Thursday's letters: Texas power crisis a harbinger for Alberta

Edmonton Journal 3/4/2021

Re. “Texans facing $5K electric bills after storm,” Feb. 22

© Provided by Edmonton Journal KILLEEN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 18:

 Icicles hang off the State Highway 195 sign on February 18, 2021 in Killeen, Texas.

Texans are now receiving alarmingly high invoices for their electricity, even though the system failed.

This is a harbinger of what could happen in Alberta. During the Klein era, companies like Enron lobbied the government to replace a perfectly functioning regulated system which provided the lowest power rates in North America with a free-market system where power producers sell electricity to the power distributors at a price determined by an hourly bid process.

Allegedly, this was to create competition but we soon had high prices. The province originally protected Albertans from the Texas scenario by placing a price cap of $100 but has since decided this price ceiling was not required.

Now, if there is a shortage, prices can be driven sky-high. We are somewhat protected by an integrated continental system but that has its drawbacks. If another jurisdiction bids up prices, we will see our prices affected.

In Texas, there are calls for the government to pay the bills. But there is no mention yet of a refund of the vast profits the power producers will have made from this natural disaster. Isn’t it wonderful how deregulation always looks after those poor old corporations and forgets about the little guy.

Don Davidson, Edmonton

FOR MY HISTORY OF ELECTIRCAL AND OTHER DEREGULATION

IN ALBERTA GO TO:

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Power Failure 

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: The Wild West Buyout 

SCHADENFRUEDE
SpaceX Starship prototype sticks landing, then explodes

William Harwood 

3/4/2021

A SpaceX Starship prototype blasted off from southern Texas on Wednesday, climbed to an altitude of six miles, tipped over on its side as planned and plunged back to Earth in a high-altitude swan dive, flipping back vertical and then successfully landing near the launch pad. A few minutes later it exploded in a spectacular fireball.

© LabPadre 030321-launch4.jpg
SpaceX rocket successfully lands in test, then explodes




It was the company's third high-altitude Starship test flight and its first successful landing. But the rocket came to rest with a slight tilt and a fire could be seen at its base near the engine compartment. Moments later, the unpiloted prototype — SN10 — blew up, showering the pad with flaming debris.

© Provided by CBS News A few minutes after touchdown, the Starship prototype exploded, blasting the rocket's upper section away in a spectacular conflagration. / Credit: LabPadre webcast

Despite the explosion, the successful landing marked a major milestone for SpaceX founder Elon Musk in his drive to develop a fully reusable heavy lift rocket, even as it showed the risks that come with an aggressive test program.

"SpaceX team is doing great work! One day, the true measure of success will be that Starship flights are commonplace," Musk tweeted.




Speaking just before SpaceX wrapped up its launch webcast — and before the rocket exploded — company commentator John Insprucker said, "third time's the charm, as the saying goes."

"We've had a successful soft touchdown on the landing pad, capping a beautiful test flight of Starship 10," he said. "As a reminder, a key point of today's test flight was to gather the data on controlling the vehicle while reentering, and we were successful in doing so."

He closed by congratulating the Texas launch team, saying "they've steadily increased the test launch cadence over the course of the program and have delivered some of the most exciting test flights many of us have seen in a long time."

Given three dramatic launches and explosions in a row, few would argue.

© Provided by CBS News Starship prototype No. 10 blasts off from SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas, flight facility for a short up-and-down test flight to an altitude of about six miles to test the rocket's propulsion, steering and landing systems. / Credit: SpaceX webcast

Mirroring the two earlier unsuccessful test flights, the Starship prototype, known as serial number 10 or SN10 for short, blasted off from SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas, launch site at 6:14 p.m. ET and climbed away through a mostly clear sky using three SpaceX-designed Raptor engines.

Liftoff came about two hours after the engines ignited for an initial launch attempt, but shut down on computer command an instant later. Musk said software engine thrust limits were "slightly conservative," engineers made an adjustment and the team pressed ahead with a second launch attempt.

Burning liquified natural gas and liquid oxygen, the ascent appeared to go smoothly, and as the rocket gained altitude, one engine, then two, shut down as planned.

Reaching maximum altitude of about six miles four-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the third engine shut down and the Starship promptly tilted over on its side and began plunging back toward Earth.

© Provided by CBS News The Starship flips horizontal after engine shutdown, relying on fins fore and aft to provide stabilization and control. / Credit: SpaceX webcast

Using computer-controlled fins at nose and tail to help maintain its orientation, the Starship carried out a horizontal dive, tracked all the way by powerful cameras operated by SpaceX and multiple independent space enthusiasts.

