Manitoba liquor workers to go on strike with planned walkout

Story by Talha Hashmani • Yesterday 

The union representing over a thousand workers with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries issued a strike notice that would come in effect on July 19.© Google Maps

Union workers with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries have issued a strike notice, with plans to hold a one-day, provincewide walkout on July 19.

Represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, approximately 1,400 workers will be part of the strike action beginning at 7 a.m. next Wednesday. It also includes workers at the Liquor Distribution Centre and those in supporting business operations, which includes information technology, purchasing and administration.

"This is absolutely not the position our members wanted to be in, but frankly we were forced here," said union president Kyle Ross.

In a press release on July 14, the union said workers had been working under an expired contract since March 2022. According to Ross, an offer from the employer — which would provide a two per cent increase annually for four years — wasn't enough.

"It certainly wouldn't help retain the workers who are leaving for better pay at places like Walmart and Sobey's - and it falls far short of the pay increases that the premier and her cabinet are taking," said Ross. "A strike is and always will be the last resort."

Union members are expected to refuse all overtime following the July 19 walkout. Further strike actions could be announced if a "fair deal" isn't reached.

Global News has reached out to Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries for comment.

Video: Manitoba government reintroduces bill to ease liquor rules

B.C. wants 1,000 more international firefighters to join wildfire battle

Story by The Canadian Press •


British Columbia is putting out a call for national and international help to fight wildfires that are blanketing communities in thick smoke, as some residents watch flames approach their homes.

The province had requested 1,000 additional foreign firefighters to join 160 from Mexico and the United States already in B.C., said Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness.

Ma also formally requested more federal resources from her counterpart in Ottawa, Bill Blair, to help fight the 350 or so fires burning across B.C.

She said at a briefing about drought conditions in B.C. on Thursday that an "incident management team" from Australia is arriving on Saturday.

An evacuation order was issued Thursday by Lhoosk’uz Dené Nation for areas of the Lhoosk’uz community. The order covers an area from its borders with the districts of Bulkey Nechako and Fraser-Fort George, extending south to near the Kluskus Lakes and Tsacha Lake regions.

Firefighters from South Korea, France, South Africa and the Dominican Republic have also been fighting fires in Canada, during what is shaping up as a record-breaking fire season.

Blair, federal minister of emergency preparedness, had earlier said he was expecting a "fairly substantive" request for help from B.C. as wildfires worsen.

Blair told The Canadian Press the government operations centre has been in discussions with the province for the last several days, and Ottawa is ready to deploy resources.

"The fire season now is obviously sparking up pretty seriously out there and they have sent us an indication of some additional resources that they will require," he said in an interview Thursday.

"For the last 48 hours we've been working with Canadian Armed Forces, Parks Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and people from the Canadian Coast Guard," said Blair. "There's a lot of different federal departments all mobilizing their response to the requirements of British Columbia."

He said the federal help could include military assistance for airlift evacuations from remote locations, as well as troops trained as firefighters who can "mop up" to keep blazes from reigniting.

"If there are communities that become isolated and need to be evacuated, then Canadian Armed Forces provides those resources," Blair said.

The Canadian Coast Guard is also mobilizing support for affected coastal communities, and Natural Resources Canada staff with forest management expertise are also preparing to help, he said.

Blair added there are a number of national parks in B.C., so Parks Canada is ready to aid the province with park firefighters and forest management experts.

Related video: Peacock Creek Wildfire Expands In BC, Canada, Evacuation Order Issued (StringersHub)   Duration 0:35   View on Watch

Dailymotion  Blaze rages in British Columbia as Canadian wildfires continue to burn

0:18

cbc.caIt's  hard to think of a more dramatic example of sacrifice,' B.C. premier says after firefighter's death

1:09

The Weather Network  Wildfire smoke moves into southern British Columbia and Alberta

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Blair said B.C. is one of the better-equipped provinces to handle fires because it is often among the hardest hit, but any extra help needed is being made available.

B.C. would welcome all additional firefighters and equipment as hot weather and afternoon lightning storms keep fire conditions extreme and strain resources, said BC Wildfire Service spokesman Cliff Chapman.

"It is very, very challenging across Canada and across the globe right now to secure additional firefighting capacity," he said. "This is a very dangerous job. With the conditions we are in it makes it all that much more dangerous for our staff who are working 14-, 16-, 20-hour days trying to do everything to move these fires away from critical impacts."

He said in northwest B.C., 51,000 lightning strikes have been recorded over the past seven days and about 160 wildfires are burning. Crews were facing difficult conditions in which daily afternoon lightning storms were starting new fires.

