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New Endangered Listing For Rare Lizard Could Slow Oil And Gas Drilling In New Mexico And West Texas
Federal wildlife officials designated a unique lizard in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas as an endangered species on Friday. In one of the most valuable oil and natural gas basins in the world, future energy development, sand mining, and climate change are the main risks to the survival of the lizard.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared, “We have determined that the dunes sagebrush lizard is in danger of extinction throughout its entire range.” It was determined that in 47% of its range, the lizard is already “functionally extinct.”
Scientists have found that a large portion of the 2.5-inch (6.5 cm) spiky, light brown lizard’s remaining habitat has been broken up, making it difficult for the species to locate mates outside of those who already reside nearby.
New Endangered Listing For Rare Lizard Could Slow Oil And Gas Drilling In New Mexico And West Texas
The service stated in its conclusion, published in the Federal Register, that “even if there were no further expansion of the oil and gas or sand mining industry, the existing footprint of twould operations will continue to negatively affect the dunes sagebrush lizard into the future.”
The ruling ends twenty years of legal and regulatory battles between the US government, environmentalists, and the oil and gas sector. Environmentalists applauded the decision, but business leaders denounced it as a danger to the continued extraction of fossil fuels.
According to Bryan Bird, the Southwest director of Defenders of Wildlife, the decision offers a “lifeline for survival” for a rare species whose “only fault has been occupying a habitat that the fossil fuel industry has been wanting to claw away from it.”
“The dunes sagebrush lizard languished in a Pandora’s box of political and administrative back and forth for far too long, even as its population was rapidly declining and facing extinction,” Bird stated.
Both the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association and the Permian Basin Petroleum Association expressed disappointment, claiming that the decision defies current scientific understanding and disregards decades-long state-sponsored conservation initiatives spanning hundreds of thousands of acres and costing millions of dollars in both states.
New Endangered Listing For Rare Lizard Could Slow Oil And Gas Drilling In New Mexico And West Texas
In a joint statement, PBPA President Ben Shepperd and NMOGA President and CEO Missi Currier stated that “this listing will bring no additional benefit for the species and its habitat, yet could be detrimental to those living and working in the region.” They also believed that the federal government’s overreach could hurt local communities.
According to scientists, the distribution of lizards is the second-smallest of any North American lizard and is limited to the Permian Basin. The reptiles burrow into the sand to shield themselves from harsh temperatures, and they graze on insects and spiders in their habitats among shinnery oaks and dunes.
In 2010, federal officials determined that protecting the species, which environmentalists had first requested in 2002, was justified. Some members of Congress and local communities that depend on the development of oil and gas for jobs and tax income expressed outrage about this.
After several Republican senators wrote to Obama administration officials pleading for a postponement of the final decision, federal authorities opted not to list the dunes sagebrush lizard in 2012.
New Endangered Listing For Rare Lizard Could Slow Oil And Gas Drilling In New Mexico And West Texas
According to then-U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the decision was based on voluntary conservation agreements in Texas and New Mexico and the “best available science.”
In its ruling on Friday, the Fish and Wildlife Service stated that although these agreements “have provided, and continue to provide, many conservation benefits” for the lizard, “we conclude that the risk of extinction for the dunes sagebrush lizard is high despite these efforts based on the information we reviewed in our assessment.”
It went on to say that industrial development “will continue to have edge effects on surrounding habitat and weaken the structure of the sand dune formations,” and the network of roads will continue to restrict movement and facilitate the direct mortality of dunes sagebrush lizards from traffic.
SOURCE – (AP)
News
Trudeau Government Forces Port Workers Back to Work
The Trudeau government has invoked federal authority to halt union strike actions at the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Montreal, claiming economic damage and the loss of trading partners.
This is the second time in a few months that the Trudeau government has intervened to end a labor conflict. In August, Trudeau ordered work stoppages at the country’s two main railway corporations to cease.
Canadian Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon stated that the supply chain has been damaged and that it will take weeks to clear the container congestion affecting Canadian and US companies. He informed reporters that he had ordered the country’s industrial relations board to end the strike and impose binding arbitration.
“As the economic losses threaten the country and begin to mount, it is up to the government to ensure that … we can get on with the economic life of this country and avoid layoffs and other carnage,” he stated during a news conference.
“Canadians have a limited tolerance right now for economic self-harm.”
The issue, which MacKinnon claimed was hurting more than C$1.3 billion ($932 million) in goods every day, has already hampered shipments of canola oil, forest products, and other goods. Business organizations applauded the announcement.
Union Strike Action Heads to Court
International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, representing supervisory longshore workers at the core of the British Columbia conflict, has announced that it will submit a legal challenge to the minister’s instructions.
“We will fight this order in the courts,” stated Frank Morena, president of ILWU Local 514.
“And we will not forget how these employers and this federal Liberal government have attacked not only the ILWU but all of labor.”
MacKinnon said the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which is independent but reports to Ottawa, will issue the required orders in a few days.
The left-leaning government has previously declared that it prefers to resolve labor problems through collective bargaining. MacKinnon said he was forced to interfere when federal mediators reported that discussions in Montreal and Vancouver had reached a stalemate.
The left-of-center opposition New Democrats, a pro-union group supporting the minority Liberal administration, accused Ottawa of giving in to employers.
“Back-to-work orders suppress wages for all Canadians, so billionaires get richer, and the rest of us fall further behind,” leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement but did not mention bringing the Liberals down.
Trudeau Government Sends Dangerous Message
The Teamsters union, representing employees at the two major train companies, has launched court challenges to labor board judgments that ordered them back to work.
“The government is sending a dangerous message: employers can bypass meaningful negotiations, lock out their workers, and wait for political intervention to secure a more favorable deal,” the Canadian Labour Congress said.
After rejecting a final offer for a new labor deal, the Montreal Longshoremen’s Union called a lockout. As a result, canola oil and forest products exports from West Coast ports, including Vancouver, have ceased.
“These work stoppages are impacting our supply chain, hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs, our economy, and our reputation as a reliable international trading partner,” said MacKinnon, who said employers and unions had not acted quickly enough.
“I’ve directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order that all operations and duties at the ports resume and to assist the parties in settling their collective agreements by imposing final and binding arbitration,” he told reporters.
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TikTok Initiates Integration With Lemon8 Amid Impending US Ban
(VOR News) – On Tuesday, a TikTok business announcement was made public that stated users will be able to quickly access Lemon8, a more contemporary social networking application developed by ByteDance, using their TikTok account.
ByteDance asserts that the connection will facilitate the sharing of photographs among users and will also allow for the cross-sharing of photo content between other applications once it is established. ByteDance communicated this to us.
Despite the fact that Lemon8 will remain a distinct application, the two platforms will share a user profile to facilitate communication.
Why does TikTok do this? Lemon8 survived.
Content creators will have the capacity to access both sites with a single account, thereby enhancing convenience. One of its greatest advantages is this.
Lemon8 initiated operations in Japan in 2020, and by 2021, the company had substantially expanded its operations to include markets in the United States of America and Southeast Asia. Users have the ability to access slide shows, photo collections, and the ability to peruse material through “Following” and “For You” feeds on this platform, which is similar to their experience on Pinterest and Instagram.
Furthermore, the capacity to navigate through information is another noteworthy characteristic. A vast array of creative tools, including filters, effects, decals, text templates, and more, are available to Lemon8 users. The instruments are at their disposal.
One of the statements that the company disseminated was as follows: “At TikTok, we are dedicated to the ongoing development of our platform in order to better serve our creators.” The inclusion of Lemon8 among a variety of other photo-sharing websites is indicative of our dedication to improving the experience we offer producers.
There is no doubt in our minds that the introduction of these new tools will not only improve the creative output of individuals but also fortify the community, both of which will ultimately benefit all parties involved.
TikTok may be merging with Lemon8, as TechCrunch revealed in August 2023.
The disclosure does not startle individuals. There is a probability that TikTok will be banned in the United States concurrently with the introduction of this new feature.
By positioning Lemon8 as a companion app to TikTok, ByteDance intends to persuade producers to register for the new platform without requiring them to do so independently. It is feasible that this could serve as an approach to facilitate the transition for creators.
Conversely, it is feasible that the prohibition that TikTok has implemented would extend to other applications that are under the ownership of ByteDance, including Lemon8.
This is particularly relevant in light of the fact that the primary concern that legislators have with TikTok is the possession of the platform by Chinese firms.
Donald Trump’s recent victory may undoubtedly influence the future trajectory of TikTok. Despite the fact that Trump was the one who initially proposed making the program unlawful during his first term in office, the president-elect opted to pursue a different course of action during his campaign for the presidency in 2024.
This remains the case, despite the fact that Trump was the one who initially proposed the app’s prohibition. In the past, he had requested that his supporters vote for him if they opposed the program’s prohibition; however, he is now apprehensive that a ban on TikTok will be advantageous to Meta.
TikTok has only recently begun to accept content in the form of photographs, which is another explanation for this relationship.
This is for certain the case, despite the fact that the short-video format was the primary factor in its initial success. In 2022, TikTok introduced the ability to upload images and began testing TikTok Notes, an application that is specifically designed for photo sharing. Both of these events occurred simultaneously in the same year.
SOURCE: TC
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Trump Appoints Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Policy in the Incoming Government.
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Trump Appoints Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Policy in the Incoming Government.
(VOR News) – Donald Trump, who is the incoming president, has appointed Stephen Miller, who is known for his hardline views on immigration, to the position of deputy director of policy during his administration.
Stephen Miller has served as an advisor to Trump for a considerable amount of time, and Trump has appointed him to this position.
Miller’s selection was confirmed by Vice President-elect JD Vance on Monday, when he tweeted a message of congratulations to Stephen Miller on X. The message was distributed on Twitter. In the message, Vance made the statement, “This is another fantastic pick by the president.”
Stephen Miller reported on the announcement first from Vance.
Stephen Miller is one of the employees who has been with Trump since the beginning of his first campaign for the White House. He is one of the staff members who has been with Trump for the longest period of time among those who have collaborated with him.
During the first term of President Trump’s presidency, he served as a significant adviser, and it is noteworthy that he was a prominent player in many of the policy decisions that President Trump has made, particularly with regard to immigration. Particularly important is the fact that he worked directly with President Trump.
A excellent example of this is the decision that President Trump made in 2018 to launch a deterrence program that would result in the separation of thousands This decision is a fantastic demonstration of it.
Miller was typically the public face of the principles that Trump fought for during the first year that he was in office and during his campaigns. He was also the face of the ideals that he campaigned for.
Additionally, Stephen Miller has been a contributor to the drafting of a considerable number of Trump’s speeches that are politically conservative. These speeches were delivered by this individual.
Following Stephen Miller’s resignation from his position as President of the White House, he has served in the capacity of President of America First Legal throughout this entire time.
America First Legal, a conservative organization, protects individual rights in contrast to the American Civil Liberties Union. A group of individuals who had previously worked as advisors to President Trump came together to start this organization.
This organization’s mission is to raise questions about issues such as problems regarding freedom of speech and religion, as well as concerns regarding national security.
Media, universities, and Stephen Miller all have issues.
In addition, he was a frequent presence during Trump’s campaign this year, traveling on his plane and frequently speaking in front of Trump at the pre-shows and at his rallies. He was also a frequent participant in campaign speeches. Moreover, he was a frequent speaker at rallies that were held by Trump.
Additionally, he provided a significant amount of money to the campaign that was being run. They applauded Stephen Miller at the rally that Trump hosted at Madison Square Garden in the last stretch of the race.
A significant number of people attended the rally and clapped for Stephen Miller. After the events that he described as “decades of abuse that has been heaped upon the good people of this nation — their jobs looted and stolen from them and shipped to Mexico, Asia, and foreign countries,” he addressed the audience that had gathered and declared, “Your salvation is at hand.”
He said this in response to the atrocities that had transpired. That which Stephen Miller had to say was received with a great deal of attention from the people in the crowd.
Their loved ones were murdered by criminal gangs, illegal immigrants, and thugs who had no right to be in this nation. These individuals had no grounds for being here. They were not qualified to be in this country in any way.
The election is “a choice between betrayal and renewal, between self-destruction and salvation, between the failure of America or the triumph of America,” he continued. “We stand here today at a crossroads,” he said, pointing out that the election represents “a choice between the failure of America or the triumph of America.”
What he was alluding to was a reference to the fact that both candidates were running for office at the same time.
SOURCE: AP
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