As it neared the ground, the Starship's engines restarted and the rocket flipped back to vertical as programmed for a tail-first touchdown using a single engine. Despite a slight tilt and the flame briefly seen at the base of the rocket, the test flight appeared to be a complete success.

"As we approached the landing pad, we successfully lit the three Raptor engines to perform that flip maneuver and then we shut down two of them and landed on the single engine as planned," Insprucker said. "A beautiful soft landing of Starship on the landing pad at Boca Chica."

He said Starship SN11 is "ready to roll out to the pad in the very near future. It's an inspiring time for the future of human space flight.

© Provided by CBS News The prototype fired up its three engines for a tail first landing. / Credit: SpaceX webcast

The rocket launched Wednesday is a prototype for the second stage of a giant rocket made up of a 230-foot-tall "Super Heavy" first stage generating 16 million pounds of thrust with 28 Raptor engines, more than twice the power of NASA's legendary Saturn 5 moon rocket. A first-stage prototype has not yet been completed.

The rocket's 160-foot second stage, also confusingly known as Starship, will use a half-dozen Raptor engines capable of boosting 100 tons of payload to low-Earth orbit. For comparison, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket can put about 30 tons to orbit.

As with the two most recent test flights of Starships, SN10 was a prototype of the Starship second stage, this one using just three Raptor engines.

At least three versions of the Starship are envisioned: one for carrying heavy payloads to Earth orbit, the moon or Mars; one designed to carry propellants for orbital refueling operations; and one capable of carrying up to 100 passengers at a time.

Remember the pandemic greenhouse emissions drop? 

It's nearly gone

Global emissions of heat-trapping gases fell dramatically last year as the pandemic forced much of the world to a halt. But new data has shown they are bouncing back -- fast

.

© Kevin Frayer/Getty Images Smoke billows from a large steel plant in Inner Mongolia, China.

Lockdown measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus caused a 7% drop in CO2 emissions over the course of 2020 -- the biggest drop ever recorded -- a study published Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change estimates.

But its authors warn that unless governments prioritize green investment in their attempts to boost their struggling economies, the world is going to see a strong rebound in emissions -- with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Corinne Le Quéré, one of the authors of the study and a professor of climate change science at the University of East Anglia, said the big, pandemic-induced drop in emissions in April was short-lived.

Once lockdowns started to lift, emissions bounced back strongly.

"Because nothing has changed around us," she said. "The confinement measures are a forced behavior change, they are not lasting."

And while the world's battle with Covid-19 is far from over, emissions have already recovered.

New data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) published on Tuesday showed global energy-related emissions were actually 2% higher in December 2020 than they were in the same month a year earlier -- and that was despite parts of the world still experiencing lockdowns.

Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director, said the rebound in carbon emissions was "a stark warning that not enough is being done to accelerate clean energy transitions worldwide."

"If governments don't move quickly with the right energy policies, this could put at risk the world's historic opportunity to make 2019 the definitive peak in global emissions," he said in a statement.

The burning of fossil fuels in cars, planes and power plants -- as well as through other human activities -- releases CO2 into the atmosphere, where it accumulates like a blanket and traps in radiation that would otherwise escape into space. This causes temperatures on Earth to rise, which is linked to more extreme weather, ice melt and a rise in sea levels. And the more carbon emitted into the atmosphere, the more the planet will warm.

Under the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, the majority of the world's governments agreed to try to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Experts have repeatedly warned that exceeding the threshold will contribute to more heatwaves and hot summers, greater sea level rise, worse droughts and rainfall extremes, wildfires, floods and food shortages for millions of people.

According to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global CO2 emissions must drop by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 for the world to have a chance to hold warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, the world needs to reduce emissions by between 1 gigaton and 2 gigatons each year between now and 2030.

Those drops are similar in size to the one seen last year: Le Quéré and her co-authors estimate global emissions fell by 2.6 gigatons in 2020 to 34 gigatons -- but this drop was temporary and came at a huge cost to the economy.

They key going forward is to figure out how to achieve such significant drops without hurting the economy. To do that, the authors say investment in renewable energy and a green recovery is vital.

"It's a crucial year for tackling climate change, not only because we're already in 2021, but in addition, we're doing all these post-Covid investments and if they go to the wrong place, it could really lock us into a very fossil (fuel)-intense trajectory, whereas if we put them in the right place, it could bend the emissions curve," Le Quéré said.

She added that while many countries have adopted ambitious goals of cutting emissions to net zero by 2050 or 2060, what's lacking are many details on how they plan to get there.

Despite the pledges, there's growing evidence that the world's governments are not taking sufficient action.

According to the Greenness of Stimulus Index, which was developed by the economic consulting group Vivid Economics and tracks G20 countries' economic plans, the vast majority of the money committed to the post-Covid recovery is going into projects that are either outright bad for the climate or neutral, at best.

Read more: The pandemic gave the world a golden opportunity to fix the climate crisis. We're about to waste it.

The group found that of the total stimulus of $14.9 trillion injected so far, only $1.8 trillion has gone into green projects, while $4.6 trillion has gone directly into sectors that have "a large and lasting impact on carbon emissions and nature."

The new IEA data also backs up the idea that much of the recovery is being fueled by polluting sectors and that, in some cases, the emissions reductions seen in the first half of 2020 were more than made up for by dramatic increases later on.

China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, saw a 12% drop in emissions in February 2020, compared with the same month in 2019, according to the IEA.

But emissions bounced back quickly after the country's economy returned to growth in April 2020, and for the rest of the year, monthly emissions were on average 5% higher compared with 2019 levels. This rebound meant that despite the big drop in February, emissions in China actually rose by 0.8% for the whole of 2020.

"China is so big, well over a quarter of global emissions, so whatever happens in China leaves a big fingerprint on the global total," said Glen Peters, research director at the CICERO Center for International Climate Research.

Peters said the strong rebound in emissions shows how challenging it will be for China to reach its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2060. "That's quite ambitious for China given its heavy dependence on coal," he said.

China isn't the only trouble spot. Emissions in India were back above 2019 levels from September 2020 onward. In Brazil, they surpassed the 2019 levels throughout the final quarter, the IEA data shows.

And while emissions in the United States fell by 10% in 2020 overall, they started to bounce back later in the year. In December, US emissions were approaching the level seen in the same month a year earlier, the IEA said.

Global CO2 emissions need to decrease tenfold, scientists warn

Jonathan Chadwick 

For Mailonline

3/3/2021

© Provided by Daily Mail MailOnline

Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions still need to decrease tenfold to avoid a climate emergency, scientists warn, despite a global fall in 2020 due to Covid-19.

An international team of experts has performed a 'global stocktake' of humanity's progress towards the Paris Agreement – which aims to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 3.6ºF (2°C), compared to pre-industrial levels.

They found global CO2 emissions fell by around 2.6 billion tonnes in 2020, a decrease of about 7 per cent from 2019 levels.

This fall – the largest decrease observed to date – was due to reduced human activity under the lockdowns intended to curb the spread of coronavirus.

While 2020 has been an effective 'pause button' as far as CO2 emissions are concerned, Covid-19 alone would not result in the required long-term emission reductions, even if lockdowns lasted the rest of the decade.

Strategies such as the large scale deployment of renewable energy and completely phasing coal and other fossil fuels worldwide will be necessary, the authors say.

© Provided by Daily Mail Global CO2 emissions declined sharply in 2020, but with a rebound expected in 2021 efforts must be intensified if the world is to reach the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement. Completing phasing out coal and other fossil fuels worldwide will be needed. Pictured, oil refineries polling the air in Corpus Christi, Texas

WHAT IS A CLIMATE EMERGENCY?

The climate emergency is 'a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it', as defined by Oxford Dictionaries.

The term was declared the 'word of the year' by Oxford Dictionaries after its usage soared by over 10,000 per cent in 2019.

The UK declared a climate emergency for the national government and devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales in May 2019.

It was largely a symbolic move in recognition of urgency needed to combat the climate crisis.

The motion did not change the government’s legally binding targets under international accords.

In Britain, there is steady progress – last year we set a record-breaking run without coal-generated power and generated more electricity from renewable sources than from fossil fuels for the first time.

However, more countries need cut their CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to stem the 'climate emergency', which eventually could manifest itself as flooded coastal cities, unbearable temperatures and irreparable damage to ecosystems.

The new research, which is based on multiple studies and recent monthly energy data, has been conducted by experts at the University of East Anglia (UEA), Stanford University and the Global Carbon Project.

'Countries' efforts to cut CO2 emissions since the Paris Agreement are starting to pay off,' said Professor Corinne Le Quéré, Royal Society Professor at UEA's School of Environmental Sciences.

'But actions are not large-scale enough yet and emissions are still increasing in way too many countries.

'The drop in CO2 emissions from responses to Covid-19 highlights the scale of actions and of international adherence needed to tackle climate change.'

The authors analysed emissions trends in different countries since the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, accounting for the massive changes caused by coronavirus, as well as pre-pandemic.

While emissions decreased in 64 countries, they increased in 150 countries between 2016 and 2019 – and also increased worldwide overall.

CO2 emissions decreased by 0.16 billion tonnes on average each year among the 64 countries where emissions decreased.

This is a tenth of the 1 billion to 2 billion tonne cuts needed at the global level to meet the Paris Agreement climate goals.

Globally, emissions grew by 0.21 billion tonnes of CO2 per year between 2016 and 2019, compared to 2011 and 2015.

Results also revealed that in the group of high-income countries, emissions had declined by 0.8 per cent per year on average since the Paris Agreement, with a further decrease of 9 per cent in 2020 due to Covid-19. 

© Provided by Daily Mail Photo from last year shows climate protest placards in front of the Reichstag building, home of the German federal parliament, in Berlin, Germany

BRITAIN SETS RECORD-BREAKING RUN WITHOUT COAL

In June 2020, Britain completed a record-breaking run without coal-fired power.

The run came to an end on June 16, after 67 days, 22 hours and 55 minutes since April 9.

This made it the longest run without coal for Britain since 1882, when the world’s first coal-fired power station, the Edison Electric Light Station, opened in London.

The coal-free run ended due to a coal power unit running tests after essential maintenance at Drax power station in north Yorkshire, which added some power to the grid.

By the time it ended, the coal-free run had far outstripped the previous record for the length of time Britain had gone without the fossil fuel – 18 days, 6 hours and 10 minutes, set in June 2019.

This record was broken at 6:10am BST April 28 2020 - but the run kept on going until June.

Britain is steadily turning away from carbon-belching sources of energy generation - most notably coal and gas.

Two coal-powered plants were retired at the end of March 2020 after they burned all their remaining fuel.

There are just three coal plants left in Britain, including Drax's coal unit in North Yorkshire that is set to close in March 2021.

Of the 36 high-income countries, 25 saw their emissions decrease during 2016 and 2019 compared to 2011 and 2015, including the US (-0.7 per cent), the EU (-0.9 per cent) and the UK (-3.6 per cent).

Emissions decreased even when accounting for the carbon footprint of imported goods produced in other countries.

In the group of upper-middle-income countries, growth in emissions had also slowed by 0.8 per cent per year since 2015, but declined by 5 per cent in 2020.

In this category, 33 out of 99 saw their emissions decrease between 2016 and 2019 compared to between 2011 and 2015.

Mexico (-1.3 per cent) was a notable example in that group, while China's emissions increased 0.4 per cent, which was at least an improvement on the 6.2 per cent annual growth of between 2011 and 2015.

Lastly, in the group of lower income countries, emissions had been increasing by 4.5 per cent per year since 2015, and decreased by 9 per cent in 2020.

Looking to a 'post-Covid-19 era', global annual reductions of somewhere between 1 billion and 2 billion tonnes of CO2 per year are essential throughout the 2020s and beyond.

Only this will be the key to limiting global warming to well below 3.6ºF, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Unless the Covid-19 recovery directs investments in clean energy and the green economy, emissions will likely start increasing again within a few years, the study authors warn.

Governments should hasten the large-scale deployment of electric vehicles and encourage walking and cycling in cities, they say.

Not only would this cut emissions from diesel and petrol vehicles, but it would also improve public health.

'Now we need large-scale actions that are good for human health and good for the planet,' said Professor Le Quéré.

'It is in everyone's best interests to build back better to speed the urgent transition to clean energy.'

The study, which has been published today in Nature Climate Change, comes ahead of the 26th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, which will be held in Glasgow in November.

COP26 was delayed from November last year due to Covid-19.

'The growing commitments by countries to reach net zero emissions within decades strengthens the climate ambition needed at COP26 in Glasgow,' said study co-author Professor Rob Jackson of Stanford University.

'Greater ambition is now backed by leaders of the three biggest emitters – China, the US and the European Commission.

'Commitments alone aren't enough. Countries need to align post-Covid incentives with climate targets this decade, based on sound science and credible implementation plans.

The Biden era of climate-aware forest policy
Mike Dombeck and Jim Furnish, opinion contributors 

3/4/2021 THE HILL

One of the most egregious acts of the previous administration's public lands agenda was the October decision to revoke protections for 9 million acres of Alaska's Tongass National Forest, one of the world's largest intact temperate rainforests.

© The Hill Mendenhall Glaier under cloudy skies in Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Proglacial lake with chunks of ice floating on it's surface forms at the glacier's base

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that, among other things, identified the Trump administration's elimination of the Tongass roadless rule as one of the actions that would be reviewed.

The Roadless Rule is one of America's hallmark conservation policies and safeguards pristine and near-pristine forests in 40 states, from Alaska to New Mexico. These are areas with remarkable ecological value that could be quickly degraded by development, including the construction of roads. This historic policy celebrated its 20th anniversary in January.

In the Tongass, the rule safeguarded ancient trees, critical salmon habitat and Indigenous homelands, enjoying widespread support among Southeast Alaska residents - including commercial fishermen - and from a majority of Americans polled.

Biden's climate plan calls for permanently restoring protection of areas impacted by the previous administration's short-sighted attack on federal lands and waters. To this end, Biden has already signed a series of executive orders focused on climate policy, recommitting the U.S. to the Paris Agreement and requiring that federal agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the Forest Service, address climate change.

As the nation's largest carbon sink - sequestering 8 percent of all annual U.S. carbon emissions - reinstating Tongass protections is essential to the Biden climate agenda, which calls for protecting 30 percent of U.S. land and ocean by 2030. As the U.S. works to update our commitments under the Paris Agreement into a formalized document, known as our Nationally Determined Contribution, the Tongass must be included as a natural pathway for carbon reductions alongside the other actions we have planned. Doing so will send a signal that protecting our critical natural resources isn't just good for the flora and fauna but also for our global climate stability.

These protections have been well-supported from the start and the motivations for rolling them back under the previous administration were fueled only by a few corporate special interests at the expense of us all. The roadless rule attracted more than 1.6 million comments that endorsed protecting our most pristine areas in national forests from commercial logging and new roads. Indigenous communities living in the Tongass for millennia reminded us of why this land is so important to them with their filing of a petition to create a Traditional Homelands Conservation Rule to identify and protect the traditional and customary uses of Indigenous peoples in the Tongass.

The previous administration's decision, if left standing, would overturn a decade-long effort on the part of local community leaders and the Forest Service to phase out old-growth logging in roadless areas of the Tongass and supply future timber needs with abundant smaller, second-growth trees. Logging roads built deep into many national forests carry costs that far outweigh their benefits. Roadbuilding increases the chance that these ancient trees will fall victim to costly, subsidized commercial timber harvest and it destroys critical wildlife habitat and degrades watersheds, critical to clean drinking water.

Economically, revoking the protections makes little sense. Timber provides less than 1 percent of[ southeastern Alaska's jobs, compared to 26 percent for fishing and tourism combined. Further, over the past four decades, timber sales in the Tongass have cost American taxpayers $1.96 billion while generating only $227 million in revenue - a loss of more than $40 million a year - according to Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Two decades later, we stand proud of the roadless conservation policy. It significantly reduced the federal government's negative balance sheet from timber operations while providing land managers with the flexibility they needed to adapt to changing circumstances. And it recognized that habitat, watershed protection and carbon stores have long-term value far greater than that provided by money-losing timber sales.

Decisions that affect Americans' shared land should reflect those values and be informed by strong science. Restoring roadless protections to the Tongass is how we keep the forest protected. As a new day dawns on the White House, we call on Biden to reinstate roadless protections in the Tongass and ensure a sound future for all those who depend on this rare and pristine ecosystem for their wellbeing and livelihoods.

Mike Dombeck was chief of the United States Forest Service from 1997 to 2001. Jim Furnish was the agency's deputy chief from 1999 to 2002.

ALBERTA RED NECK REACTIONARIES
Hundreds watch bail review for GraceLife pastor jailed for COVID-19 violations; decision expected Friday morning

In an unusual move, she asked to appear simply as a “public health prosecutor” rather than by name, citing “some security (issues) that have arisen on this matter.”

Jonny Wakefield POSTMEDIA

3/4/2021
© Provided by Edmonton Journal Followers of Pastor James Coates gather outside the Edmonton courthouse where he was scheduled for a hearing regarding his release conditions. Coates is in remand after failing to comply with public health regulations at his GraceLife Church near Spruce Grove.

An Edmonton judge will rule Friday morning whether a pastor jailed after breaching COVID-19 health restrictions should remain behind bars pending trial.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Peter Michalyshyn heard arguments Thursday afternoon from lawyers for James Coates, the GraceLife Church pastor who has spent the past two weeks in the Edmonton Remand Centre.

Earlier this year, Coates was charged under the Public Health Act for holding worship services in contravention of COVID-19 restrictions.

The rules restricted gatherings to 15 per cent of a building’s fire capacity and required enforcement of physical distancing rules.

Coates was jailed last month for allegedly failing to comply with an undertaking requiring him to abide by the Public Health Act. The church has continued to hold services in his absence.

Dozens of supporters gathered outside the Edmonton courthouse Thursday morning, many of whom did not wear face masks. More than 350 attended the hearing via the court’s web conferencing software. Some failed to mute their microphones, leading to frequent disruptions.

© David Bloom Supporters of jailed Pastor James Coates march outside the Edmonton courthouse where he was scheduled for a hearing regarding his bail release conditions on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

James Kitchen, a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, said the undertaking Coates was asked to sign was a violation of his religious beliefs. He said Coates did not sign the undertaking because of an “inability” to agree to the conditions imposed on him.

“This is a matter of deep, deep personal conscience,” said Kitchen. “He is unable to disobey the God that he believes in.”

Kitchen said if his client is released, “he’s not going to hurt anybody, the only thing that will happen is he holds church again.”

He called the jailing of a pastor for holding religious services a “stain on the administration of justice.”

He added that even if Coates is convicted of the public health charges, jail time is not an available punishment under the act. He called the idea that the COVID restrictions are constitutional “suspect at best.”

© Provided by Edmonton Journal GraceLife Church in Parkland County defied Alberta government public gathering restrictions on Feb. 21, 2021, and held a church service where almost 300 people attended, many without face masks and ignoring social distancing regulations.

The prosecutor on the case, who concluded her submissions in less than a minute, told Michalyshyn that the only issue before him is whether there were legal errors in the original bail decision. She maintains there were none.

In an unusual move, she asked to appear simply as a “public health prosecutor” rather than by name, citing “some security (issues) that have arisen on this matter.”

Michalyshyn is expected to deliver his decision on Coates’ bail Friday at 9 a.m. The pastor’s trial is set to run May 3-5 in Stony Plain.

jwakefield@postmedia.com

JAMA Editor Apologizes for Tweet Saying 'No Physician Is Racist'
J. Clara Chan THE WRAP

3/3/2021

© TheWrap COVID-19 vaccine

The Journal of the American Medical Association's editor-in-chief apologized on Thursday for a tweet and podcast from the publication that questioned the existence of systemic racism in health care.

"The language of the tweet, as well as portions of the podcast, do not reflect my commitment as editorial leader of JAMA and JAMA Network to call out and discuss the adverse effects of injustice, inequity, and racism in medicine and society as JAMA has done for many years. I take responsibility for these lapses and sincerely apologize for both the lapses and the harm caused by both the tweet and some aspects of the podcast," Howard Bauchner, the journal's editor, said in a statement.

Earlier on Thursday, the JAMA Twitter account promoted a podcast with the question, "No physician is racist, so how can there be structural racism in healthcare?" The podcast episode also included the description, "Many physicians are skeptical of structural racism, the idea that economic, educational, and other social systems preferentially disadvantage Black Americans and other communities of color."

The tweet was later deleted after facing backlash on social media and from other members of the medical community.

The CEO of the American Medical Association, James Madara, also issued a statement on Thursday to say he was "deeply disturbed" and "angered" by the podcast.

"The AMA's House of Delegates passed policy stating that racism is structural, systemic, cultural, and interpersonal and we are deeply disturbed — and angered — by a recent JAMA podcast that questioned the existence of structural racism and the affiliated tweet that promoted the podcast," Madara said. "JAMA has editorial independence from AMA, but this tweet and podcast are inconsistent with the policies and views of AMA and I'm concerned about and acknowledge the harms they have caused. Structural racism in health care and our society exists and it is incumbent on all of us to fix it."

SpaceX denounces Justice Department’s subpoena in hiring practices investigation as 'government overreach'

Michael Sheetz CNBC

3/4/2021


SpaceX denounced the Department of Justice's subpoena for corporate hiring records, saying the inquiry from the DOJ's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section "is the very definition of government overreach."

"SpaceX draws the line at IER's overreaching attempt to bootstrap that lone, frivolous charge into the wide-ranging (and expanding) pattern-or-practice investigations the agency is now pursuing," the company wrote in a court filing.

The strong response comes as SpaceX's first public comment on the DOJ's investigation, which has been for months looking into whether the space company discriminates against applicants from foreign countries in its hiring.

© Provided by CNBC The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule stand upright on the launchpad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center ahead of the Demo-2 launch.

Elon Musk's SpaceX denounced a subpoena from the Department of Justice for its corporate hiring records, saying in a court filing that the investigation by the federal agency's Immigrant and Employee Rights unit "is the very definition of government overreach."

"SpaceX draws the line at IER's overreaching attempt to bootstrap that lone, frivolous charge into the wide-ranging (and expanding) pattern-or-practice investigations the agency is now pursuing," the company, represented by lawyers from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, wrote in the response.

The strong response comes as SpaceX's first public comment on the DOJ's investigation, which has been for months looking into whether the space company discriminates against applicants from foreign countries in its hiring.

SpaceX's fight against the DOJ's subpoena will be heard by a California federal judge later this month.

The DOJ has declined CNBC's request for comment on its investigation, while SpaceX has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

An investigation into hiring practices

The federal agency's Immigrant and Employee Rights unit launched a probe last year, after Fabian Hutter, a SpaceX job applicant, complained to the government that the company discriminated against him.

In an earlier interview with CNBC, Hutter said he believes SpaceX decided not to hire him after he answered a question about his citizenship status last March for a technical strategy associate position.

Hutter holds dual citizenship in Austria and Canada but is a lawful permanent U.S. resident, according to court records filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

But the DOJ unit is not only investigating the complaint, but also said it "may explore whether [SpaceX] engages in any pattern or practice of discrimination" barred by federal law.

Investigators in October issued a subpoena demanding that SpaceX provide information and documents related to its hiring and employment eligibility verification processes, to which SpaceX has not fully complied.

The company's lawyers argue that the DOJ's probe is overbearing given the original complaint.

"No matter how generously 'relevance' is construed in the context of administrative subpoenas, neither the statutory and regulatory authority IER relies on, nor the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, permits IER to rifle through SpaceX's papers on a whim and absent reasonable justification," SpaceX said.

"And even if IER could somehow belatedly justify its current investigations, IER's subpoena is excessively overbroad. IER's application for an order to comply with the subpoena should be denied," the company added.

Hiring policies in place

SpaceX is allowed to hire noncitizens who have a green card under U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Those rules say that only Americans or noncitizens with a U.S. green card can have physical or digital access to items on the U.S. Munitions List, which consists of defense-related equipment, software and other material.

SpaceX noted that it currently employs more than 9,500 people, "including hundreds of non-U.S. citizens."

In its response to the subpoena, the company detailed its side of the interview process with Hutter, highlighting that his resume "clearly stated that he was a dual Austrian and Canadian national."

He was among "hundreds" of applicants for the position and one of seven who advanced to a phone screening, the company said.

Doug Tallmadge, a SpaceX employee, had Hutter confirm his citizenship status in the interview, the firm said.

Tallmadge "did not ask" further about Hutter's citizenship in a follow-up interview, SpaceX added.

SpaceX says Tallmadge was "unimpressed" with the applicant's responses in the second interview, writing in an assessment that it was "unclear" what motivation Hutter had for wanting to work on the company's Starlink project.

The company did not hire Hutter or anyone else for the position and said it eliminated the role.

Federal Judge Michael Wilner is expected to hear the case on the morning of March 18.

The judge hinted in a previous filing that SpaceX could find it difficult to block the subpoena, referencing a prior decision he made in an unrelated case. In that other case, Wilner flatly rejected a company's arguments against complying with a subpoena for hiring information.

– CNBC's Dan Mangan contributed to this report.

ONTARIO
Firm hired to oversee final closure of 

De Beers mine site

Ontario’s first and only diamond mine is moving to the next phase of its closure plan with the appointment of Golder, a Canadian-owned engineering and environmental services consulting group, as the primary contractor who will oversee the remaining demolition and site rehabilitation.

Victor Mine, owned by The De Beers Group, is located approximately 90 kilometres west of Attawapiskat in the James Bay Lowlands. It opened in 2008 as only the second diamond mine in Canada.

The open pit operation also included its own airstrip located on the property. It ceased mining operations in June 2019.

De Beers reports that as of the end of 2020, approximately 65 per cent of the on-site infrastructure has been safely demolished, and around 40 per cent of the site has been rehabilitated with more than 1.2 million trees planted on the property since 2014.

The De Beers Group will remain accountable for the site, and will retain responsibilities for achieving site closure objectives, keeping in line with government regulations, as well as relationships with Indigenous communities, the company stated in a release.

All permits and licences remain in De Beers’ name.

A small site-based oversight team will work directly with Golder personnel throughout the process, in addition to the De Beers employees who will continue to be responsible for daily environmental monitoring.

Golder was chosen after what De Beers called an “extensive commercial process” which was undertaken throughout 2020.

Golder’s responsibilities will include the remaining closure activities, as well as the day-to-day management of the site. They will also handle the remaining infrastructure demolition work, and site rehabilitation through 2023.

“A similar model, hiring a prime contractor, was used during construction of Victor Mine, which opened ahead of schedule and on budget,” said Maxwell Morapeli, head of closure for De Beers.

“Golder has a strong track record of successful closure and rehabilitation of industrial sites around the world, including working with local communities where they operate. We look forward to benefiting from their experience as we continue the responsible closure of Victor Mine.”

Included in its contract with the De Beers Group is a commitment from Golder to work with local Indigenous contracting companies to provide necessary on-site services such as catering, housekeeping, and security.

Heavy equipment operators and other personnel will be hired from the Attawapiskat First Nation and will be provided training and other opportunities.

Golder and its sub-contractors have also hired 19 former De Beers Victor Mine employees to continue on-site work.

“We are proud to have been selected to lead the responsible closure of the Victor Mine,” said Greg Herasymuik, Golder's Canadian Region president. “As we manage activities at site, we are committed to providing employment opportunities and to continue involving the local community.”

Andrew Autio is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for The Daily Press. LJI is a federally funded program.

Andrew Autio, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Press

BC
Fairy Creek blockade to save old-growth watershed gets three-week reprieve

Fairy Creek blockade activists trying to protect some of the last stands of old-growth forest on southern Vancouver Island have won a three-week reprieve after a judge adjourned an injunction hearing on Thursday.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Power granted a request by the blockade’s legal team for more time to assemble materials necessary for a defence against the injunction.

Forestry company Teal-Jones had sought the injunction to remove the Fairy Creek blockades at various entry points to its Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 46 near the community of Port Renfrew until Sept. 4.

However, Power said it was in the interest of justice to allow the delay, so defendants could better prepare and the court could set aside more time to hear the matter.

Additionally, Power was unconvinced a short delay would be problematic given the blockade started in August 2020, but the forestry company did not apply for the injunction until Feb. 18, 2021.

“I am not persuaded that I should find urgency or prejudice to the extent that the plaintiff now alleges,” Power said.

“If, as the plaintiffs argued (that) there will be a prolonged civil disobedience campaign after a court order, it is, in my view, all the more important that any order that the court makes be made (based) on a full hearing.”

The blockade activists want to save pristine old-growth forest at the headwaters of Fairy Creek with yellow cedars thought to be 1,000 years old, as well as other remaining groves on near Camper Creek, Gordon River, and in the Upper Walbran Valley.

Pacheedaht First Nation elder Bill Jones, one of defendants named in the injunction application, says the Fairy Creek valley falls within the nation’s traditional territory and contains bathing pools with spiritual significance that are endangered by clear-cutting.

It was also in the public’s interest to adjourn the hearing, said defence lawyer Patrick Canning.

Demonstrators in solidarity with the Fairy Creek blockade gathered on the Victoria courthouse steps on Thursday, and in various other communities on Vancouver Island prior to the court decision.

Lawyers representing Teal-Cedar, a division of Teal-Jones, had argued that Power should grant the injunction immediately because a delay would endanger road building in the region necessary before logging could occur later in the spring and summer.

Any further delays due to the blockades would threaten timber harvesting and jobs at its mills, said the company’s lawyer Dean Dalke.

The elected council of the Pacheedaht Nation were also aware of and did not oppose the proposed logging activity in the region, Dalke said.

The request for an adjournment by the defence was to raise issues that wouldn’t, in fact, be a defence to an illegal blockade, he added.

Regardless of whether the defence arguments “would pass muster,” it was important to allot enough time to adequately hear them, Power said.

A two-day injunction hearing is now scheduled to start March 25.

Teal-Jones did not respond to a request for comment following the hearing decision before Canada’s National Observer’s publication deadline.

Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer