s defence capabilities, supporting Ukraine, fostering cooperation with NATO and strengthening the EU’s defence against hybrid threats. He also stressed the importance of the European defence industry programme (EDIP) to this end.

    Torsten Schack Pedersen, Minister for Resilience and Preparedness, focused on cybersecurity and highlighted three priorities: strengthening EU cyber resilience, framing a robust EU response to cyber crises, and simplifying the EU cyber legislation framework.

    MEPs enquired about the creation of a unified European defence market, the standardisation of defence products, and the need for joint procurement to enhance defence capabilities. Questions also focused on Baltic Sea security and measures to counter potential sabotage. Concerns were voiced about Europe’s dependency on non-European defence suppliers.

    Lars Aagaard, Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, emphasised the importance of a secure, clean and affordable energy supply, as well as of a stronger energy sector, focusing on renewable and clean energy produced locally. He called for an approach that would balance environmental protection with economic competitiveness and for Europe to phase out its dependency on Russian energy.

    Morten Bødskov, Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs focused on competitiveness and highlighted the need for increased investment in green technologies and new critical technologies such as life sciences, artificial intelligence, biotech, and quantum. Mr Bødskov also stressed the need to simplify regulations to foster innovation and growth.

    MEPs stressed the need for a more efficient regulatory environment to foster innovation and competitiveness. They expressed concerns about high energy prices and highlighted the importance of investing in clean energy technologies and infrastructure to achieve energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Several MEPs questioned the balance between environmental protection and economic competitiveness, and called for a more pragmatic approach to regulation that would not stifle innovation and growth.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Climate scientists calculate role human-caused climate change plays in shifting weather extremes

    Source: Government of Canada News

    July 17, 2025 – Gatineau, Quebec

    Environment and Climate Change Canada is committed to climate research into how and why the country’s climate has changed over the decades. Research like this will help us predict future changes and provide Canadians with a deeper understanding of how human-caused climate change affects extreme weather events, like heat waves and cold snaps.

    This summer, climate scientists are using the Rapid Extreme Weather Event Attribution system to analyze heat waves across Canada to determine how CO2 and other emissions from human activities impacted extreme heat. During the summer of 2024, climate scientists analyzed the 37 most extreme heat events across Canada. In all cases, they found that the heat waves were likely because of climate change.

    This summer, human-caused climate change already made two heat waves in Canada much more likely to occur. This means that human influence on the climate made the following events at least two to 10 times more likely to occur:

    Yukon (June 20 to 23)

    • Peak daily high temperature during the heat wave: 22.0 °C
    • Degrees above normal daily high temperature: 6.5 °C

    Alberta (May 28 to 31)

    • Peak daily high temperature during the heat wave: 28.8 °C
    • Degrees above normal daily high temperature: 11.3 °C

    Analysis of how weather events are linked to human-caused climate change relies on advanced climate models and observations to compare today’s climate with what existed in the pre-industrial era (1850 to 1900). Comparison allows climate scientists to answer the question, “What role did human-caused climate change play in this event?” and provides concrete results that can be quickly understood.

    This past winter, climate scientists also piloted a new function to analyze climate change’s impact on cold weather events. As the global climate continues to warm, extreme cold temperatures are becoming less frequent. This work provides Canadians with direct insight into how human-caused climate change and its devastating impacts are affecting their lives and weather today and see these changes as they unfold.

    Canadians are encouraged to regularly monitor weather forecasts, take all weather alerts seriously, and get prepared for weather-related events by developing an emergency plan and being ready to adjust their travel plans.

    Canadians can download the WeatherCAN app to receive weather alert notifications directly on their mobile devices. Alerts help Canadians prepare to face severe weather events, save lives, and reduce the impacts on property and livelihoods.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC MD 1698

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Mesoscale Discussion 1698

    Mesoscale Discussion 1698
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    1209 PM CDT Thu Jul 17 2025

    Areas affected…VT…NH…ME

    Concerning…Severe potential…Watch likely

    Valid 171709Z – 171945Z

    Probability of Watch Issuance…80 percent

    SUMMARY…Increasing thunderstorm coverage and intensity is
    anticipated across New England this afternoon and evening.
    Environmental conditions will support potential severe thunderstorms
    capable of damaging wind gusts and perhaps a tornado or two.

    DISCUSSION…Visible satellite imagery continues to show deepening
    cumulus within the broad warm sector in place across much of New
    England this afternoon. This deepening is fostered by a combination
    of strengthening ascent and diurnal destabilization. The airmass
    across the region is very moist, with dewpoints in the low 70s and
    PW values around 2 inches. Expectation is for both continued
    destabilization and persistent forcing for ascent to result in the
    development of scattered to numerous thunderstorms. Mid-level flow
    is forecast to strengthen throughout the day as a low-amplitude
    shortwave trough moves through southern ON and QC.

    The resulting combination of buoyancy and shear should support
    transient supercell structures across much of the region,
    particularly across ME where the mid-level flow will be the
    strongest. Damaging gusts will be the primary risk with most of
    these storms. More southerly surface winds are anticipated across ME
    as well, strengthening the low-level shear and enhancing the tornado
    potential with any more persistent updrafts. Overall severe coverage
    will likely be high enough to merit watch issuance.