Fire officials have also received reports from residents living in Burns Lake and Houston who say they can see flames from their backyards, he said.

Chapman said more than 2,000 B.C. firefighters are currently battling the flames, but many need rest and the arrival of international help will provide that opportunity.

"We are not short 1,000 firefighters in B.C. at this time," he said. "We are planning ahead, obviously looking into next week, but even looking into the next number of weeks to secure resources so we can rest some of our staff."

Ma's request for more international help was lodged through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which co-ordinates firefighting resources across the country.

Premier David Eby said earlier this week the province was looking for more firefighting support, particularly air equipment, in its battle against wildfires.

He said forecasts suggest B.C. and Canada could be facing the worst fire season in 100 years.

Eby expressed gratitude for the help provided by the firefighters from Mexico and the U.S. who are on the frontlines with provincial crews.

Rural and northern B.C. communities have felt the brunt of this year's wildfire season, but on Wednesday, smoke from a blaze on the mountains overlooking Vancouver could be seen across the city, as helicopters dropped water to extinguish the flames.

Brant Arnold-Smith, director of the Metro Vancouver regional district's emergency operations centre, said at a media briefing Thursday that crews were still tackling hot spots, saying the fire in North Vancouver's Seymour conservation area is deep underground.

"We are quite confident that it will not spread anymore," he said.

Arnold-Smith said their initial theory suggested it was caused by lightning, but they’re not ruling out that it was human caused until an investigation is done.

But he said the fire was in a “rugged, secluded area” where people rarely trek, taking an hour and a half for crews to reach the scene through thick brush.

“This event serves as an important reminder as to how dry our region is,” he said. “It's been almost a month of just no precipitation in the region, so our green spaces are very dry and very susceptible to any sort of ignition sources that could cause a wildfire."

There are more than 350 wildfires burning in all corners of the province, and the BC Wildfire Service warns another blast of heat in many areas could add more burdens on already overstretched crews.

The wildfire service says a week-old, 300-square-kilometre blaze close to Highway 37 just south of the Yukon boundary has been calm, but it and similar fires across northern B.C. could flare up during the next several days of expected hot weather.

— With files from Darryl Greer

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2023.

Dirk Meissner and Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

RIP

Firefighter, 19, killed while battling wildfire near Revelstoke, B.C.

CBC News: The National

Jul 14, 2023

A 19-year-old firefighter was killed by a falling tree while her crew was battling a wildfire near Revelstoke in B.C.'s central interior. She is being remembered as a kind, selfless woman committed to protecting the province and those who call it home.

 

BC wildfires: 19-year-old firefighter struck and killed by fallen tree while clearing brush

Global News   Jul 14, 2023 

A 19-year-old firefighter struck and killed by a fallen tree in a remote area outside of Revelstoke, B.C., on Thursday has now been identified. Global News has learned the firefighter was Devyn Gale.

B.C.’s Premier, David Eby, confirmed on Friday that her family has been notified and they are asking for privacy at this time.

RCMP said the wildland firefighter was working alongside a team clearing brush where a small fire had started. Gale became separated from her fellow firefighters and was then discovered caught under a fallen tree. 

Global's Troy Charles has more on how it happened and the tributes now pouring in. 

 

Firefighter dies battling B.C. wildfire

CTV Vancouver

A 19-year-old firefighter who died on the job is being remembered as a young woman who took pride in her work and had a promising future.

19-year-old identified as B.C wildfire fighter who died on the job

CityNews

  Jul 14, 2023

The mayor of Revelstoke is calling the death of a B.C. wildfire fighter absolutely devastating. Kier Junos reports the 19-year-old was killed by a falling tree while tackling a fire.

 

New government rules spell end for Nova Scotia's distinctive shark-fishing derbies

Story by The Canadian Press • 12h ago

New government rules spell end for Nova Scotia's distinctive shark-fishing derbies© Provided by The Canadian Press

Nova Scotia shark derbies, which for 30 years offered anglers a chance to land one of the ocean's top predators, have been called off after authorities determined they no longer served a scientific purpose.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada had authorized the shark-fishing tournaments by issuing scientific licences so the animals could be studied after they were caught. But the department has informed derby organizers that its research program no longer needs derby-caught specimens.

Organizers of the Yarmouth Shark Scramble in southwestern Nova Scotia, the Petit de Grat Shark Derby in Cape Breton and the Lockeport Sea Derby in Shelburne County were given three options if they want to continue: follow a catch and release model in which the sharks don't leave the water; use all sharks caught for human consumption; or find another organization to support research on the sharks caught.

"The decision to proceed or not with any of these options — and the request for any applicable required licence — rests with shark tournament organizers," the department said in an emailed statement. The department declined to make anyone available for an in interview.

Bob Gavel, organizer of the Yarmouth Shark Scramble, said he was extremely disappointed by the government directive. He said it is impossible for any of the province's shark derbies to meet the conditions proposed by the Fisheries Department.

For conservation reasons, tournament participants have been allowed to catch only blue sharks since 2018, and Gavel said there is not enough demand for the meat to consume everything caught. He said trying to tag and release sharks would be too dangerous aboard the crowded fishing boats. And no other organizations are interested in the sharks for research, he said.

Whale freed from Nova Scotia lobster gear | Watch (msn.com)

The August tournaments were unique in Canada. "We have people from all over Canada and the United States who have come to the tournament, and as far away as Australia," Gavel said. "We have thousands of spectators every year. It generated a lot of revenue for our communities with regards to restaurants, hotels, fuel — people buying souvenirs, and just having the people in our town created quite an economic boost for us."

The Lockeport Sea Derby said on its Facebook page there will be no shark fishing this year because of the new rules, and the Petit de Grat Shark Derby said the tournament wouldn't be held this year because of the new licence requirements.

Gavel called Fisheries and Oceans Canada's stipulations for the tournaments unfair, noting that the blue shark population was not affected by the derbies.

A report from the department published this year on shark tournament landings found that the derbies "accounted for three per cent of blue sharks killed annually in Canada, having a negligible effect on the overall population." Department officials have said in the past that most of the blue sharks killed in Canada are hooked by fishing boats using long lines to catch swordfish and tuna.

Gavel started the Yarmouth tournament in 1998 and saw it adapt over the years. Four species of shark could be landed when the tournament began: shortfin mako, porbeagle, blue shark and common thresher.

In 2004, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada assessed the porbeagle as endangered, and two years later the tournament organizing committees voluntarily excluded the species from landings to promote conservation, the DFO report noted. Similar conservation concerns for shortfin mako and common thresher led to licence conditions being changed in 2018 to allow blue shark landings only.

The report said organizers also imposed additional restrictions to promote conservation, including increasing the minimum size of shark landed to nine feet in length and allowing one shark per participant and three per boat.

Gavel said the tournament was mostly a way for fishers to spend time with their families on the water. "We're a little fishing community and the fishermen, all they do is work at their jobs," he said. "But this was a way for them to take their families and so on to go out and have some fun."

Data showed that since the first tournaments began in 1993, a total of 4,266 sharks were landed around Nova Scotia, including 4,193 blue sharks, 52 shortfin mako sharks, 15 porbeagles and six common threshers.

Between 1993 and 2005, the report said landings were made up of immature males and females, as well as mature males. Females of reproductive age were not caught "due to their absence from Canadian waters," the report said.

Gavel remembers the first time he reeled in a shark.

"Oh, it's quite the adrenalin rush," he said. "To catch something that size that takes you sometimes three or four hours to land it. To fish a shark that weighs anywhere from 200 to over 300 to 400 pounds and land it. It's that kind of adrenalin. It's quite tiring. And it's a lot of fun."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2023.

Hina Alam, The Canadian Press

Exxon to buy Denbury for $4.9 billion in carbon storage bet

Story by By Sabrina Valle and Arunima Kumar • Yesterday 

Signage is seen at an Exxon gas station in Brooklyn, New York City

HOUSTON (Reuters) -Exxon Mobil Corp on Thursday agreed to buy Denbury Inc for $4.9 billion to accelerate its energy transition business with an established carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration operation.

The acquisition, which sent both companies' shares lower, gives Exxon ready-made CO2 transportation and highlights its bets on making carbon capture a profitable business. U.S. tax credits for reducing planet-warming gases have set off a race to build carbon capture sites.

But wide-scale adoption of carbon sequestration remains uncertain because of the costs and technical challenges, which were reflected in the deal price. Exxon's all-stock offer valued Denbury at a 1.9% premium to its Wednesday closing stock price.

Denbury CEO Chris Kendall said in a statement that "significant capital and years of work" are required to fully develop its CO2 business, making deep-pocketed Exxon "the ideal partner with extensive resources and capabilities."

Plano, Texas-based Denbury is an oil and gas producer that owns and operates a 1,300 mile CO2 pipeline network in the U.S., including pipelines that span the Gulf Coast's petrochemical industry heartland, where Exxon has sought to build a carbon hub.

Jefferies analyst Sam Burwell estimated Exxon was paying $1.9 billion for Denbury's carbon capture infrastructure and $3 billion for its oil production.

"The modest 2% takeout premium suggests to us that Denbury realized the difficulty in competing with Exxon to win CO2 offtake," he wrote in a note.

Exxon shares dropped 1.9% to $104.46 in afternoon trading. Denbury shares slipped to $86.62. Its shareholders stand to receive 0.84 of an Exxon share for each Denbury share.

Denbury, which gets most of its revenue from enhanced oil recovery, or pumping CO2 into wells to force out more oil, exited bankruptcy in September 2020 and its stock has jumped nearly fivefold since as carbon sequestration was embraced by U.S. companies to cut greenhouse gas emission.

Why Exxon Mobil Is Buying Denbury for $4.9 Billion | Watch (msn.com)

Its pipeline network and sequestration sites will give Exxon a way to quickly provide carbon removal services to carbon reduction customers such as Linde AG and CF Industries. Exxon's own offshore storage sites are years away.

"It's a very logical, very straightforward way for Exxon to build on its existing business strength in carbon management technology," said Raymond James analyst Pavel Molchanov, but adding the deal is "very small for Exxon, relative to its size."

LOW CARBON BUSINESS

Carbon sequestration has been embraced by oil companies including Chevron , Occidental Petroleum and Talos Energy, which aim to capture and store CO2 underground.

Exxon two years ago set up its Low Carbon Solutions business with the aim of generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue from cutting its and customers' emissions. It has said the business, which includes carbon storage, hydrogen and biofuels, could outperform its traditional oil and gas operations as soon as a decade from now.

Last year, Exxon struck its first commercial carbon storage deal with top ammonia maker CF Industries. In January, Exxon said it plans to start operations at its large-scale hydrogen plant in Texas in 2027 or 2028. Hydrogen is a potential clean fuel for utilities.

The Denbury deal "reflects our determination to profitably grow our low carbon solutions business," Exxon CEO Darren Woods said.

(Reporting by Sabrina Valle and Arathy Somasekhar in Houston, Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza, Shilpi Majumdar and Conor Humphries)

Why Exxon Mobil is spending $4.9 billion on a company that pumps carbon dioxide back into the earth

Story by cboudreau@insider.com (Catherine Boudreau) • 8h ago


Exxon is buying Denbury, a company that could help the oil giant's move into the business of capturing planet-warming carbon dioxide. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi© REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi
Exxon Mobil this week announced plans to acquire oil producer Denbury.
Denbury also has a business of capturing carbon-dioxide emissions.
That's a business Exxon, the biggest oil company in the US, is looking to expand.

Exxon Mobil is trying to position itself for a low-carbon world by buying a company that stores planet-warming emissions.

The largest US oil major said Thursday it would acquire Denbury, which has the largest network of carbon dioxide pipelines in the country, for $4.9 billion. Denbury is also in the business of what's called enhanced oil recovery, which involves using carbon dioxide to collect more oil from wells.

Exxon's move follows the passage last year of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes tax breaks for companies that capture and store carbon dioxide — injecting new life into the nascent and controversial industry.

The IRA is set to pump almost $370 billion over a decade into a range of efforts to help fight the climate crisis and put the US on a path to slash carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, a goal set by President Joe Biden.

What is carbon capture, utilization, and storage?

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage, or CCUS, refers to technologies that trap carbon-dioxide emissions, often from large industrial sources like power plants or factories.

Most of the carbon dioxide being captured today is used to pump more oil from wells, a process known as enhanced oil recovery, or to make fertilizer. The gas can also be piped underground into geological formations, including oil-and-gas reservoirs or salty aquifers, according to the International Energy Agency.

Why is Exxon buying Denbury?

Denbury gets most of its revenue from enhanced oil recovery, a technique that Exxon has a long record of using. But for Exxon, the acquisition is part of a larger strategy to stay profitable as countries try to meet global climate targets.

THEY USE THE CO2 FOR FRACKING OLD WELLS HENCE; EOR

Why Exxon Mobil Is Buying Denbury for $4.9 Billion | Watch (msn.com)

Rather than diversifying into producing solar and wind power, Exxon is betting that it can keep pumping oil and gas so long as it caps emissions flowing out of smokestacks at power plants and factories.

Some of that captured CO2 could be put to use by other industries, including makers of fertilizers and other chemicals. Most of the captured carbon dioxide will likely be stored underground, however.

The IEA estimates that if the world achieves net-zero emissions by 2050, less than 5% of the carbon captured would be used, while the rest would need to be stored.

Transporting CO2 requires pipelines, and Denbury has 1,300 miles of carbon dioxide pipelines; much of its network spans Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. Denbury also already has 10 sites where it stores carbon.

The purchase would help Exxon go deeper into this business.

"If we're able to acquire a really significant piece of existing infrastructure, that allows us to move much more quickly than if we were to try and build and replicate that infrastructure ourselves," Dan Ammann, president of Exxon's Low Carbon Solutions business, told Bloomberg on Thursday.

The deal with Denbury is one of several carbon-capture and storage deals Exxon has made in less than a year, including a plan to capture, transport, and store carbon emissions from a steelmaking plant in Louisiana by 2026.

What is the state of CCUS today?

CCUS is still a nascent industry with a troubled track record, but there's been a lot of momentum in recent years.

Around 40 commercial sites are operating around the world, with another 50 capture facilities expected to come online by 2030, according to the IEA.

For its part, Exxon has carbon-capture and storage facilities in the US, Qatar, and Australia, and at least 10 more have been announced around the world.

Is carbon capture a solution to the climate crisis?

Oil companies certainly think so, though the technology is still a major flashpoint. Many climate advocates argue that CCUS is too expensive to develop and the money is better spent on technology already proven to slash emissions at scale: solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles, to name a few.

Even though the renewable energy transition is speeding up, the pace isn't fast enough yet. A United Nations panel of climate scientists earlier this year warned that the world is still way off track in achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 — a key target to avoid global temperatures from rising above catastrophic levels.

Without a more rapid shift away from fossil fuels, technology like carbon-capture and storage is critical, the scientists said.

Still, there's no guarantee that CCUS will scale up in time, either. The IEA said that even if all the planned sites come online by 2030, the entire industry combined would only be capturing about one-third of the carbon dioxide needed to hit net-zero emissions by midcentury.

UK Government gives green light for Stonehenge road tunnel

Story by Neil Lancefield • 

A303 road plans© PA Archive

Plans to construct a road tunnel near Stonehenge have been approved, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the project on the A303 in Wiltshire.

A DCO previously issued for the £1.7 billion National Highways scheme was quashed by the High Court in July 2021 amid concern about the environmental impact on the Unesco World Heritage Site.

The plans involve overhauling eight miles of the A303, including digging a two-mile tunnel.

Then-transport secretary Grant Shapps gave the go-ahead to the project in November 2020 despite advice from Planning Inspectorate officials it would cause “permanent, irreversible harm” to the area.

The Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site alliance successfully challenged his decision in the High Court.

In a 64-page letter published on the Planning Inspectorate website granting fresh approval, the DfT said Mr Harper is “satisfied” that the project’s “harm on spatial, visual relations and settings is less than substantial and should be weighed against the public benefits”.

The A303 is a congestion hotspot, with drivers heading to and from the South West during peak holiday periods often stuck in long queues.

National Highways chief executive Nick Harris said: “The A303 Stonehenge scheme is part of the biggest investment in our road network for a generation, and I’m really pleased the project has been given the green light by the Secretary of State for Transport – a decision which will enable us to progress this transformational scheme and deliver the planned benefits.

“The decision follows a lot of work on a comprehensive year-long process to reassess our Development Consent Order, looking in detail at possible alternatives, also including cumulative carbon and heritage issues.

“It means we’re now a step closer to solving the longstanding issues of congestion and delays on the existing A303, improving journeys for all our customers and bringing much-needed relief to local communities.

“The investment, along with other improvements along the A303, will help to boost the South West economy, improve journey reliability, remove the sight and sound of traffic from this very busy road and return one of our most important World Heritage Sites to something like its original setting.”

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “This saga is starting to feel almost as old as the stones themselves and it’s not over yet.

“The likelihood must be that objectors will already be poring over the Secretary of State’s lengthy and detailed decision letter looking for grounds on which to launch another legal challenge.

“Quite apart from the risk of further legal delays, the next hurdle for the project is getting the funding in place to proceed, despite the economic squeeze on the Department for Transport’s budget.”

AA president Edmund King said: “Whether we like it or not, Stonehenge has been a transport congestion hot spot for more than 30 years.

“This is good news that progress is slowly being made to alleviate the chaos.”

Dr Kate Fielden, an archaeologist and honorary secretary to the Stonehenge Alliance, described the decision as “deeply disappointing” as the scheme will cause “severe, irreparable damage to one of the world’s premier World Heritage Sites”.

It's a colossal intervention

Dr Kate Fielden, Stonehenge Alliance

She told the PA news agency: “There’s not only the tunnel. To each side there will be wide and deep cuttings through the landscape, effectively destroying the archaeology and in the process creating a massive monument to the future which dwarfs anything in the World Heritage Site that’s there at the moment, including the Stonehenge monument itself.

“It’s a colossal intervention.”

She said campaigners opposed to the scheme are considering launching another legal challenge.

Rebecca Lush, of Transport Action Network (Tan), which supports sustainable transport campaigns, said: “Just as the Climate Change Committee has recommended that new roads should be reviewed, Mark Harper seems to be in denial by giving the go-ahead to the Stonehenge dual carriageway through the World Heritage Site.

“National Highways admit the scheme would increase carbon emissions by 2.5 million tonnes over its lifetime at a time when we need to rapidly reduce emissions.

“This decision flies in the face of the evidence on climate change and the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee, and will devastate the World Heritage Site.”

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US to reopen review of Nevada geothermal plant near endangered toad while legal battle is on hold


RENO, Nev. (AP) — In a reversal that marks a significant victory for conservationists, federal officials have decided to “revisit” the 2021 environmental review that cleared the way for construction of a geothermal power plant in Nevada where an endangered toad lives.

Environmentalists and tribal leaders suing to block the project said the move will trigger an unprecedented third review of the partially built power plant that they say the Bureau of Land Management illegally approved in December 2021.

“This vindicates what we've been saying for years,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The federal government’s environmental review was flawed and it never should’ve approved the project."

Justice Department lawyers representing the bureau didn't specify in court documents last week whether the agency intends to conduct a supplemental analysis of the potential impacts of the project or scrap the previous review and initiate an entirely new one required under the National Environmental Policy Act. They also didn't say what prompted the agency to reverse its earlier position that additional review was unnecessary.

But either way the decision means it will be several months or potentially more than a year before Ormat Technologies can resume construction of the plant it started building last year in the Dixie Meadows, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Reno.

“I really can’t guess because there’s so much that remains up in the air, but I would say we are looking at a years’ long process,” Scott Lake, a lawyer for the Center for Conservation Biology, said on Friday.

The conflict underscores challenges President Joe Biden has repeatedly faced in vowing to protect fish and wildlife while also pushing the development of so-called green energy projects on U.S. lands to help combat climate change.

The center and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe first sued the bureau in federal court in Reno in January 2022. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the Dixie Valley toad endangered on an emergency basis that April and then made the listing permanent in December.

The opponents say pumping hot water from beneath the earth’s surface to generate carbon-free power would adversely affect the levels and temperatures of surface water critical to the survival of the toad. The area is the only place the toad is known to exist on earth. The hot springs that feed the wetlands are sacred to the tribe, the lawsuit says.

The Fish and Wildlife Service concluded in its listing decision the project posed the single biggest threat to the toad and that “threatened species status is not appropriate because the threat of extinction is imminent.”

Last summer, a U.S. appeals court refused to grant a temporary injunction blocking construction of the 60 megawatt power plant. But hours later, Ormat announced that it had agreed to temporarily suspend all work. Then, in late October, the company asked for the case to be put on hold while it developed a smaller plan.

U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones formally stayed the case in February.

BLM subsequently rescinded its approval of the original project and approved plans for a scaled-down plant that would produce only about one-fourth as much power. But the agency said construction couldn't resume until it completed consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the service agreed it would not jeopardize the survival of the toad — as required under the Endangered Species Act.

The bureau said earlier this year it anticipated consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service would be completed sometime this summer.

But its lawyers said in a July 5 court filing that “while BLM has been diligently working to complete a biological assessment, it has not yet done so.”

“As a result of its ESA consultation efforts and new information it has determined that it would be prudent to revisit the environmental review underlying the project,” they wrote. “BLM does not intend to authorize any such new construction until the conclusion of the environmental review.”

Reno-based Ormat, the second largest U.S. producer of geothermal power behind Texas-based Calpine, said in a statement last week it supported additional review.

“Consistent with Ormat’s track record of environmental stewardship, we are confident that additional NEPA review will support responsible development of Dixie Meadows, and will ensure Ormat is taking the necessary steps to mitigate any environmental impact," Ormat CEO Doron Blachar said.

Ormat said in a report to security holders in March that the company “believes it has strong legal defenses against the present claims, however, there can be no assurances regarding the resolution of these proceedings.”

“As a result, at this time, the company cannot reasonably predict the ultimate outcome of this litigation or regulatory process or estimate the possible loss or range of loss it may bear, if any.”

Scott Sonner, The Associated Press

TIT FOR TAT

Sweden allows protest burning Torahs and Bibles outside Israeli Embassy

Story by Sharon Braithwaite • CNN

Swedish authorities have approved a protest involving the burning of Torahs and Bibles outside the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden’s national radio broadcaster reported on Friday.

A person who has applied to hold a public gathering on Saturday to burn the holy books has been granted permission, Sveriges Radio said.

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) said in a press release on Friday that they “strongly” condemned the decision of Swedish authorities.

“Provocative, racist, antisemitic and sickening acts such as these have no place in any civilised society,” EJC president Ariel Muzicant said in the statement.

“Stamping on the deepest religious and cultural sensibilities of people is the clearest expression possible to send a message that minorities are unwelcome and unrespected,” Muzicant added.

“These actions, based on contorted and specious free speech arguments, are a disgrace to Sweden and any democratic government worthy of the name should prevent it.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also condemned the Swedish authorities’ decision.

“I unequivocally condemn the permission granted in Sweden to burn holy books. As the President of Israel, I condemned the burning of the Quran, sacred to Muslims world over, and I am now heartbroken that the same fate awaits a Jewish Bible, the eternal book of the Jewish people,” Herzog tweeted.

At the end of June, a man burned a copy of Islam’s holy book outside a mosque in the Swedish capital, triggering violent protests at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.

The decision to permit that protest was made in accordance with the right of freedom of speech, Swedish police said at the time.

A police permit obtained by CNN last month stated that the “security risks and consequences connected to a Quran burning are not of such a nature that, according to current law, they can be the basis for a decision to reject an application for a general meeting.”

The permit for the June demonstration said that Quran burnings “mean an increased risk of a terrorist attack” and “can also have foreign policy consequences.”

However, it added that for “security problems to be the basis for a decision to refuse a general assembly, these must have a clear connection to the planned gathering or its immediate surroundings.”

Scientists May Have Stolen Metallic Spherules Found on the Ocean Floor.

Story by Jackie Appel • POP MECH

Scientists found metallic spherules on the ocean floor–and they may be extraterrestrial. A controversial physicist says the strange remnants are alien tech.© J&S Digital Photography - Getty Images

Researchers are looking for evidence of extraterrestrial life deep under the sea.

A team led by controversial physicist Avi Loeb is combing the ocean floor off the coast of Papua New Guinea for remnants of two meteors that they believe could actually be alien tech.

The government of Papua New Guinea claims that the artifacts recovered by Loeb’s team are stollen, and is under pressure to abandon a new security agreement with the U.S. as a result.

Researchers are scouring the deep for signs of alien life—and it might be illegal.

The team—led by Avi Loeb, a controversial theoretical physicist known for his strong belief that we have been visited by intelligent extraterrestrial life and specific focus, in this context, on ‘Oumuamua—has been searching the ocean floor for remnants of Interstellar Meteor 1 (IM1), which crashed into Earth in 2014.

The meteor was a bit of an anomaly, largely due to its robust nature and speed. It and its spiritual successor Interstellar Meteor 2 (IM2), which crashed to Earth in 2017, flew in at about 110,000 miles per hour. That’s at the higher end of meteor speeds, as they typically hit Earth’s atmosphere traveling between 25,000 and 160,000 miles per hour.

That speed is what eventually led Loeb and one of his grad students to conclude that the meteors came from outside our solar system, a conclusion that has since been backed by the United States Space Command, according to Vice. But Loeb and his team took it one step further, putting forth the idea that the meteors are remnants of alien tech.

It should be said that most scientists do not believe that IM1 and IM2 were alien tech of any kind. And it’s important to remember that—while Loeb’s writings indicate that his hopes are high for these finds to be evidence of extraterrestrial societies (He has even reportedly rented out a video screen in Times Square to announce the results of his work.)—the origins of all artifacts found on this mission are still very much unconfirmed.

In order to gather as much data on the meteors as possible, the team has been scraping the sea floor where IM1 splashed down and gather whatever remnants they can find. And most recently, they found something particularly exciting—metallic spherules.

According to Loeb, these particular spherules are made predominantly of iron, with trace amounts of titanium and magnesium. Notably, there was no nickel detected in early compositional analyses. “This composition is anomalous compared to human-made alloys, known asteroids and familiar astrophysical sources,” Loeb wrote in a Medium post. The team has also been able to find steel shards and wire made of manganese and platinum.

While the origin of these specific spherules is still unknown (it takes time and tests to confirm the origin of pretty much anything found at the bottom of the ocean), spherules are a good sign of a meteor. They form from the impact debris of the object, and usually measure only micrometers to millimeters in size.

It turns out, however, that all of this research may not have been legal in the first place.

According to the UK outlet The Times, the government of Papua New Guinea is accusing Loeb’s team of stealing the artifacts they have collected on their mission. The country’s National Research Agency claimed that the team never received a Marine Science Research permit (though they did apply for one), and that they entered the country on business visas instead of visas meant for scientific researchers. Stanis Hulahau, Papua New Guinea’s chief migration officer, even said that the team could face “criminal charges for removing ‘rare objects’ without notifying the state authorities.”

Rob McCallum, the leader of the expedition (Loeb leads the research team), claims that approval for their mission was given by the Papua New Guinea cabinet, but The Times reports that two cabinet members say they have heard nothing of this approval.

As a result of this mission, pressure is now reportedly being put on the government of Papua New Guinea to abandon a security agreement recently made with the United States. According to The Times, member of parliament and Leader of the Opposition Joseph Lelang called the country to abandon the newly-signed Defense Co-operation Agreement if the US “fail to heed our call and protests”.

“What the US citizens were doing was illegal from the start, including stealing the artifacts from our shores,” Lelang said in a statement. “The ink has not yet dried and already the US citizens are disrespecting our people, our country and constitution.. We expect nothing less than the return of what was stolen from us and for those thieves to be held accountable.”

What will come of these accusations is still to be seen. But even if we don’t have proof of extraterrestrial visitors, we do have proof that pursuing alien life doesn’t make everyday Earth life just go away.

A new outbreak of Canadian wildfires is sending a plume of unhealthy smoke into the US yet again

WE'VE BEEN BREATHING IT ALREADY

Story by Eric Zerkel • CNN 8h ago

A recent outbreak of wildfires in western Canada is again sending a plume of unhealthy smoke into the United States.

The smoke is already wafting into the Northern Plains and will spread into the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Indiana, where air quality advisories that warn of “unhealthy” levels of smoke are in place through the weekend.

The smoke could also cause issues in Iowa and Illinois, including Chicago, which experienced some of the worst air quality in the world amid heavy smoke in late-June.

This time, the smoke plume is not coming from the Canadian province of Quebec. It is instead funneling across Canada from much further away in the West, so it shouldn’t reach the Northeast like it did in early June, when New York City’s skies turned an apocalyptic shade of orange.

On Friday, the encroaching smoke dropped air quality in parts of Montana and North Dakota to code red, or unhealthy levels on the Air Quality Index, and to code orange, or unhealthy for sensitive groups, in Minnesota, according to airnow.gov.


An out-of-control fire burns 60 miles southeast of Kamloops, British Columbia, on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. - Pete Laing/BC Wildfire Service© Provided by CNN

Wildfire smoke contains tiny pollutants known as particle matter, or PM 2.5, that can get into the lungs and bloodstream once inhaled. These pollutants most commonly cause difficulty breathing and eye and throat irritation, but have also been linked to more serious long-term health issues like lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The plume was birthed from nearly 400 fires sparked in Canada’s province of British Columbia in the past week, nearly half of which were started by 51,000 lightning strikes from thunderstorms, the BC Wildfire Service said. Some of those thunderstorms were “dry” or produced inconsequential amounts of rain to help squelch any fires, a dangerous prospect in a province experiencing the worst level of drought.

Parts of the US will be at risk of smoke for the foreseeable future depending on weather patterns and fire flareups because Canada is experiencing its worst fire season on record. More than 23 million acres have burned so far this year, an area roughly the size of Indiana.

British Columbia has had more than 1,000 fires start since April. Those fires have already burned through nearly three times the amount of land compared to an average year in British Columbia over the last 10 years, the BC Wildfire Service said.

One firefighter died Thursday responding to one of the blazes near Revelstoke, British Columbia, a press release from the firefighter’s union said. The BC Wildfire Service confirmed the death to CNN. The firefighter has not been identified.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau eulogized the firefighter on Twitter Friday.

“The news from British Columbia – that one of the firefighters bravely battling wildfires has lost her life – is heartbreaking,” Trudeau said. “At this incredibly difficult time, I’m sending my deepest condolences to her family, her friends, and her fellow firefighters.”

CNN.com