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Alaska Oil Project Approval Adds Yet Another Climate Concern
Alaska, Juneau — Even as experts urgently warn that only a halt to more fossil fuel emissions can stem climate change, the Biden administration’s approval of a large oil development in northern Alaska binds the U.S. to yet another decades-long crude project.
At its height, the Willow project by ConocoPhillips would produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day, and burning that oil would emit at least 263 million tons (239 million metric tons) of greenhouse gases over 30 years.
As the earth warms, oil demand isn’t declining, and a contentious political battle over the project, which was approved on Monday, has highlighted the Democratic administration’s struggle to strike a balance between economic constraints and commitments to reduce fossil fuel use. The plan in the isolated area north of the Arctic Circle also draws attention to the contradiction that the United States and other countries are currently dealing with: the world’s transition to renewable energy lags behind the realities of an economy that is still mainly dependent on oil consumption.
We must eventually leave coal, oil, and gas in the ground. And that time is now, especially in a delicate ecosystem like the Arctic, according to Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson.
Upon announcing Willow’s clearance, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland emphasized that the number of drill pads had been decreased from ConocoPhillips’ initial plan by 40%, noting that this would benefit both humans and wildlife. Yet, according to official estimates, the corporation will still likely obtain the majority of the oil it sought, resulting in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of only 8%.
After a severe decline in oil production since the late 1980s, the project hopes to revitalize Alaska’s economy. It had the support of both party leaders in the state. The North Slope of Alaska, which is petroleum-rich, is where distant communities and villages can benefit from oil’s economic vitality.
Greenhouse gases produced by the project would contribute to melting the Arctic sea ice in Alaska.
Yet, the state has also experienced the effects of climate change: sea ice is receding, unique wildfires are surfacing, and melting permafrost threatens to release carbon into the atmosphere.
Lawyers for an Alaska Native organization and environmentalists have petitioned a federal judge to halt Willow’s approval in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday. According to The Sovereign Iupiat for a Living Arctic, Sierra Club, and other organizations, Interior Department officials disregarded that every ton of greenhouse gases produced by the project would contribute to melting the Arctic sea ice, endangering polar bears and Alaskan villages.
If nations, including the United States, are to achieve their 2050 objective of net-zero emissions—where only as much planet-warming gas is emitted into the atmosphere as can be absorbed—new drilling investments must be halted, according to the International Energy Agency.
90% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 75% of all greenhouse gases produced by humans are attributed to the energy industry.
Nonetheless, industry analysts and the U.S. Energy Information Administration predict that the demand for crude will keep growing globally.
Jim Krane, an energy specialist, suggested that authorities should concentrate on lowering demand rather than aiming to reduce domestic supplies of such fuels, such as initiatives like Willow.
According to Krane of Rice University’s Baker Center for Public Affairs, refiners will withdraw their oil from abroad if supply in the United States is targeted without any effort made to reduce demand in Alaska.
Willow’s greenhouse gas emissions would be almost 1.7 million automobiles worth or little over 0.1% of all emissions.
Electric vehicles are a potential replacement for gasoline-powered automobiles and trucks, but they have yet to do much to reduce the demand for fossil fuels. According to Enverus Intelligence Research, a company specializing in data research for the energy sector, EVs are anticipated to replace 2.7 million barrels of oil annually by 2030 in Alaska.
That is less than 3% of the world’s total oil consumption, which Al Salazar, senior vice president of the research firm, predicts will be around 100 million barrels per day in 2030.
Demand doesn’t suddenly disappear, according to Salazar. “Replacing the whole fleet of light duty vehicles takes time.”
Republican U.S. senators have stated that drilling should be anticipated in the National Petroleum Reserve- Alaska, where the Willow project is located.
Willow’s greenhouse gas emissions would be almost 1.7 million automobiles worth or little over 0.1% of all emissions in the United States. Officials from the Interior Department have used these comparatively tiny numbers to justify approving coal mines and oil and gas leases for years.
According to Jackson, if the worst effects of climate change are to be avoided, this perspective cannot be maintained. The Earth is “as far from zero emissions as we’ve ever been,” despite the focus on renewable energy.
It’s the same as thinking that any new automobile we build or coal plant in Alaska we construct is irrelevant because millions of other coal plants and thousands of other coal plants are functioning worldwide, he said.
In contrast to the early months of Biden’s presidency, the administration had already eased its attitude to oil and gas before the Willow decision. To win over Democratic holdout U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the administration committed to tens of millions of acres of new leasing during discussions over last year’s climate package.
The legislation includes clauses connecting renewable energy sources’ growth and oil and gas leasing. As a result, on March 29, the administration will put up for sale oil and gas leases Alaska covering more than 73 million acres (29.5 million hectares) in the Gulf of Mexico. It also intends to auction off around 350,000 acres (141,600 hectares) of onshore oil and gas leases in Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, Nevada, and other states over months beginning in May.
Activists claim that during 50 years, the Gulf sale alone may produce more than 1 billion barrels of oil.
“This administration has promised to supervise a historic shift to renewable energy, but deeds speak louder than words,” said George Torgun of Earthjustice, who represents environmental groups attempting to halt additional lease sales.
SOURCE – (AP)
News
The Federal Reserve Was Sued By Big Banks Over Annual Stress Tests.
(VOR News) – A number of financial firms and industry associations have taken legal action against the Federal Reserve of the United States in reaction to the annual stress tests that are administered to banks.
In addition to the American Bankers Association, the Ohio Bankers League, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Bank Policy Institute, which is a group that represents large financial institutions such as JPMorgan, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs, is joining the other organizations in filing the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs have said that the purpose of the action is to “resolve longstanding legal violations by subjecting the stress test process to public input as required by federal law.”
The Federal Reserve litigation aims to achieve this goal.
Despite the fact that the organizations have said that they do not have a negative stance on stress testing, they are of the opinion that the method that is now being utilized is insufficient and “produces vacillating and unexplained requirements and restrictions on bank capital.”
It is standard procedure for the Federal Reserve to carry out a stress test on an annual basis. This test ensures that financial institutions have adequate reserves to cover the risk of bad loans and establishes the maximum amount of share repurchases and dividends that can be distributed.
After the market closed on Monday, the Federal Reserve issued a statement indicating that it is considering adjustments to the stress tests applied to banks.
Additionally, the Federal Reserve will seek public feedback on “significant changes to improve the transparency of its bank stress tests and to reduce the volatility of resulting capital buffer requirements.”
This information was included in the announcement. As a result of “the evolving legal landscape,” the Federal Reserve claimed that it had made the choice to modify the tests. This statement was made in reference to the changes that have taken place in administrative laws over the course of the past several years.
There were no particular modifications that were described in this paper that were provided to the framework of the yearly stress testing before it was implemented. There is a likelihood that the revisions will be regarded as a win by the major banks; yet, it is possible that those modifications will be too little, too late.
Furthermore, it is possible that the revisions will not go far enough to satisfy the concerns of the banks regarding onerous capital requirements. This is a possibility.
The Federal Reserve says the changes will not materially affect capital requirements.
It was stated in a statement that was issued by Greg Baer, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of the Philippines, that “The Board’s announcement today is a first step towards transparency and accountability.”
Baer expressed his support for the Federal Reserve’s action. The statement issued by Baer, on the other hand, was a veiled allusion to additional actions. He stated, “We are reviewing it closely and considering additional options to ensure timely reforms that are both good law and good policy.”
The British Bankers Association (BPI) and the American Bankers Association (ABA) are two examples of organizations that have voiced their concerns in the past about the stress test procedure.
The aforementioned organizations have argued that the process is not transparent and has resulted in increasing capital rules, which have a detrimental effect on the lending practices of banks and the expansion of the economy.
The groups claimed in July that the Federal Reserve had broken the Administrative Procedure Act by not asking for public comment on its stress scenarios and by maintaining strict confidentiality about supervising models. Both of these acts were claimed to have happened.
SOURCE: CNBC
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American Airlines Has Canceled All Domestic Flights Due to a Technical Issue.
Joe Biden Commutes Sentences For 37 Of The 40 Federal Death Row Prisoners.
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American Airlines Has Canceled All Domestic Flights Due to a Technical Issue.
(VOR News) – Due to technical difficulties, American Airlines (AA) was forced to cancel all of its flights departing from the United States on Tuesday morning.
This decision was reached as a result of information that was provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
American Airlines’ findings were based on FAA data.
The airline is currently dealing with a lot of problems as a consequence of a considerable number of customers claiming that their planes have returned to gates after being stopped on runways at a number of different airports.
A decision has been reached by American Airlines to cancel each and every flight that was planned to fly in the United States prior to the implementation of cancellation.
The following is a comment that American Airlines provided in a post that was published on X, which was formerly known as Twitter. Take the following example:
“Our team is working to resolve a technical issue.” Despite the fact that they have not been able to provide an estimated time for the problem to be resolved, the organization has emphasized that they are making every effort to restart operations as quickly as possible.
There have been a number of aircraft throughout the United States that have been grounded as a result of the grounding. Travelers have taken to social media to vent their frustration with the delays and the lack of definite dates for their flights. A great number of flights have been canceled as a direct consequence of the grounding.
In spite of the fact that its technical staff is currently working to solve the system issues, American Airlines continues to handle customer complaints on social media channels.
During the time that they are striving to restart regular operations, the airline is advising passengers who have been affected to return to the airport. Regarding the nature of the technology challenges and the extent of those concerns, there is still a large amount of uncertainty.
There are thousands of customers on American Airlines’ domestic network who are experiencing major implications as a result of this circumstance that is becoming progressively dire.
During the time that they are working to fix the broad system breakdown, the airline is successfully leveraging social media to maintain communication with customer service representatives. As a consequence of this, the airline is able to maintain communication with its passengers.
American Airlines lists other similar examples:
There was a technical problem that happened on Monday at Alaska Airlines (AS), and it had an effect on the entire system. The disruption was directly responsible for the downtime of the company’s website, and as a consequence of the outage, the operations of the aircraft were adjusted.
In an effort to enhance their capacity to retain control over the flow of aircraft, the airline temporarily suspended flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a period of forty minutes. They adopted this course of action in order to enhance their ability to maintain control.
Due to a technical fault, consumers were unable to book tickets through the contact centers, mobile app, or website of the airline. As a consequence of this, the airline encountered considerable delays in providing satisfactory service to its passengers.
Southwest Airlines (WN) was forced to cancel every flight that was set to depart from various locations across the country earlier this year as a result of a different occurrence that occurred the previous year.
In response to Southwest’s request, the Federal Aviation Administration issued the order to terminate the flight’s operations on the ground. It was necessary to take this action in order to address the difficulties that were brought about by the existing technical impediments.
Southwest Airlines has had more than 1,500 American Airlines flight delays as of late morning Eastern Time, as indicated by the data that was given by Flight Aware. In the United States, this single factor was responsible for more than half of all the delays that were experienced by airplanes.
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SOURCE: AI
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Joe Biden Commutes Sentences For 37 Of The 40 Federal Death Row Prisoners.
The IRS Will Give a Million People Up To $1,400. Their Identity—And Why Now?
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Joe Biden Commutes Sentences For 37 Of The 40 Federal Death Row Prisoners.
(VOR News) – Joe Biden commuted 37 of 40 federal death row inmates to life without parole. Trump reinstated federal executions after 17 years, according to supporters.
Biden: “Let there be no doubt: I denounce these murderers, mourn their victims, and empathize with all the families who have endured profound and irreparable loss.”
My morals and experiences as a public defender, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, vice president, and president led me to abolish the federal death penalty. I will not allow another administration to violate my ethics.
The president commuted record-high death sentences. Former New Orleans police officer Len Davis was pardoned for running a cocaine protection racket and murdering Kim Groves after she filed a brutality complaint.
In 2022, three killers freed Davis after 28 years in prison.
Groves’ son, Corey, hailed Joe Biden’s commutation of Davis’ death sentence in a brief interview on Monday, saying he wanted the former police officer to serve decades.
“I desire Len to awaken on his 95th birthday still confronted with concrete and barbed wire,” said Groves, who received $1.5 million from the New Orleans city government and family in 2018 for his mother’s death. The president’s actions are worse than death, so I don’t care.
Holder altered his death sentence by murdering a security guard during a dual-participant bank heist. Prosecutors assert that Holder may not have discharged the lethal shot.
Daryl Lawrence was hanged for murdering Bryan Hurst, a Columbus cop. Former officer Donnie Oliverio remarked, “The President acted in accordance with our beliefs and values.” “Executing the individual who murdered my police partner and closest friend would not have afforded me any solace.”
All federal death row inmates save Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who bombed the Boston Marathon in 2013, Dylann Roof, who killed nine Black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, and Robert Bowers, who slaughtered 11 Jews in a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, are eligible for clem
Death Penalty Information Center executive director Robin Maher told The Guardian that 38% of the 40 federal execution detainees are Black. About 25% of the offenders were under 21.
Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the non-profit Equal Justice Initiative, said: “Today signifies a crucial juncture in abolishing America’s tragic and flawed application of the death penalty.
Joe Biden claims the death penalty doesn’t improve public safety.
Son of Martin Luther King Jr.: “This is a historic day.” Reflecting the death penalty’s racially biased origins and unfairness, Joe Biden commuted these sentences, unlike any other president.
Biden has trouble with this. He supported a 1994 criminal measure introducing 60 death penalty charges as a senator. He said, “I am the individual who incorporated these capital punishments into this legislation.” The death penalty led to enormous incarceration, especially of Black men.
Presidential candidate Joe Biden promised to end federal capital punishment in 2020. He criticized unfair convictions and court racism.
The Biden administration stopped federal executions properly. The president has been requesting to commute federal death sentences in recent weeks. Corrections officials, CEOs, Black clergy, Catholics, civil and human rights advocates, prosecutors, former judges, and victim families wrote to him. Pope Francis publicly pushed President Joe Biden to pardon US death suspects.
Joe Biden’s decision will prevent future administrations from executing people.
Trump executed more federal convicts than the previous ten. The Republican administration executed Daniel Lewis Lee after 17 years and six others from July 16–September 24, 2020.
Two Democrats who supported bicameral federal death penalty ban legislation praised Monday’s announcement.
Senate Judiciary Committee head and majority whip Dick Durbin said, “I have consistently supported the elimination of the federal death penalty and commend President Joe Biden for this act of justice and mercy, as well as for his leadership.”
Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley termed Joe Biden decision a “historic and groundbreaking act of compassion that will save lives, rectify profound racial disparities in our criminal justice system, and convey a potent message regarding redemption, decency, and humanity
The White House claims Biden has granted more commutations than his first-term predecessors. He set a record by pardoning 1,500 inmates and promising community safety for one day this month.
The first president to pardon marijuana users and LGBTQ+ service troops for sexual orientation-related offenses was Joe Biden.
The president pardoned his son Hunter for federal weapons and tax charges that might have led him to prison earlier this month, triggering a political storm. Biden denied pardon twice before leaving office on January 20.
SOURCE: TG
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