    ..Mosier/Smith.. 07/17/2025

    …Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product…

    ATTN…WFO…CAR…GYX…BTV…ALY…

    LAT…LON 47296949 47456858 47186781 46506780 45526843 42847105
    43047321 43997363 45007321 45137173 45337099 45977038
    47296949

    MOST PROBABLE PEAK TORNADO INTENSITY…85-115 MPH
    MOST PROBABLE PEAK WIND GUST…55-70 MPH

    Top/All Mesoscale Discussions/Forecast Products/Home

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 521 Status Reports

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Why the UK’s butterflies are booming in 2025

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Willow Neal, Postgraduate Researcher in Conservation Ecology, The Open University

    Biodiversity is in rapid decline, across the UK and globally. Butterflies are excellent for helping us understand these changes. Where butterfly communities are rich and diverse, so too is the ecosystem. But the opposite is also true: if butterfly numbers are low and there are few species, it is a bad sign for the overall variety and abundance of life in the area.

    Butterfly sightings were among the lowest on record in the UK in 2024 – a low point in a downward trend that has been documented in North America and elsewhere.

    The UK’s low numbers last year were probably due to the weather – in particular the notably cloudy and wet summer. These are not ideal conditions for butterflies, which use the Sun’s warmth to regulate their temperature and (mostly) do not fly in the rain.

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    While weather patterns vary, climate change is making unpredictable weather more common. Wildlife is under the immense combined pressure of habitat loss and climate change, and it is driving many species to extinction. Consecutive summers with poor weather can push butterflies, and other species, over the edge.

    Luckily for butterflies, 2025 has been a stark contrast – so far. After the driest spring since 1893 and multiple early summer heatwaves in the UK, butterflies are really bouncing back under lots of sunshine, which keeps them active.

    Legendary lepidopterist Chris van Swaay of Butterfly Conservation Europe posts results of Dutch butterfly counts from early spring to late autumn. Many of these “transect surveys”, which involve recording butterflies while following a straight line through a habitat, have been repeated in the same locations over several decades. As such, they give reliable trends of butterfly diversity and abundance.

    Van Swaay notes that many common species are having an excellent year. Many of the white species, including the large white, small white and green-veined white, are faring particularly well. Peacock butterflies are also being recorded on these Dutch transects in some of their best numbers for the past 20 years. These trends are likely to be the same in the UK.

    On the Knepp estate in West Sussex, a farm that underwent rewilding in 2001, biologists are reporting record numbers of not just butterflies in general, but the elusive and stunning purple emperor (Apatura iris). This species can only survive in old and large woodlands with willow trees that they lay their eggs on. Because they live almost exclusively in the canopy, they are often difficult to see.

    It is a treat to see even one purple emperor, and Knepp has been recording their numbers since 2014. The previous record was 66 over the entire summer in 2018 (another hot and sunny one). But 2025’s numbers have smashed that, with a running total of 80 as of July 11.

    Knepp ecologists are confident purple emperor numbers are improving nationally.
    Stephan Morris/Shutterstock

    I have the pleasure of often working in a meadow next to a river, and butterfly numbers are staggering here compared with 2024. Even the buddleia bush outside my office has had at least 30 butterflies at a time, of a wide variety of common species, during the past few weeks – an absolute joy to see.

    Hot weather helps butterflies – until it doesn’t

    This sounds like good news, right? Butterflies have been saved, and we didn’t have to do anything. I’d be happy even if that put me out of a job, and despite it ignoring the incredible work of charities like Butterfly Conservation. But it is, of course, not the whole story.

    Our standard for what constitutes a great year for butterflies has been considerably lowered due to the extent of loss over decades and centuries. The great butterfly summer we are having might be comparable to an awful year 30 years ago. Similarly, this hot and dry weather is good for a while – but if it doesn’t start raining soon, plants are going to wilt.

    We saw this during the intense heatwave of summer 2022. Both the plants that butterfly larvae use for food and the nectar sources of adult butterflies were under so much stress from a lack of rainfall that they failed to help adults and caterpillars alike.

    The exceptionally warm spring of 2025 led to butterflies emerging from hibernation (referred to as “overwintering” when it concerns insects) unusually early.

    Butterflies overwinter as eggs, caterpillars or adults. Their emergence is typically triggered by rising temperatures, and this year’s warmth appears to have accelerated that process: 21 out of 33 butterfly species in Dorset were spotted earlier than usual. The dingy skipper (Erynnis tages), a small, unassuming and increasingly rare species, emerged a whole month earlier than usual.

    While early sightings may seem encouraging, they raise concerns. If plants do not also respond to the warmer temperatures by blooming earlier, there may not be enough food to sustain these early butterflies and other pollinating insects. This is a growing concern as the global climate changes.

    Overall, there are reasons to be delighted about the summer of 2025. The sunny weather has allowed for a vital boom in butterfly numbers, despite the constant strain that nature is under. It is refreshing to see a bush full of vivid, beautiful insects.

    However, the rain is still necessary, and the see-saw between a very wet year in 2024 and the potential for a very dry one in 2025 indicates climate change’s violent disruption of weather patterns which nature has depended on for a long time.

    You can support butterfly conservation by mowing your lawn less, planting more native flowers, and joining the UK’s annual Big Butterfly Count – which starts on Friday, July 18 – to report your sightings and help experts like me keep track.

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

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

    Willow Neal received funding from NERC (National Environmental Research Council).

    – ref. Why the UK’s butterflies are booming in 2025 – https://theconversation.com/why-the-uks-butterflies-are-booming-in-2025-256039

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: We detected deep pulses beneath Africa – what we learned could help us understand volcanic activity

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emma Watts, Postdoctoral Researcher in Geography, Swansea University

    Earth’s continents may look fixed on a globe, but they’ve been drifting, splitting and reforming over billions of years – and they still are. Our new study reveals fresh evidence of rhythmic pulses of molten rock rising beneath east Africa, reshaping our understanding of how continents break apart.

    Our findings could help scientists understand more about volcanic activity and earthquakes.

    There are around 1,300 active volcanoes on the Earth’s surface. Active volcanoes are those thought to have had an eruption over the last 12,000 years or so. Of these volcanoes, over 90 lie on the East African Rift Valley – the seam along which Africa is splitting apart. This weak seam of crust may even allow a new ocean to form over the next few million years.

    Although ocean formation is happening around the world, and has been for several billion years, there are few places on Earth where you can study different stages of continental breakup at the same time. This is because they normally become submerged under water as the Earth’s crust thins, and seawater eventually inundates the rift valley.

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    The Rift Valley is different. There is, at its northern end (in Ethiopia) a place called Afar, which sits at the meeting point of three rifts. These are called the Red Sea Rift, the Gulf of Aden Rift, and the Main Ethiopian Rift (see the map below).

    The Red Sea Rift has been spreading for the last 23 million years, and the Main Ethiopian Rift for the last 11 million years. There are active volcanoes across all three of these rifts. In Afar, all three rifts are at least partly exposed, with the Red Sea Rift and Main Ethiopian Rift having the most exposure.

    Volcanic rocks that erupt when Earth’s tectonic plates spread apart provide a window into the inner Earth that wouldn’t otherwise be accessible. Each lava flow and volcano has its own story that is recorded in the rock and we can learn about that through geochemistry – the concentrations of the elements that make up the rock – and mineralogy – the minerals within the rock.

    Analysing these things can tell us about the depth at which the melting rock formed and roughly where in the Earth’s mantle it formed. In our new study, we analysed over 130 new lava samples, obtained from the Afar rock repository at the University of Pisa and our own fieldwork.

    We used these samples to investigate the characteristics of the mantle beneath this rifting, when tectonic plates are moving apart from each other. These samples are from Holocene eruptions (rocks younger than 11.7 thousand years old) from across Afar and the East African Rift.

    Geodynamic model, showing what happens in the mantle (brown) as the plates (green) rift apart. At approximately five seconds (equivalent to 35 million years) into the video the seafloor ridge has formed.

    Since the 1970s, scientists have believed that there is a mantle plume beneath the Afar region. Mantle plumes are a portion of abnormally hot mantle (around 1,450°C) or unusual composition of the mantle (or both) below the Earth’s surface. Scientists think it pushed some of the mantle to the Earth’s surface. Our study not only confirms the presence of a mantle plume in this region, but also gives scientists details about its characteristics.

    We discovered that the mantle plume beneath the region rises beneath the tectonic plates in pulses, and the pulses have slightly different chemical compositions.

    There are mantle plumes around the world. They can be identified in the geological record as far back as several billion years. Each of the plumes has different characteristics – with their own unique chemical composition and shape.

    One mantle plume still active today is the one lying below the Hawaiian islands. These islands are part of the Hawaiian Emperor chain, formed over the last 80 million years or so, and are still forming today. The islands originate from the Pacific tectonic plate slowly moving across the top of a mantle plume, making lava bubble up, erupt and eventually solidify as rock.

    This plume melts the Earth’s mantle and forms magma, which over long periods results in the formation of an island chain or breaks up continents. It can also form volcanoes along a rift in the Earth’s crust, as we see in east Africa. The Hawaiian plume signature comes from two chemical compositions rising up through the mantle together like two vertical strands.

    While scientists have long thought there probably is a plume underneath Afar, what it looks like is debated.

    In our study, we created several scenarios of what the plume looks like and then used mathematical modelling to see which plume scenario best fit the sample data. Using this data-driven approach, we show that the most likely scenario is a singular plume that pulses with different chemical compositions.

    The three rifts in Afar are spreading at different rates. The Red Sea Rift and Gulf of Aden Rift are moving faster at about 15mm per year (that’s half the rate your fingernails grow at) compared to the Main Ethiopian Rift moving at about 5mm per year. We deduced that the pulses are flowing at different speeds along the stretched and thinner undersides of the tectonic plates.

    All this shows us that the motion of tectonic plates can help focus volcanic activity to where the plate is thinner.

    This finding has important implications for how we interpret volcanic and earthquake activity. It may indicate that volcanism could be more likely to occur in the faster spreading and thinner portions of the rift, as the flow beneath replenishes the magma more frequently.

    However, the eruptions here may be less explosive than the slower spreading rifts. This fits observations that explosive eruptions occur more frequently in the Main Ethiopian Rift (which sits on a thicker part of the plate and where the volcanoes are more mature), compared to the Red Sea Rift.

    Our understanding of the link between continental rifting and mantle plumes is still in its infancy but research is already providing insights into how tectonic plates affect mantle plumes and how this might be recorded in the future seafloors of Earth.

    Emma Watts works for Swansea University. She receives funding from Natural Environment Research Council and the UK Research Council.

    Derek Keir works for the University of Southampton. He receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council.

    Thomas Gernon works for the University of Southampton. He receives funding from the WoodNext Foundation, a donor-advised fund program, and from the Natural Environment Research Council.

    – ref. We detected deep pulses beneath Africa – what we learned could help us understand volcanic activity – https://theconversation.com/we-detected-deep-pulses-beneath-africa-what-we-learned-could-help-us-understand-volcanic-activity-260129

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Why some ‘biodegradable’ wet wipes can be terrible for the environment

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Daniel James Jolly, PhD candidate, University of East Anglia

    Daniel James Jolly, CC BY-NC-ND

    Have you felt disgust when taking a walk along the riverside or plunging into the sea to escape the summer heat, only to spy a used wet wipe floating along the surface? Or shock at finding out that animals have died choking on plastic products or that the seafood we eat may be contaminated with microfibres?

    These pollutants are common in our waterways because of the mismanagement of sewage and inappropriate disposal that flush hygiene products and microfibres into rivers and oceans. In the UK alone, more than 11 billion wet wipes are thrown away annually. Wet wipe litter was found on 72% of UK beaches in 2023.

    They persist because they’re made of plastic, a durable material that won’t easily degrade. Plastic can last for decades to hundreds of years. Therefore, governments and manufacturers are eagerly encouraging the use of non-plastics as more “sustainable” alternatives, with the UK banning plastic in wet wipes in 2024.

    These textiles can be made from plant or animal fibres such as cotton and wool, or they may be chemically and physically modified, such as rayon or viscose. They are often labelled “biodegradable” on product packaging, suggesting they are environmentally friendly, break down quickly, and are a safe alternative to plastics. But is this really the case?

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

    My research focuses on investigating the environmental impact of these non-plastic textiles and their persistence in waterways. My colleagues and I have found that some non-plastic microfibres can be just as problematic or even more harmful than plastic.

    While non-plastic textiles are not as long-lived as plastics, with many composting within weeks to months, they can last long enough to accumulate and cause damage to plants, animals and humans. Studies by scientists at the University of Stirling show that biodegradable wet wipes can last up to 15 weeks on beaches, where they can act as a reservoir for faecal bacteria and E.coli. Other studies have highlighted non-plastic textiles lasting for two months or more in rivers and oceans, where they break up into hundreds of thousands of microfibres.

    Non-plastic wet wipes can cause as much an environmental hazard as plastic ones.
    Adam Radosavljevic/Shutterstock

    These microfibres are so prevalent in waterways that they have contaminated animals across the food chain, from filter-feeding mussels and oysters to top predators such as sharks and the seafood we eat.

    They are also found in remote locations as far away as the Arctic seafloor and deep sea, thousands of miles from civilisation. These discoveries highlight that non-plastics last longer than we think.

    The dangers of non-plastics

    Once exposed to aquatic life, non-plastic microfibres can be easily ingested or inhaled, where they can become trapped in the body and cause damage. During their manufacture, textile fibres can be modified with various chemical additives to improve their function, such as flame retardants, antibacterials, softeners, UV protection and dyes.

    It is known that several toxic synthetic chemicals, including the plastic additive bisphenol A (BPA), are used for this purpose. These additives can be carcinogenic, cause neurotoxic effects or damage hormonal and reproductive health.

    Researchers like me, have only just begun to explore the dangers of non-plastics. Some have shown that non-plastic microfibres and their additives can damage the digestive system, cause stress, hinder development and alter immune responses in animals such as shrimp, mussels, and oysters. However, other studies have shown little to no effect of non-plastic microfibres on animals exposed to them.

    We do not yet know how much of a threat these materials are to the environment. Only the manufacturers know exactly what’s in the textiles we use. This makes it hard to understand what threats we are really facing. Nevertheless, assumptions that non-plastics are environmentally friendly and an easy alternative to plastic materials must be challenged and reconsidered.

    To do this, we need to push for greater transparency in the contents of our everyday items and test them to make sure that they are truly sustainable and won’t harm the world around us. So next time you are browsing the supermarket aisles and come across a pack of “biodegradable” or “environmentally friendly” wet wipes, just question, are they really?

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

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

    Daniel James Jolly receives funding from the University of East Anglia, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, and the NERC ARIES doctoral training pathway as part of his PhD studentship.
    He is a student member of the UK Green Party.

    – ref. Why some ‘biodegradable’ wet wipes can be terrible for the environment – https://theconversation.com/why-some-biodegradable-wet-wipes-can-be-terrible-for-the-environment-258836

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Next Round of Smart Growth Grants Announced

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced $3.8 million in funding available to communities and not-for-profits in the Adirondack and Catskill parks. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in partnership with the Department of State and the Adirondack Park Agency, is accepting applications for the next round of Adirondack Park and Catskill Park Community Smart Growth Grants that will link environmental protection, economic development, and community livability within the two parks. This round of Smart Growth Grants will continue to focus on affordable housing, which is a key component for addressing population and economic stability in rural Forest Preserve communities.

    “New York State is leading the nation in helping communities become greener, more connected, and more resilient,” Governor Hochul said. “With these Smart Growth grants, we are investing in local projects that create economic opportunities, affordable housing, and tourism while protecting our natural resources and supporting long-term sustainability so that Forest Preserve communities can thrive.”

    DEC’s Community Smart Growth Grants Program is modeled after the national “smart growth” movement, which promotes growth that harmonizes economic development with protection of the natural and built environment. Today’s announcement marks the eighth round of Smart Growth grants since the program’s inception. More than $12 million has been awarded to communities — $2.6 million in the Catskill Park, and $9.9 million in the Adirondack Park.

    Funding for the latest round of grants is provided by the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and includes $2.8 million for Adirondack Park projects and $1 million for projects in the Catskill Park. The goal of this grant program is to support projects that build on comprehensive planning and economic development activities, with a priority on affordable housing. In the FY25-26 State Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul increased the EPF to $425 million, the highest level of funding in the program’s history. The EPF also provides funding for critical environmental programs such as farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, water quality improvement, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda.

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Smart growth creates a balance that is at the heart of New York’s environmental, climate, and economic development strategy. Through Governor Hochul’s strategic investments, the $3.8 million available now not only helps communities become more affordable to thrive economically, but also advances our shared goals of protecting natural resources and making our neighborhoods more resilient in the face of harmful climate impacts. We look forward to continuing to work with our many state and local partners to promote smart, equitable, and sustainable growth.”

    Adirondack Park Agency Executive Director Barbara Rice said, “For more than a decade the Smart Growth Grant program has advanced projects that protect the environment and enhance quality of life for Adirondack and Catskill Park residents. Governor Hochul’s continued investment into affordable housing solutions through this program targets a critical issue confronting many communities in these regions. We encourage municipalities and not-for-profits to take advantage of the Smart Growth Grant program to help address the needs of Adirondack and Catskill Parks communities.”

    New York State Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, ““The way we plan and develop our communities has a profound impact on our economy, natural resources and quality of life. Governor Hochul’s additional $3.8 million for smart growth planning and implementation will provide the necessary foundation for sustainable communities, habitats and ecosystems in the Adirondack and Catskill parks. At the Department of State, we work closely together with the Department of Environmental Conservation to ensure that New York State is, and continues to be, the nationwide leader in the movement for smart, sustainable and equitable growth.”

    Eligible projects should support larger community development projects, such as revitalization efforts, capital improvements, and organizational development or capacity building, and may include, but are not limited to:

    • Due diligence and pre-development steps for vacant buildings for affordable housing
    • Planning and permitting of developable land parcels for affordable housing
    • Community housing development plans
    • Identify and prioritize infill and redevelopment of existing buildings to revitalize neighborhoods and downtowns, including areas around public transit.
    • Regional or Parkwide availability of affordable housing and shovel ready sites
    • Develop Pro-Housing Community comprehensive plan revisions or updates, followed by local laws, form-based codes, or new zoning and re-zoning with New York State Pro-Housing Communities Certification
    • Providing bike-friendly routes and amenities
    • Improving or promoting local/regional museums and theaters
    • Main Street façade improvement
    • Refurbishing historic properties
    • Providing community-based tourism programs and activities
    • Creating new recreational opportunities
    • Multi-use trail development
    • Wayfinding and informational signage and kiosks
    • Enhancing parks and public spaces
    • Zoning updates
    • Visitor center improvements
    • Beautifying tourism sites
    • Providing sidewalks in hamlets and villages

    DEC is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, July 23, at 10 a.m., to provide interested applicants with information on the program requirements, funding details, and how to use the new State Financial System for grants. Register for the webinar here.

    Applications for developing comprehensive and/or local land use plans, as well as updating existing plans, are also welcome. The Request for Bids (RFB) is available through the State Financial System Grants Management and the deadline to apply is 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.

    For more information, visit DEC’s website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sherman Announces $14.5 Million in Funding for Valley & Westside Projects Advanced by Key Congressional Panel

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA)

    Sherman Oaks, CA – Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) announced today his requests of $14.5 million in federal funds for projects that will address vital needs across the San Fernando Valley and Westside of Los Angeles have been advanced by a key Congressional panel.

    Two relevant subcommittees of the House Committee on Appropriations voted to approve all 15 of the community projects Congressman Sherman submitted for consideration in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations process. The underlying legislation will now proceed to a vote by the full membership of the Appropriations Committee before the whole House of Representatives can consider the measure. Funding Members’ community projects in FY2026 will require full-year spending bills rather than a Continuing Resolution. Should FY2026 spending bills pass the House with community projects included, these same bills must also pass the Senate before they can be signed into law.

    The projects include:

    Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) – Santa Monica Mountains Brush Clearance & Wildfire Mitigation
    Committee Approved Amount: $1,031,000

    Lands within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) are in need of habitat restoration, in particular brush clearance and the removal of invasive plant species. This project is critical to reducing wildfire risk and preserving the wildlife habitat.

    City of Los Angeles – The Crisis and Incident Response through Community – Led Engagement Program
    Committee Approved Amount: $2,062,000
    The funding will be used to help to expand the Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement (CIRCLE) program, a 24/7 unarmed response program that deploys trained teams to address non-urgent LAPD calls related to unhoused individuals.

    California State University, Northridge – High Bay Structural Test Lab
    Committee Approved Amount: $1,031,000
    The technology and equipment in this 1,100-square-foot lab will expand research opportunities, through testing on structural systems using different types of loads that reflect real-world conditions. In addition, the laboratory provides workforce training to CSUN students in STEM pathways as the lab’s projects has real-world applications.

    Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles – Community Security Initiative Program
    Committee Approved Amount: $1,031,000
    The funding will be used to strengthen the security of Jewish schools, synagogues, camps, groups, and organizations. 

    Labor Community Services Food Bank Equipment Upgrades
    Committee Approved Amount: $1,200,000
    The funding will be used for modernizing and upgrading the Labor Community Services (LCS) Food Bank Warehouse equipment to serve the Los Angeles community. 

    Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs – West Los Angeles VA Modular Home Construction
    Committee Approved Amount: $850,000
    Los Angeles County will partner with West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs for the acquisition and installation of modular housing to serve as temporary housing under the VA’s Care, Treatment, and Rehabilitative Services (CTRS) Program.

    Los Angeles Fire Department Station Renovations 
    Committee Approved Amount: $2,000,000
    The funding will be used to improve several of the 20 fire stations in California’s 32nd Congressional District. 

    City of Los Angeles – Grancell Village Affordable Senior Housing Project
    Committee Approved Amount: $850,000
    The funding will be used to build affordable senior housing units at Grancell Village campus in Reseda, supporting low-income and disabled seniors.

    Los Angeles Pierce College – Community Engagement and Enrichment Center
    Committee Approved Amount: $250,000
    The funding will be used to create the Pierce College Community Engagement & Enrichment Center, which will provide underserved populations of the San Fernando Valley with a safe and enriching environment.

    Los Angeles Police Department – West LA Real Time Crime Center
    Committee Approved Amount: $1,031,000
    The funding will be used to install a Real Time Crime Center in the West Los Angeles LAPD Division and expand the camera network around the community to reduce burglaries.

    Los Angeles River Greenway Studio City Habitat Restoration, Beautification, and Safety Project
    Committee Approved Amount: $250,000 
    The project will occur along the south bank of the Los Angeles River from Whitsett Avenue to Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Studio City and include new, native landscaping to replace existing, non-native plants. The project will also install public lighting, both along the path and along access pathways and seating areas.

    Malibu Canyon Road and Kanan Dume Road Tunnel Lighting Upgrade Project 
    Committee Approved Amount: $250,000
    The project will result in enhanced visibility and improve driver safety conditions for the tunnels along Malibu Canyon Road, Kanan Road, and Kanan Dume Road.

    Sepulveda Basin Pedestrian Safety & Access Improvements
    Committee Approved Amount: $850,000
    The project will provide new and enhanced pedestrian pathways into the Sepulveda Basin recreation area, providing car-free access to LA28 Olympic Games venues. 

    Southwest Valley Park Improvements – City of Los Angeles
    Committee Approved Amount: $850,000
    The funding will be used to improve parks in the City of Los Angeles. 

    Beit T’Shuvah – Combatting Crime Through Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Education and Prevention Program
    Committee Approved Amount: $1,039,000
    This project seeks to reduce the prevalence of drug-related crime in Los Angeles County, Congressional District 32, through addiction treatment, prevention, and education opportunities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Out-of-state deer poachers ordered to pay nearly $120,000 in southern Illinois

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    BENTON, Ill. – Five men from Mississippi were sentenced in southern Illinois federal court after admitting to using spotlights to illegally hunt white-tailed deer in Massac, Jefferson, Union, Pope and Clark counties.

    Lee J. Johnson, 54, of Saucier, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $75,000 in restitution and a $10,000 fine.

    Steven J. Pique, 56, of Biloxi, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

    Gerald B. Moran, 40, of Saucier, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution and a $2,500 fine.

    Joshua A. Marshall, 30, of Saucier, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution and a $2,500 fine.

    John M. Pritchard, 57, of Biloxi, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and a $5,000 fine.

    According to court documents, between 2018 and 2022, the poachers would use spotlights to scout white-tailed deer in Massac, Jefferson, Union, Pope and Clark counties in southern Illinois. Once a deer was located, members of the group would get a rifle, spotlight the deer again, and then shoot to kill. They would later return to collect the carcass.

    “This was not an isolated incident of unlawful hunting; rather, it was a calculated, multi-year operation that exploited Illinois’s prized wildlife resources for personal gain,” said Assistant Director Douglas Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. “Targeting trophy deer under the cover of night, across multiple counties, and transporting them across state lines reflects a deliberate disregard for wildlife laws and the ecological balance we work tirelessly to protect. Such organized violations undermine decades of conservation progress and diminish the integrity of fair-chase hunting traditions that responsible hunters value nationwide.”

    After collecting the carcass, the poachers would then transport the animal over state lines from Illinois back to Mississippi where they would harvest and process the deer. Typically, the poachers would mount the deer’s head, antlers or other parts of its body.

    The defendants’ fines will go to the Lacey Act Reward Account through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and restitution will go to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

    “This case sends a clear message: wildlife laws are not only about species protection, but they also uphold the principles of fair chase and ethical hunting. The Illinois Conservation Police, in partnership with our dedicated federal agencies, consistently demonstrate professionalism and commitment to enforcing these laws,” said Jed Whitchurch, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Law Enforcement. “The complexity and scale of this case required multiagency coordination, and thanks to that teamwork, we’ve reinforced the stewardship values that define responsible hunting and the importance of natural resources law enforcement.”

    The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Conservation Police, with support from USFWS Federal Wildlife Officers, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Sanders prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Queensland rangers to support Canada wildfire fight

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Issued: 12 Jul 2025

    Eleven highly skilled fire-trained rangers from Queensland’s Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) are heading to Canada to support international efforts to battle the country’s devastating wildfires.

    The rangers will join a contingent of Australian firefighters assisting Canadian crews in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and other affected regions, where intense wildfires are continuing to escalate.

    It will be the first time DETSI has deployed female firefighters either outside Queensland or internationally to assist in fire operations, with four in the firefighting team.

    Canadian authorities are currently managing around 500 active fires, with many classified as “out of control”.

    The DETSI personnel have partnered with a further 10 firefighters from Western Australia to form a taskforce, taking their landscape fire management expertise to where it is needed most.

    The Queensland team met their Western Australian counterparts at Brisbane Airport for a briefing on Saturday, 12 July, before flying out on Sunday, 13 July.

    The DETSI team will work alongside Canadian and international fire agencies to protect communities, infrastructure, and vital environmental assets for the next 40 days.

    DETSI Deputy Director General, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Ben Klaassen, said the department was proud to contribute to the international effort.

    “Current weather conditions in many parts of Queensland mean we have the capacity to deploy a crew of our fire-trained rangers to assist our Canadian colleagues,” Mr Klaassen said.

    “Our team’s experience will not only help protect communities and the environment in Canada, but it will also provide some much-needed relief to local crews who have been working tirelessly in incredibly challenging conditions.

    “We wish our rangers every success and a safe return, and our thoughts are with the communities and firefighters affected by these devastating fires.”

    DETSI Fire Behaviour Analyst Senior Officer Bluey Harris said the deployment was a valuable opportunity to share knowledge and develop international firefighting skills.

    “We’re proud to lend a hand to our Canadian counterparts.

    “Wildfire fighting is something Queensland rangers know well, but this deployment will allow us to experience a different environment and learn from global approaches to managing large-scale incidents.
    “It’s a chance to exchange knowledge, improve our skills, and bring valuable lessons back to Queensland.

    “I’m interested to experience completely different ecosystems and learn an entirely different approach to fire management,” Ms Harris said.

    The DETSI team is expected to return to Australia on 17 August.

    The eleven DETSI personnel deploying to Canada are:

    • Ranger Ben Finnerty – Cairns, Northern Region
    • Senior Officer Bluey Harris – Rockhampton, Fire Services
    • Ranger Bradley Childe – Tewantin, Coastal & Islands Region
    • Senior Ranger Chris White (Strike Team Leader) – Atherton, Northern Region
    • Ranger Emily Gentle – Toowoomba, South West Region
    • Ranger Emma Stievano – Cairns, Great Barrier Reef & Marine Parks Region
    • Ranger in Charge Lindie Pasma – Diamantina, Central Region
    • Senior Ranger Miles Pritchett – Gold Coast, South East Queensland Region
    • Ranger in Charge Paul Harris – Boonah, South East Queensland Region
    • Ranger Peter Humphriss – Clermont, Central Region
    • Senior Ranger Terry Peschek – Manly, Coastal & Islands Region

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Deceased dingo investigation

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Issued: 17 Jul 2025

    The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) is investigating the death of a dingo (wongari) on K’gari and is asking for public assistance.

    On 1 June 2025, rangers found the deceased dingo at Ngkala Rocks on the eastern side of the island, north of Waddy Point.

    An independent veterinary examination confirmed the dingo had died from a suspected vehicle strike and was then deliberately decapitated.

    Anyone who was visiting the Orchid Beach and Waddy Point area north to Ngkala Rocks in late May or early June or has dashcam footage is urged to contact DETSI.

    Rangers on K’gari are also asking people to drive cautiously on the beach following recent deaths of dingoes due to suspected vehicle strike.

    Anyone with information about the recent deaths of dingoes on K’gari can provide it anonymously by calling 1300 130 372 or (07) 4127 9150, via the DETSI website, or by emailing dingo.ranger@detsi.qld.gov.au.

    Dingoes are protected in Queensland National Parks as a native species under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.

    The maximum penalty for wilfully killing a protected animal on K’gari is $483,900 or two-years imprisonment. The same penalty applies to the taking of parts of a deceased protected animal from K’gari.

    MIL OSI News –

  • Amit Shah highlights cooperative movement and agricultural growth at Rajasthan’s ‘Sahkar & Rojgar Utsav’

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, addressed the ‘Sahkar & Rojgar Utsav’ in Jaipur, Rajasthan, marking the International Year of Cooperatives – 2025. The event, attended by dignitaries including Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat celebrated the cooperative movement’s role in rural and agricultural development.

    During the event, Shah virtually inaugurated 24 grain storage warehouses and 64 millet outlets, distributed ₹12 crore in loans to 1,400 cowherds under the Gopal Credit Card Scheme, and provided micro-ATMs to over 2,300 milk-producing committees. He also launched the White Revolution 2.0 online registration platform for Primary Dairy Cooperative Societies (PDCS) and released a compilation of success stories under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Gareebi Mukt Gram Abhiyan and Vande Ganga Water Conservation Campaign. Additionally, 100 new vehicles for Rajasthan Police and armed forces were flagged off.

    Shah emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s establishment of the Union Ministry of Cooperation has extended cooperative benefits to villages, farmers, and the poor. He noted that cooperatives are active in 98% of rural areas, contributing significantly to India’s agricultural and economic landscape, including 20% of paddy and wheat procurement, 35% of fertilizer production, and 30% of sugar production. Over 31 crore people are connected to 8.5 lakh cooperative bodies.

    Highlighting the Ministry’s achievements, Shah stated that within four years, 61 initiatives have strengthened cooperatives, including the creation of 40,000 new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) out of a target of two lakh, full computerization of PACS, and the establishment of cooperative institutions for organic products, exports, and seed promotion. He also underscored the Modi government’s commitment to purchasing pulses, oilseeds, and maize at Minimum Support Price (MSP) through NAFED and NCCF, ensuring farmers’ financial security.

    Rajasthan’s agricultural prominence was a key focus, with the state leading in the production of cluster beans (90%), mustard (46%), pearl millets (44%), oilseeds (22%), and millets (15%). The state ranks second in groundnut and third in jowar, gram, pulses, and soybean production. Shah noted that MSP for wheat, gram, mustard, and groundnut has increased significantly over the past 11 years. He also highlighted cooperative-led research on camel breed conservation and the medicinal properties of camel milk to ensure the species’ survival.

    Shah praised the Rajasthan government’s efforts under Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, including cracking down on paper leaks through a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and signing MoUs worth ₹35 lakh crore at the Global Investment Summit. Other initiatives include reducing VAT on fuel, providing LPG cylinders for ₹450, and advancing water supply projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

    Shah lauded the PM Modi government’s welfare schemes, which have provided housing, electricity, gas, free food grains, and healthcare to 60 crore poor people over the past 11 years. He credited PM Modi with elevating India to the world’s fourth-largest economy and lifting 27 crore people out of poverty. On national security, he highlighted decisive actions like surgical and air strikes in response to terrorist attacks, reinforcing India’s strong stance against threats.

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Ukrainian Parliament approved the new composition of the government

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Kyiv, July 17 /Xinhua/ — The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Thursday approved the composition of the country’s new government, headed by Yulia Svyrydenko, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

    Mikhail Fedorov has been appointed First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation.

    Alexey Sobolev headed the newly created united department – the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture.

    Parliamentarians appointed Taras Kachka, who previously held the post of Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of the country, as Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.

    Svetlana Grinchuk has been appointed head of the Ministry of Energy. Before this appointment, she held the post of Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources. At the same time, former Minister of Energy German Galushchenko has been appointed head of the Ministry of Justice.

    Y. Svyrydenko’s predecessor as Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, has become the head of the Ministry of Defense.

    Denis Ulyutin, who previously held the position of First Deputy Minister of Finance, has been appointed Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity.

    Several members of the previous cabinet of ministers were reassigned to their previous posts.

    On Wednesday, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Prime Minister D. Shmyhal from his post. In accordance with Ukrainian law, the dismissal of the head of government entailed the resignation of all members of the Cabinet. On Thursday, the parliament appointed Yulia Svyrydenko, who previously held the post of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, as the new Prime Minister. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –