TOXIC DEBRIS

Fish and Wildlife: SpaceX Starship debris covered 350 acres, no wildlife killed


Debris sits in area around the Space X Starship launch pad, in Boca Chica, Texas on Saturday. Starship exploded shortly after takeoff on April 20. U.S. Fish and Wildlife said Wednesday that the debris covered 350 acres. 

Photo by Thom Baur/UPI | License Photo

April 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documented the fallout from the SpaceX rocket that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last week, scattering debris into the surrounding area.

The service said "no dead birds or wildlife" or debris from the spacecraft launch were found on lands belonging to the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, stating the greatest impact came in the form of damage from the rocket's booster to SpaceX's nearby launchpad.

"Impacts from the launch include numerous large concrete chunks stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects hurled thousands of feet away," the service said.

Debris was dispersed throughout the 385 acres of land belonging to SpaceX and the Boca Chica state park and a 3.5-acre fire was also found south of the launch pad within the state park but the service didn't provide details on a cause or how long it burned.

RELATED SpaceX searches for answers after Starship's fiery demise

"A plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site," the service added.

Officials closed Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 for two days because of the debris.

Jared Margolis, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, told CNBC that the service's count of wildlife fatalities may not be accurate because they were delayed in getting to the park.

"If there were any mortalities from the launch-particularly from concrete chunks and metal being hurled thousands of feet into National Wildlife Refuge lands that are habitat for protected species, such as the piping plover, any carcasses would likely have been dragged off by scavengers, making it difficult to assess the full extent of impacts," Margolis said.

The test flight of SpaceX's Starship rocket, which is eventually set to carry crew and cargo simultaneously, ended with the spacecraft breaking up in what SpaceX commentators called a "rapid unscheduled disassembly."

The Federal Aviation Administration then moved to ground Starship until investigation can make sure "any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety."

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, however, suggested on Twitter that the company could be ready to launch again in "one or two months.

SpaceX Starship launches ... then explodes

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SpaceX's Starship explodes minutes after lift off from Starbase, in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20,2023. Photo by Thom Baur/UPI | License Photo

Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepares for greater sea-rise problems

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Kennedy Space Center in Florida has spent tens of millions of dollars on shoreline restoration, as well as upgrading a main road and railroad tracks impacted by rising seas and severe storms. Photo courtesy of NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., April 27 (UPI) -- As sea levels rise, NASA managers and engineers at Kennedy Space Center in Florida are keeping a wary eye on potential damage to critical launch structures and other buildings not far from the Atlantic Ocean.

More than a decade ago, the ocean started to encroach on federally protected beaches, penetrating to within some 2,000 feet of critical infrastructure. Now, with more intense hurricanes starting to hit, the work becomes even more crucial.

Historic Launch Pads 39A and 39B, which are close to the water, are vital for NASA and commercial partner SpaceX to continue sending astronauts to the International Space Station and soon to the moon.

Protecting those structures is a high priority for the space agency, and repair and maintenance work are paramount to ensure continued launches, Calvin Williams, associate administrator for NASA's Office of Strategic Infrastructure, said in an interview.

"We have done a lot of reconstruction work to stabilize the coastline and those protective dunes," Williams said.

NASA estimated that by 2019, it had spent $100 million fixing storm damage and rebuilding sand dunes to protect the launch pads.

"It is all at the top of the list and something NASA will have to redo every five years. We want to make sure we are doing all that's necessary to ensure we have launch facilities and research facilities to continue our NASA mission," Williams said.

Part of the infrastructure refurbishment involved upgrading the coastal road and railway, weakened by the increasingly higher winds and waves from hurricanes of unprecedented strength.

Ocean and launch installations aside, losing portions of the nearby Indian River shoreline could have detrimental effects on species such as the gopher tortoises and the Southeastern beach mouse, said NASA's Don Dankert, the environmental planning lead at Kennedy Space Center.

The space center's role is as essential for the U.S. space program as much as the shorelines are vital to Florida's wildlife. The federal property includes pristine beaches on which sea turtles come to lay eggs -- undisturbed and protected from human interaction.

RELATED Storms, erosion a costly problem at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Dankert stressed the importance of preserving the dunes "because that will help us protect these and other species."

Rebuilding dunes will play an important secondary role by preventing launch pad illumination near the beach from interfering with the nesting and hatching of sea turtles, so they can find their way to and from the ocean.

"The newly hatched sea turtles are disoriented by artificial light," he said. "We want to encourage them to head toward the sea."

Earlier this month, NASA announced a plan to transplant mangrove seedlings -- a natural, efficient barrier to protect against flooding at the space center.

Preserving the area around Launch Pad 39A is crucial for SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who leased the pad from NASA in 2014. Besides using the tower to support a variety of satellite launches, SpaceX assisted in resuming astronaut launches from U.S. soil to live on the International Space Station.

In the years before that, NASA had to rely on Russian spacecraft to transport American astronauts to the space station.

But SpaceX has bigger plans for Launch Pad 39A. Should everything go as Musk envisions with his gigantic Starship, the company will switch operations from west Texas to that launch pad, making it home base for moon missions.

A 450-foot-high tower under construction will rival that of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building. Moreover, the company recently opened a manufacturing plant at the space center.

With Starship launches, static and dynamic load effects, as well as structural concerns, will produce unprecedented vibrations, which could cause environmental repercussions.

Last week in Texas, a Starship test flight exploded after launch, raining debris and brown grime over a wide area and shaking nearby homes.

Kennedy Space Center infrastructure is about a quarter-mile from the "actual beach," Dankert said. Since the restoration that fixed the large dune erosion, there has been no significant damage, "direct or otherwise."

Remaining concerns are the increasingly record-high tides and unprecedented hurricane-force winds which, in the case of Hurricane Nicole last year, relentlessly hammered the Florida coast and inland areas for several days, with devastating consequences.

Britain passes illegal migration bill to stem English Channel crossings


Britain passed sweeping new laws Thursday that will require security officials to detain and deport anyone arriving on the country's shores in a small boat. Those caught will also be barred from ever returning or applying for British citizenship in the future. 

Photo by EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN

April 27 (UPI) -- British lawmakers backed controversial government plans Thursday to deter the tens of thousands of people arriving in the country in small boats by making it illegal.

MPs in the House of Commons, parliament's lower house, voted 289-230 to pass the Illegal Migration Bill after the ruling-Conservative government successfully headed off a rebellion by some of its backbenchers.

The bill, which will see all arrivals detained and deported to their own country, or a safe third country such as Rwanda, had met with stiff opposition from about 20 Tory MPs concerned about lumping in unaccompanied children and victims of human trafficking with "illegal immigrants."

The MPs, who were calling for a three-day limit on the detention of children that could only be overridden by a court, backed down after ministers promised to consult with them on a "new timescale."

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, The Children's Society, Action for Children, the National Children's Bureau and Barnardo's, have all strongly criticized the bill.

"We firmly believe that allowing unaccompanied children to be detained for any longer than 24 hours is unacceptable and poses serious risks to their health, safety and protection," the charities said in a joint letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May and former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith who tabled an amendment reversing the bill's removal of existing stays of deportation for suspected victims of modern slavery or human trafficking, did not push it to a vote.

"Sending victims back to their own country or a third country like Rwanda will simply, at best, make them feel less secure, and therefore less able or willing to give the evidence needed, and at worst will drive them back into the arms of the traffickers and slave drivers," May said.

The bill is expected to encounter bigger problems when it progresses to the House of Lords which could see it amended extensively.

It also faces being challenged by the European Court of Human Rights which has already blocked deportation flights to Rwanda, with which Britain has a migrant-hosting agreement.

The Rwanda policy, which the government attempted to introduce last year, involves a five-year plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing and permits those granted refugee status to apply to settle there.

The flights have been grounded ever since the court issued a series of interim injunctions in June.

The bill contains a provision permitting Braverman to ignore future ECHR injunctions in certain circumstances.

When she brought forward the legislation early last month, Braverman admitted there was a more than 50% chance the bill was incompatible with international law.

Despite being profitable, Dropbox cuts 500 jobs as it considers AI's future effect


Dropbox has laid off 500 employees, approximately 16% of its workforce, according to a blog post on the company's website Thursday from CEO Drew Houston

 Photo by Mauritz Antin/EPA-EFE

April 27 (UPI) -- Dropbox announced Thursday it has laid off 500 employees, approximately 16% of its workforce.

CEO Drew Houston announced the changes in a blog post on the company's website.

"First and foremost, I want to recognize the impact this decision has on Dropboxers who are affected and their families, and I take full ownership of this decision and the path that led us here," Houston wrote.

While Dropbox remains profitable, company leadership sees emerging challenges to its business model.

"While our business is profitable, our growth has been slowing," Houston said. "Part of this is due to the natural maturation of our existing businesses, but more recently, headwinds from the economic downturn have put pressure on our customers and, in turn, on our business. As a result, some investments that used to deliver positive returns are no longer sustainable."

The company also said advances in AI will affect the company's future.

"We've believed for many years that AI will give us new superpowers and completely transform knowledge work. And we've been building towards this future for a long time, as this year's product pipeline will demonstrate," said Houston.

A Securities and Exchange Commission filing reveals that the company expects to spend between $37 and $42 million.

Slow sales at Old Navy contribute to Gap having to cut 1,800 jobs

By Patrick Hilsman


April 27 (UPI) -- Gap Inc. is planning to lay off 1,800 workers as the clothing retailer struggles to remain profitable amid stiff competition and poor sales.

"We are taking the necessary actions to reshape Gap Inc. for the future -- simplifying and optimizing our operating model, elevating creativity, and driving better delivery in every dimension of the customer experience," said Gap interim CEO Bob Martin.

Martin said the changes are "aimed at flattening the organizational structure to improve the quality and speed of decision-making."

Notices were sent out to employees being laid off from the international sourcing division on April 18 and 19. Employees being laid off from corporate headquarters will be informed Thursday and Friday, and financial division employees will be notified in May.

RELATEDThe Gap pulls Ye merchandise from shelves, shuts down e-commerce site

A filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission reveals that the layoffs will cost Gap as much as $125 million.

Gap has struggled to remain profitable with a series of crises affecting the clothing retailer's value. The company's stock value has fallen 23% over the past year.

During the quarter ending in April 2022, the company reported a net loss of $162 million, compared to reported profits of $166 million during the same quarter of 2021.

In March, Gap reported fourth-quarter losses of $273 million.

Slow sales at Old Navy, which is owned by Gap Inc., are believed to have contributed to the company's financial issues.

In July, CEO Sonia Syngal stepped down, leaving Martin, who was executive chairman of Gap's board at the time, in the position of interim CEO.

In September, the Gap cut 500 jobs, mostly from the company's corporate offices in New York and San Fransisco and from overseas offices in Asia.

In October, the company pulled Kanye West's Yeezy clothing line and shut down YeezyGap.com in the wake of antisemitic comments made by the rapper

Researchers teach parrots to make video calls

April 27 (UPI) -- Researchers from the United States and Scotland said they taught pet parrots how to make video calls, and the birds developed long-distance friendships as a result.

The team, composed of researchers from Northeastern University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Glasgow, released a study titled Birds of a Feather Video-Flock Together: Design and Evaluation of an Agency-Based Parrot-to-Parrot Video-Calling System for Interspecies Ethical Enrichment.

The study involved parrots learning to ring a bell that would result in a caretaker bringing them a tablet. The birds would use their beaks to select a photo of another bird on the screen, and a video call would then be initiated.

The parrots displayed behaviors during the calls that mimic the behaviors of birds in the wild, the team said.

"What the other bird would do, they would do, singing back and forth," Jennifer Cunha, a parrot behaviorist from Northeastern University, told WHDH-TV. "So, there were a lot of natural behaviors we saw between the two birds, even though there was a screen between them."

The researchers said the parrots started to develop friendships through the video calls, showing preferences for repeatedly placing video calls to the same long-distance companions.

"Some strong social dynamics started appearing," Rébecca Kleinberger, an assistant professor at Northeastern, told the Northeastern Global News.

The study suggests bird-to-bird video calls can improve the behavior and well-being of parrots kept as pets, especially those who are the only parrots in their homes.

"When they're kept as pets, very often they're the only bird in the household," Kleinberger told CBC Radio. "They do not have the opportunity to develop their own species identity."

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Bipartisan support continues for bill legalizing banking for legal marijuana businesses

Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley is a co-sponsor of a bipartisan, bicameral bill to legalize banking services for legal marijuana businesses nationwide. The federal government currently bans legal cannabis businesses from most banking services. 

Photo Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

April 27 (UPI) -- A bipartisan cannabis banking bill in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House would make sure that legal cannabis businesses nationwide could access critical financial services.

Introduced by two U.S. senators and two U.S. House members, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2023 would fix a huge problem for businesses legally engaged in cannabis sales. Because marijuana is not legal nationwide, cannabis businesses in states that have legalized it often are forced into using cash transactions.

"Forcing legal businesses to operate in all-cash is dangerous for our communities; it's an open invitation to robbery, money laundering, and organized crime-and it's way past time to fix it," said Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. said in a statement. "For the first time, we have a path for SAFE Banking to move through the Senate Banking Committee and get a vote on the floor of the Senate.

As of Monday, 38 U.S. states had legalized medical marijuana while 22 states, 2 territories and the District Of Columbia have enacted measures to regulate the legal adult use of recreational marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
RELATEDRecreational pot legalized in Delaware as governor allows bills to become law

In addition to Merkley, the cannabis banking bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.

"Montanans should be able to conduct their small business without fearing for their safety," Senator Daines said in a statement. "My bipartisan bill would provide the security and peace of mind that legal Montana cannabis businesses need to freely use banks, credit unions and other financial products without fear of punishment. This bill will help keep our Montana communities safe, keep crime off the streets, support Montana small businesses and bolster local economies."

"This legislation will save lives and livelihoods. It is past time that Congress addresses the irrational, unfair, and unsafe prohibition of basic banking services to state-legal cannabis businesses," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer in a statement. "The House has passed the SAFE Banking Act on a bipartisan basis seven times. I am delighted that the Senate is joining us in making it a priority."

Sen. Chuck Schumer introduced a bill to legalize marijuana nationally in July 2022. Several polls show overwhelming majority support around the country for legalizing marijuana.

But even with so many states have already decided to legalize, banking access is still legally denied to cannabis businesses despite their otherwise legal status.

The cannabis banking bill would prevent federal regulators from prohibiting or penalizing a bank from providing service to a legitimate state-sanctioned and regulated cannabis business.

Joyce said in a statement, "As it stands, the federal government has denied state-legal cannabis companies the same access to financial services as every other legal business across the Buckeye State and our country. Not only does this distort the market in a growing industry, but it also forces businesses to operate in all cash, making them and their employees sitting ducks for violent robberies. The bipartisan SAFE Banking Act will allow cannabis businesses to operate legally without fear of punishment by federal regulators, making our communities safer."

The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2023 would stop federal regulators from taking any action on a loan to an operator of a cannabis-related business. It also would prevent federal regulators from terminating or eliminating a bank's federal deposit insurance if they provide banking services to legal cannabis businesses.

US Interior Department announces $146 million for wetlands conservation

By Patrick Hilsman


The Interior Department announced $146 million in funds for wetlands conservation Thursday. A substantial amount of the funds being used to purchase land for conservation was obtained via the sale of Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation stamps.

 Photo courtesy of usstampsonline.com

April 27 (UPI) -- The Department of the Interior announced Thursday that the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved over $146 million to support wetlands conservation projects.

A total of $50.9 million in North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants will be matched by over $73.4 million in partner grants.

More than $21.7 million in funds from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund will be allocated to support five wetland preserves located in four states.

That includes $1.47 million to purchase 548 acres at the Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, $1.07 million to purchase 797 acres at the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in New Hampshire and $1.26 million to purchase 239 acres at the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge in Washington.

Additionally, $11.37 million will be used to purchase 1,335 acres at the Green River National Wildlife Refuge in Kentucky and $6.62 million will be used to purchase 2,482 acres at the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, which is also in Kentucky.

Funding for the purchases was mostly obtained via sales of Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as "duck stamps," and from tariffs on firearms and ammunition imports.

"The North American Wetlands Conservation Act is among our most successful tools for the conservation of migratory birds throughout the United States and beyond our borders," said Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz.

Train derails in Wisconsin, sending cars into Mississippi River

April 27 (UPI) -- A freight train derailed in southwest Wisconsin on Thursday, sending several cars into the Mississippi River.

One person was treated for injuries, and officials said there was no need for local evacuations.

State officials said the derailment occurred around 12:15 p.m., 30 miles south of La Crosse. The railroad company, BNSF Railway, said that it was carrying all different kinds of freight, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

CNN reported that Caitlin Nolan saw the derailment happen.

"I didn't see a fire or smell anything but witnessed multiple cars in the water on both sides of the tracks," she told CNN. "There hadn't been any emergency help until after I had passed by."

A bridge in the area had been down recently because of severe flooding.

U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, whose district covers the area of the derailment, said he was working to get answers on what happened.

"My staff is traveling to the site, and Congressman Troy Nehls (TX-22), who Chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Rail, has also made staff available to assist our team," Van Orden said according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We will continue to monitor the situation and determine next steps."

Railroads warned about the problems long trains can cause

By JOSH FUNK

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 Multiple cars of a Norfolk Southern train lie toppled on one another after derailing at a train crossing near Springfield, Ohio, on March 4, 2023. Federal regulators are warning railroads Thursday, April 27, that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that. 

(Bill Lackey/Springfield-News Sun via AP, File)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators are warning railroads that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that.

The Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of recommending in its latest safety advisory issued Thursday that railroads limit the size of their trains, which can routinely stretch more than 2 miles long. However, they did suggest a number of precautions including making sure engineers know how to handle them and that locomotives don’t lose communication with devices at the end of trains that can help trigger the brakes in an emergency.

Currently, there aren’t any restrictions on train length but members of Congress and state lawmakers in at least six states have proposed establishing limits particularly in the wake of the fiery Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio. The major freight railroads have pushed back against that idea because they have increasingly come to rely on longer trains to help them move cargo with fewer crews and mechanics as they overhauled their operations over the past six years. Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz said recently that he doesn’t think accident data shows that long trains are riskier.

But the Federal Railroad Administration cited three derailments involving trains longer than 12,250 feet (3,734 meters) where train length was a factor in its advisory. That agency and the National Academies of Sciences are both in the middle of studying the impact of long trains, and they expect to issue reports next year on whether they are a problem.

“FRA believes these incidents demonstrate the need for railroads and railroad employees to be particularly mindful of the complexities of operating longer trains,” the agency said.

The derailments mentioned as examples of the problems that can accompany long trains were in Springfield, Ohio, in March; in Ravenna, Ohio, last November; and in Rockwell, Iowa, in March 2022. In each of those cases, the way cars in different parts of the train pulled and pushed against each other contributed to the derailments.

The fiery February derailment that prompted evacuations in East Palestine, Ohio, and sparked a nationwide focus on rail safety wasn’t mentioned as an example. The National Transportation Safety Board has said that an overheated bearing that caused an axle to fail on one of the railcars likely caused that derailment.

This latest advisory follows one earlier this month that directed railroads to re-examine the way they assemble their trains to minimize those kind of forces that often come into play as a train goes over hills and around corners. Parts of a train can be pulling forward going up a hill while the middle or back of the train pushes against the rest of the cars while going down a hill.

Those forces make it challenging for engineers to control a train, so regulators said railroads need to adjust their training to make sure their engineers are prepared to handle the monster trains they are operating. The common practice of putting locomotives in the middle of long trains as well as in the front can help manage a long train, but having to control those additional locomotives also complicates the engineer’s job.

“A locomotive engineer cannot be expected to safely operate in a more demanding service without proper additional training that covers the unique challenges and complexities those trains present,” regulators said in the advisory.

A spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads trade group said railroads are already working to manage the challenges associated with long trains and looking for ways to improve safety.

“All stakeholders – the FRA, railroads, and elected officials – share the same goal of continuously enhancing rail safety, minimizing adverse impacts to surrounding communities and keeping the goods that power our economy flowing,” AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said. “The recommendations within this advisory align closely with the prudent steps railroads already take to do just that.”

The Federal Railroad Administration said that in addition to the concerns about derailments, long trains can block crossings for extended periods of time. When crossings are blocked, firefighters, police and ambulance drivers may be delayed in getting someone the help that they need, and pedestrians may risk their lives by crawling under or across stopped trains that could start moving without warning.

The states proposing limits on train size this year include Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada and Washington.

U.S. fish stocks improving against overfishing, NOAA says

April 27 (UPI) -- The number of U.S. fish stocks being overfished improved slightly last year, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said in a report issued Thursday.

Of the more than 490 fish stocks managed by NOAA Fisheries, 93% of stocks are not subject to overfishing and 81% are not overfished, according to the annual Status of Stocks Report issued by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service.

That marks in improvement from 2021 figures, up from 92% and 80% respectively.

Data was expanded this past year to include new island-based fishery management plans for Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. John, and St. Croix. The consolidation move brought 32 new stocks under NOAA management.

RELATED Interior Department announces $146 million for wetlands conservation

"This annual report reveals the U.S. remains a global leader in maintaining the sustainable fisheries that drive the blue economy, support coastal communities and play a key role in marine ecosystems," NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement.

"NOAA and our partners continue to build on the country's successful fisheries management approach by advancing policies and plans that help address changing conditions."

Commercial and recreational fishing in the United States is responsible for 1.7 million total jobs across the broader economy and generates over $253 billion in sales impacts, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor.

"Managing fisheries sustainably is an adaptive process, relying on sound science and innovation to conserve species and habitat, and meet the challenge of increasing our nation's seafood supply in the face of climate change," NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator Janet Coit said in a statement.

"NOAA Fisheries conducted 198 stock assessments in fiscal year 2022, and our work in partnership with the Regional Fishery Management Councils under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act continues to be key to rebuilding and maintaining sustainable fish stocks."