Ontario Teachers’ Reverse-Mortgage Lender Eyes Senior Debt Sale

P3 

PUBLIC PENSIONS FUND PRIVATE BANKS

Esteban Duarte
Wed, July 26, 2023 

(Bloomberg) -- HomeEquity Bank, Canada’s largest provider of reverse mortgages, is seeking to sell senior bonds denominated in local currency, according to Chief Financial Officer Atul Chandra.

Such an issuance would be the first of its kind for the Toronto-based firm, which has previously only tapped institutional bond markets via the Chip Mortgage Trust. The trust raised C$175 million earlier this month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, with a five-year note priced to yield 6.069%.

“We would want to come back to the market sometime over the next few months,” Chandra said in an interview. “We would like to actually engage with the investors and open up a new channel of funding. That would be a desirable outcome.”

Chandra said the firm had yet to decide whether to next issue debt directly through the bank or via the trust.

HomeEquity Bank specializes in reverse mortgages, offering loans to Canadian homeowners who are 55 or older. Those who qualify can get a loan worth up to 55% of their home’s value and avoid regular payments until they move out or sell the property, according to the firm’s website.

The firm was bought by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board last year.

Home prices across Canada had started to recover earlier this year when the Bank of Canada paused its aggressive interest-rate increases. Policymakers, however, have recently resumed rate hikes — a move that could keep some homebuyers on the sidelines, according to a Canadian Real Estate Association report early this month.

Chip Mortgage Trust’s issuance earlier this month was more than two times oversubscribed and received orders from 16 investors, according to Chandra. That compares to a C$125 million debt sale in 2021 that lured 17 buyers and order book of more than four times the deal size.

Chandra said HomeEquity Bank’s long-term senior debt rating is BBB(low) with a stable outlook at DBRS Morningstar. A representative for DBRS Morningstar didn’t reply to request for comment.

--With assistance from Ari Altstedter.

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Border Patrol's caging of migrants in record heat decried by advocates

José Ignacio Castañeda Perez, Arizona Republic
Tue, July 25, 2023 

WHY, ARIZ. — A few dozen migrants sat under the sun and sweltering temperatures that would reach a high of 117 degrees as they were detained Saturday in an outdoor cage at the Ajo Border Patrol Station.

The majority of migrants sat beneath the shade of the large white canopy as others stood beneath the sun. From the observation point, many of the migrants appeared to be men, but it was difficult to discern migrants’ gender.

Migrant advocates and elected officials decried the outdoor caging of migrants, in the heat describing it as “cruel” and “inhumane.”

“I was horrified, but I’m sadly not surprised because this treatment of migrants is nothing new,” said Janice Rosenberg, a volunteer with the Ajo Samaritans humanitarian group.

People are seen congregated in an outdoor shelter outside of the Ajo Border Patrol Station.

The station sets in rugged terrain in the Sonoran Desert, a deadly area that has claimed the lives of thousands of migrants over the past two decades. The discovery of the cage comes during a wave of record-breaking heat across Arizona.

Initial reporting: Ajo Border Patrol detains migrants in outdoor chain-link cage during record heat

Phoenix, about two hours away from the station, has documented 24 continuous days of 110-plus-degree temperatures as of Sunday. The cage composed of chain-link fences was first reported by the Intercept Friday.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, whose district encompasses the Ajo station and over 350 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, said the situation borders on cruelty. Grijalva, D-Ariz., contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after he heard the news Friday.

An outdoor shelter sits outside of the Ajo Border Patrol Station.

“It is a critical situation and it is a dangerous situation,” Grijalva said. “I never thought that the detention part of Homeland Security wouldn't understand that we're in Arizona.”

Dora Rodriguez, board chair for the Tucson-based humanitarian organization Humane Borders, described the conditions at the station as “outrageous.”

In 1980, Rodriguez was one of the 13 Salvadorans who survived when another 13 people in the group died after being abandoned by their guide and left to wander near Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. Organ Pipe is only about five miles south of the station.

“It's very painful,” Rodriguez said. “It brings anger; it brings so many mixed emotions on how we are capable of treating our asylum seekers.”

Dora Rodriguez, center, who was among 13 Salvadorans who survived in 1980 when another 13 people in the group died in the broiling sun near Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, talks with Vicente Lopez, 19, who grew up in Guatemala's Ixil triangle, where government troops in the early 1980s wiped out entire communities suspected of harboring rebels, on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Sasabe, Mexico. At the age of 19, she remained in Tucson and eventually became a U.S. citizen.More

Migrants in the cage are provided with large fans, hot meals, waters and bathrooms, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. After arriving at the Ajo station, migrants are medically screened and initially processed.

'Recipe for death': Record temps, policies contribute to recent string of migrant deaths

Migrants may then be “rotated to an outside facility” at the station before they are taken to other locations for further processing, according to CBP.

“The U.S. Border Patrol has surged personnel and transportation resources in recent weeks to respond to a significant increase in encounters near Ajo, AZ — some of the hottest, most isolated, and dangerous area of the southwest border — where individuals have been callously sent by smuggling organizations to walk for miles, often with little or no water,” a CBP spokesperson said Friday in a written statement.

People are seen congregated in an outdoor shelter outside of the Ajo Border Patrol Station.

The Tucson Border Patrol Sector has seen a “significant” increase in migrant encounters in recent months, per CBP. Human smuggling organizations are moving migrants through the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Ajo, according to CBP.

The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project is “horrified” by reports of the outdoor conditions in near-record high temperatures, according to Laura St. John, legal director with the nonprofit. The organization provides free legal and social services to migrants facing detention and potential deportation.

“This treatment is cruel, inhumane, and yet another example of CBP's utter lack of ability or desire to properly care for migrants in its custody,” St. John said in a written statement. “People seeking protection in the U.S. deserve to be welcomed with dignity and treated humanely, not be caged outside in punishing and dangerous heat."

When it’s within CBP control, Border Patrol agents are required to maintain holding room temperature within a “reasonable and comfortable range,” according to CBP’s detention standards.

Additionally, migrants within Border Patrol custody should not be held for longer than 72 hours.

In April, Border Patrol in San Diego kept asylum seekers in between border walls in an open-air encampment for days without food. In March 2021, Border Patrol held migrant families under a bridge for days in Mission, Texas.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Advocates decry 'inhumane' conditions as Border Patrol cages migrants

We are dying': Migrants' plea from Libya-Tunisia border

AFP
Wed, July 26, 2023 at 2:12 PM MDT·3 min read

About 140 migrants are stranded in a buffer zone between Libya and Tunisia 

(Mahmud TURKIA)

African migrants pleaded to be saved from a desert zone between Libya and Tunisia on Wednesday, weeks after Tunisian authorities allegedly dumped dozens of them there with nothing.

"We are dying. We are dying by the minute," a Nigerian who wanted to be identified only by his first name, George, told AFP.

"Please, I'm begging you. Take us from here now," said George, 43. "Come and rescue us from this place."

On Tuesday Libya's interior ministry said the bodies of five African migrants had been found near Tunisia's border.

The group of about 140 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are the latest to be taken to Tunisia's borderlands with Libya or Algeria, according to border guards, migrants and NGO workers who reported previous cases.

"We don't know where we are living here. We've been suffering with no food and no water," George said at the migrants' makeshift camp among barbed wire 30 metres (33 yards) from a Libyan border post on the seashore at Ras Jedir.

He said he had been working as a barber for 18 months in the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax, where his wife and baby remained after he was forced out.

"The Tunisian police, they aim their weapons... and say we are terrorists," George said.

The Libyans tell the migrants not to go further into their territory, leaving them "stuck in the middle," George said, as a heatwave grips the Mediterranean.

Through the Red Crescent the Libyans have, however, brought them some food and water, which they share among themselves.

Another migrant, Fatima, 36, from Niger, said Tunisian soldiers "took everything from us", including their mobile phones, and left them there. She also declined to give a last name.

Some held up torn pieces of cardboard with hand-written messages. One asked the International Organization for Migration to "help please".

"We are humans," another said.

- Racial tensions -

In early July, hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries were driven out of the Tunisian port city of Sfax as racial tensions flared following the death of a Tunisian man in a clash between locals and migrants.

At its closest point, near Sfax, Tunisia is only about 130 kilometres from the Italian island of Lampedusa. The North African country is a gateway for migrants and asylum-seekers attempting perilous sea voyages in hopes of a better life in Europe.

Mubarak Adam Mohamad, 24, said he had fled the war in Sudan for Libya before reaching Tunisia.

"I was arrested by the police in Sfax and brought here by force," he told AFP, appealing for "regional and international organisations" to rescue them.

Medecins du Monde, an aid group, called on Tunisian authorities to facilitate humanitarian access.

"These people find themselves in a situation of great vulnerability," the group said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said up to 1,200 black Africans were "expelled or forcibly transferred by Tunisian security forces" to the country's desert border regions with Libya and Algeria this month.

In mid-July the Tunisian Red Crescent said it had provided shelter to at least 630 migrants who had been taken after July 3 to Ras Jedir, north of Al-Assah.

Around the same time, Libyan border guards also said they rescued dozens of migrants left in the desert by Tunisian authorities without water and food.

An AFP team at the time saw migrants who were visibly exhausted and dehydrated, sitting or lying on the sand and using shrubs to try and shield themselves from the heat that topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

The group were in an uninhabited area close to Al-Assah.

str-rb/fka/it/jsa

Libya authorities find migrants' bodies near Tunisia border

AFP
Tue, July 25, 2023 

Migrants who said they were left abandoned in the desert by Tunisian authorities try to shelter from the heat near Al-Assah, Libya on July 16, 2023 (Mahmud Turkia)

Libyan border guards have recovered the bodies of several migrants from a desert area where many have reportedly been forcibly taken by Tunisian authorities, Tripoli's interior ministry said Tuesday.

The border agents "have discovered five unidentified bodies of irregular migrants of African origin during a patrol in the Dahr al-Khass area" near the Tunisian boundary, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Since mid-July, Libyan border guards have rescued dozens of migrants who said Tunisian authorities had taken them to an uninhabited area near Al-Assah, 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of Tripoli and around 15 kilometres inside Libyan territory.

AFP correspondents have seen groups of migrants visibly exhausted and dehydrated after trekking through the desert in the scorching summer heat.

Online videos published by border agents show migrants arriving by foot across the Tunisian border.

In early July, hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries were driven out of the Tunisian port city of Sfax as racial tensions flared following the death of a Tunisian man in a clash between locals and migrants.

About 130 kilometres from the Italian island of Lampedusa, Tunisia is a gateway for migrants and asylum-seekers attempting dangerous sea voyages in hopes of a better life in Europe.

On July 18, independent UN experts urged Tunisia to stop the "collective expulsions" of migrants, following reports that dozens had been left by Tunisian police in the desert near Libya.

"We call on the authorities to immediately halt any further deportations and to continue and expand humanitarian access to a dangerous area on the Tunisian-Libyan border where many, including pregnant women and children, have already been deported," the expert panel said in a statement.

In Libya, human traffickers have long profited from the chaos since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, and the country has faced accusations of migrant abuse.

Rights groups have alleged horrific treatment of migrants at the hands of smuggling gangs and inside state-run detention centres. Authorities and armed groups operating under state auspices have repeatedly been accused of torture, rape and other abuses.

The country hosts an estimated 600,000 sub-Saharan African migrants.

rb/fka/ami/it

Natural gas company fined $150K by State of New Mexico for air pollution violations

Adrian Hedden, Carlsbad Current-Argus
Wed, July 26, 202

A natural gas company based in Midland, Texas that formerly operated in southeast New Mexico was fined about $150,000 by state regulators for air pollution violations dating back to 2020.

An inspection by the New Mexico Environment Department in 2020 revealed a series of permit violations at the Denton Gas Plant in Lea County near Lovington owned at the time by Davis Gas Processing.

That company no longer operates in New Mexico after the plant was closed in December 2021, but on July 20 signed a settlement agreement with NMED and agreed to pay a total of $150,243 for the past violations.

More: $75M oil and gas deal announced in Permian Basin as region leads US in production

The violations of Davis’ permit with NMED stemmed from its reported failure to notify the agency of engine testing and its use of an unapproved testing method.

Representatives from the company did not respond to a request for comment from the Carlsbad Current-Argus.

The facility which processed extracted natural gas operated under permits issued by NMED in May 2017 and May 2020, records show.

More: Oil and gas industry in New Mexico could see higher land rates under federal proposal

The 2017 permit required the company to notify NMED of any engine testing to allow an inspector to be present and set conditions for such a test and how emissions were calculated.

On Dec. 15, 2020, records show an inspector from NMED’s Air Quality Bureau reviewed records of the facility’s emissions reports, noticing pre-test notifications were never submitted.

This was confirmed via a phone call with Davis that same day, read the settlement.

More: New Mexico to investigate PFAS 'forever chemicals' in oil and gas drilling after petition

The inspector reviewed 16 stack test reports from between January 2019 and December 2020, finding Davis conducted the tests without following state protocols for emissions calculations.

Test did not use the NMED-approved method of using a fuel flow meter and used samples more than three months old, violating state requirements, read the settlement.

Instead, the company relied on data from the manufacturer of the equipment, a tactic unapproved by NMED.

More: Oil company's mineral rights in Eddy County upheld by New Mexico Supreme Court

A notice of violation was issued to Davis, and the Bureau offered a settlement of $168,000 in civil penalties for the company to pay.

Davis responded that the fine was “disproportionately high,” records show, arguing neither violation impacted human health or the environment.

The company pointed to the closure of the plant in 2021, contending the permits were cancelled and that the violations should be classified as “minimal” or “minor,” read the settlement, and that a variance was submitted for the testing.

More: Natural gas production set to rise, oil production declines in Permian Basin region

Davis told NMED it would consider an alternate penalty of $22,400 for the lack of a gas meter used in testing, the settlement read.

The Bureau did not agree with Davis’ assessment of the situation, and after negotiations the parties compromised on the final penalty amount.

“The Bureau stated they disagreed that the penalty of $168,000 was disproportionately high, as Davis did not offer any factual basis for a penalty amount reduction,” read the settlement. “The Bureau explained that the alleged testing notification violation jeopardized the integrity of the regulatory program, and thereby represents a significant indirect harm to human health and the environment.”

More: New Mexico could get another $25 million in federal funds to clean up abandoned oil wells

If Davis does not make “timely” payments of the penalty, it could be fined another $1,500 per day under the settlement and cannot contest the final order.

NMED Air Quality Bureau Chief Liz Bisbey-Kuehn said the State intends to hold companies accountable for violations even after they shutter New Mexico operations.

“This penalty sends a strong message to this company and to the entire oil and gas industry that NMED takes compliance seriously,” she said. “We will continue to pursue enforcement actions against companies, even after they shutter their operations in New Mexico.”

More: $300 million Permian Basin oil and gas sale closes as company exits Eagle Ford

The Davis settlement followed a series of enforcement actions taken by NMED in recent months against oil and gas companies in the state’s southeast Permian Basin region.

On June 29, NMED fined Ameredev Operating, based in Austin, Texas, about $40 million for violations reported at five facilities in Lea County NMED said were found excessively flaring – burning off excess natural gas instead of developing a means to store or transport the gas.

That penalty could be negotiated as Ameredev had 30 days after the issuance to respond to NMED’s allegations.

The NMED also reached a $6.2 million settlement in March with Matador Production Company after a complaint was filed jointly by the State and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that said Matador failed to properly control emissions at 25 oil and gas facilities in New Mexico.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: $150K fine issued to natural gas company by State of New Mexico

'Going back into the pot': The Pentagon admits to a stunning $6.2 billion accounting error — which means it can now provide even more aid to Ukraine. Here's exactly what happened


Serah Louis
Wed, July 26, 2023 



'Going back into the pot': The Pentagon admits to a stunning $6.2 billion accounting error — which means it can now provide even more aid to Ukraine. Here's exactly what happened

The Pentagon reported in late June that it overestimated the value of the weapons it supplied to Ukraine by a whopping $6.2 billion over the past two years.

The revelation came just four weeks after the Pentagon initially admitted to an accounting error of at least $3 billion — about half the current estimate. Lawmakers have been pressing the Department of Defense to ensure the funds don’t get diverted into the wrong hands or become subject to fraud.

This new (and apparently final) estimate means the U.S. can provide more arms to Ukraine as it mounts its counteroffensive against Russia.

Here’s what happened

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh explained in a news briefing that a detailed review of the accounting error found the military services used replacement costs instead of the book value of equipment that was drawn from U.S. stocks and provided to Ukraine.

This miscalculation inflated the cost of each new aid package, resulting in an error of $3.6 billion in the current fiscal year and $2.6 billion in the 2022 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30.

Singh said the error in no way “impacted the provision of support to Ukraine.”

But when the Pentagon publicly disclosed the initial $3 billion accounting error in May, some Republican lawmakers believed the mistake may have reduced the amount of support for Ukraine leading up to the counteroffensive.

“The revelation of a three-billion-dollar accounting error discovered two months ago and only today shared with Congress is extremely problematic, to say the least,” wrote House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul and House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers in a joint statement.

“These funds could have been used for extra supplies and weapons for the upcoming counter-offensive, instead of rationing funds to last for the remainder of the fiscal year.”

What the US plans to do with the surplus

While Ukraine has been calling for more aid and President Joe Biden has repeatedly said the U.S. will provide support as long as needed, support has been waning, particularly among Republicans.

Concerns have been raised regarding the costs and indefinite timeline of the Russia-Ukraine war, and a recent survey from the Pew Research Center revealed 44% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe the U.S. is giving too much to Ukraine.

But the revision frees up extra funds in the department’s coffers for further aid, adding to the $34 billion in security assistance the U.S. has already provided to Ukraine since 2021 through June 13.

"It’s just going to go back into the pot of money that we have allocated for the future Pentagon stock drawdowns,” Singh said.

Saguaro cacti collapsing in Arizona extreme heat, scientist says




Saguaro cacti collapsing in Arizona extreme heat, scientist says

Arizona's extreme heat and drought is impacting the state's iconic Saguaro

Tue, July 25, 2023 
By Liliana Salgado

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona's saguaro cacti, a symbol of the U.S. West, are leaning, losing arms and in some cases falling over during the state's record streak of extreme heat, a scientist said on Tuesday.

Summer monsoon rains the cacti rely on have failed to arrive, testing the desert giants' ability to survive in the wild as well as in cities after temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) for 25 days in Phoenix, said Tania Hernandez.

"These plants are adapted to this heat, but at some point the heat needs to cool down and the water needs to come," said Hernandez, a research scientist at Phoenix's 140-acre (57-hectare) Desert Botanical Garden, which has over 2/3 of all cactus species, including saguaros which can grow to over 40 feet (12 meters).

Plant physiologists at the Phoenix garden are studying how much heat cacti can take. Until recently many thought the plants were perfectly adapted to high temperatures and drought. Arizona's heat wave is testing those assumptions.

Cacti need to cool down at night or through rain and mist. If that does not happen they sustain internal damage. Plants now suffering from prolonged, excessive heat may take months or years to die, Hernandez said.

Cacti in Phoenix are being studied as the city is a heat island, mimicking higher temperatures plants in the wild are expected to face with future climate change, Hernandez said.

(Reporting By Liliana Salgado, writing by Andrew Hay; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Arabs in Israel stay on sidelines of raging democracy battle

Wed, July 26, 2023 
By Henriette Chacar

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - As thousands of Israelis blocked roads and scuffled with police over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul, Arab citizens shared online memes of themselves watching the crisis unfold as unfazed spectators.

They make up a fifth of Israel's 9.7 million people and could be among those most impacted by the religious-nationalist government's controversial push to curb the Supreme Court, but they point to deeper concerns than the debate over balance of powers.

"We are in a constant battle for our existence," mused retired teacher Adnan Haj Yahia, 67, in a coffee shop in Taybeh, a central Arab city abuting the occupied West Bank.

Looking at a protest ad covering the front pages of leading Israeli newspapers with the words "a black day for democracy", he said that described daily reality for his community.

Most Arab citizens in Israel are descendants of Palestinians who stayed in the new Israeli state after a 1948 war. Largely self-identifying as Palestinian, they have long pondered their place in politics, balancing their heritage with Israeli nationality.

While others hotly debate the state's identity as Jewish and democratic, Palestinian citizens "have no place in this formula," said attorney Hassan Jabareen, founder of the Haifa-based Adalah rights group.

Jabareen, who has more than two decades of experience petitioning the Supreme Court on minority rights cases, said the court had traditionally been the last line of defence in cases of "extreme, unreasonable discrimination." He cited protecting Arab participation in elections, fair allocation of budgets and rights to live in towns denying Arabs residence.

Still, he said Palestinians, whether they hold Israeli citizenship or live under military occupation, have little hope in an increasingly conservative court that has backed bills such as the 2018 Nation-State Law, which declares only Jews have a right to self-determination.

"Discrimination in Israel is official," said Jabareen. "This is the only state in the world that rejects the idea that the state should be a state of all its citizens."

'TOP PRIORITY IS TO LIVE'

While Israel says it grants them equal rights, many Arabs say they face structural discrimination and hostile policies.

A 2021 report by the Israel Democracy Institute found significant social and economic gaps between Jewish and Arab citizens, with poverty among Arabs more than three times higher.

Arabs are mainly employed in low-income industrial jobs, the report said. They tend to live in overcrowded towns and villages with infrastructure deficiencies and poorer-funded schools.

The danger of weaker oversight on the executive is clear to Palestinian citizens, particularly under a government that has expanded settlements in the occupied West Bank and is made up of senior ministers who whip up sentiment against them, lawmaker Aida Touma-Sliman of the Arab-Jewish Hadash party told Reuters.

Earlier this year the U.S. condemned as incitement to violence comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that a Palestinian village in the West Bank must be "erased" by Israel.

But many are remaining on the sidelines, Touma-Sliman said, as they do not see themselves reflected in a protest movement infused with nationalist and militaristic symbols.

Instead, Palestinian citizens have for months been mobilizing to address a different crisis: record levels of criminal violence rocking their communities.

At least 130 Arab citizens have been killed in crime-related shootings since January, twice the fatalities over the same period last year, according to data gathered by an advocacy group campaigning against the violence.

It is not only the climbing death toll but the paralysing effect organised crime groups have on local communities, who no longer feel safe, said Touma-Sliman.

Community leaders and members have urged the prime minister to take action, accusing the government and police of systemic neglect. Netanyahu, in a rare statement following the killing of five people on a single day in June, said the government "was determined to fight organised crime and restore quiet."

"The Palestinian community is trying to fight for survival," said Touma-Sliman. "The top priority for Palestinians at this point is to live. The top priority for the protesters, the Jewish protesters, is to live in democracy."

(Additional reporting by Ismael Khader; Editing by Michele Kambas and Andrew Cawthorne)

Israel braces for unrest over divisive judicial reform


AFP
Tue, July 25, 2023 

Israel braced for fresh strikes and protests Tuesday following a divisive parliamentary vote on a controversial judicial reform which has split the nation and drawn criticism from allies abroad.

The decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government to push through a key plank of its reforms on Monday has already sparked legal challenges and clashes on the streets.

Opponents were set to keep up months of protests on Tuesday, with doctors walking out.

"The hand, extended for dialogue, was left hanging in the air, as victory celebrations took place symbolising above all a war that only has losers," the head of the Israel Medical Association, Zion Hagay, said in a statement announcing the walkout.

The move came after the Histadrut trade union confederation threatened a repeat of the general strike it called in March over the reforms.

The Israel Bar Association was among numerous groups to file petitions to the Supreme Court aiming to strike down the new legislation.

"A black day for Israeli democracy," read the blackened front pages of three of the country's top newspapers on Tuesday, carrying an advert by opponents of the judicial reforms.

Protesters remained on the streets late into the night following the vote, with student Josh Hakim saying he was "really, really sad about what's happening to this country".

"You see what is happening on the streets, everyone is so angry," he told AFP at a rally near parliament in Jerusalem.

Some 58 people were arrested at demonstrations, the police said, among them protesters in Tel Aviv, which has become the focal point of one of the country's largest ever protest movements.

Police said one person was arrested for allegedly harming demonstrators, with protest organisers saying he drove a car into people blocking a highway.

Officers used water cannon to disperse protesters on a major road through Tel Aviv, where the crowd waved Israeli flags.

- Opposition slams 'puppet' PM -

Netanyahu failed to appease opponents with a televised address late Monday, in which he pledged to hold talks during the upcoming parliamentary recess.

"Reach a comprehensive agreement on everything and we will add more time should it be needed," he said.

The embattled premier showed signs of fatigue in the chamber, as he sat between his defence and justice ministers just a day after unscheduled surgery to fit a pacemaker.

Netanyahu defended the new law, which limits the powers of the Supreme Court in striking down government decisions, as a "necessary democratic step".

Deep divisions within his own coalition and mass protests prompted the premier to temporarily halt the legislative process in March, but within weeks politicians were blaming each other for the breakdown in negotiations.

On Monday, the opposition walked out of the chamber to boycott the vote, which passed with 64 votes in the 120-seat chamber.

Opposition chief Yair Lapid slammed Netanyahu's "unprecedented performance of weakness".

"There is no prime minister in Israel. Netanyahu has become a puppet of messianic extremists," he said, a reference to the premier's far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies.

The political instability has raised alarm among Israel's allies abroad.

The White House described the vote as "unfortunate". A German foreign ministry source said: "We look with great concern at the deepening tensions in Israeli society."

bur-rsc/jd/kir

Clean energy push in New Jersey, elsewhere met with warnings the government is coming for your stove






Clean Energy Pushback

Natural gas burns on a kitchen stove in Atlantic City N.J., Thursday, July 26, 2023. Government pushes to move buildings and vehicles away from burning fossil fuels to help address climate change are generating pushback in New Jersey and around the nation, with opponents worried about the cost of switching. 

(AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

WAYNE PARRY
Updated Wed, July 26, 2023

BRICK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is pushing an ambitious agenda to move its more than 9 million residents away from natural gas and gasoline to heat their homes and power their cars, in favor of electricity to do the job of both.

But like many other places in the country, the moves, designed to lessen the harmful impact of burning fossil fuels on the planet’s climate, are garnering significant opposition from foes who warn that the government is coming to take away your stove and your car.

New Jersey utility regulators on Wednesday approved a series of “decarbonization” measures designed to incentivize buildings to switch from natural gas heat to electric. Participation in the programs is strictly voluntary, according to the chairman of the state Board of Public Utilities, who lashed out against “misinformation and lies” being circulated by opponents.

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has said he wants only “zero-emissions” vehicles to be available in the state by 2035.

Taken together, they represent aggressive steps to move away from fossil fuel use.

"We build upon our nation-leading record of bold climate action while delivering on our promise to utilize every tool at our disposal to combat the intensifying climate crisis,” Murphy said earlier this month in announcing the requirement that manufacturers ramp up their production of electric vehicles, reaching 100% by 2035.

“No one is coming for anyone’s gas stove,” the governor said. "No one is walking into anyone’s kitchen. No one is going to be forced to do anything, in any way.”

But to opponents, the moves represent serious and costly government overreach, which will inevitably need to be enforced by bans.

“New Jerseyans are learning that the ultimate goal of ‘building decarbonization’ and Gov. Murphy’s extreme green energy plan is the elimination of affordable natural gas and the extremely costly replacement of gas stoves, furnaces, and hot water heaters,” said Republican state Sen. Anthony Bucco. “They’re realizing there’s no way to fully electrify the entire state without bans, mandates, expensive conversions, and higher energy bills."

The programs approved Wednesday by the Board of Public Utilities include goals and targets for buildings to install heat pumps instead of natural gas cooling and heating equipment.

These devices move heat between the air inside a home and the air outside a home, while ground source heat pumps transfer heat between the air inside a home and the ground outside a home. Low-income households would qualify for financial assistance to purchase and install them.

“Without a doubt, this will kick-start to the next generation of energy efficiency in New Jersey,” said the board's chairman, Joseph Fiordaliso. “We are encouraging folks to move to energy efficiency. Notice I said ‘encouraging.’ We are not requiring. We are not mandating anyone to give up their gas stove. I cannot emphasize more that we are not mandating anything. So, enough of the misinformation out there.”

Decarbonization of buildings is a critical component in New Jersey's energy master plan and is the focus of an executive order by the governor to install zero-carbon-emission space heating and cooling systems in 400,000 homes and 20,000 commercial properties, and make 10% of all low-to-moderate income properties electrification-ready by 2030.

It's already happening in places like Berkeley, California, which in 2019 voted to ban natural gas connections in all new construction. San Francisco and New York City soon followed.

But other places, particularly those with Republican-led governments, are resisting. As of June, 24 states have adopted laws prohibiting natural gas bans. They call the laws “pre-emption” measures.

New Jersey's business community is concerned with the cost of Murphy's proposals, which some opponents have put at more than $1 trillion.

“While we should all work to reduce carbon emissions, the ban of gas-powered cars in such an expedited time frame does not take costs or feasibility into account, and it is likely to result in a major increase in New Jersey residents who actually won’t be able to afford to drive," said Ray Cantor, an official with the New Jersey Business And Industry Association.

“The governor’s plan will make new cars virtually unaffordable for working and middle-class consumers and will severely limit vehicle consumer choice,” added Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers.

But the state's environmental community strongly supports the switches.

“Building electrification is environmental protection from the inside out,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, state director of the Sierra Club. “Modern electric technologies are crucial to making our communities more resilient to extreme weather and are far more efficient than fossil-fuel alternatives. Our clean energy transition not only happens out there on our grids, but also right here in our homes and shared spaces so that we can all breathe easier while taking action to reduce harmful climate pollutants.”

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Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC

Dioxycle raises $17 million for its electrolyzer that turns CO2 into ethylene


Romain Dillet
Updated Wed, July 26, 2023 

Dioxycle is a carbon transformation startup that is working on a new process to produce ethylene at scale using recycled carbon emissions. Ethylene is used in packaging, clothing, PVC-based sewage pipes, car interiors and more. And the company recently raised a $17 million funding round co-led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital, with Gigascale Capital also participating.

Dioxycle’s main product is a proprietary electrolyzer that uses water, CO2 and electricity as input. In addition to ethylene, the electrolyzer also rejects oxygen. Originally based in France, the startup wants to work with both French and American clients.

“CO2 is very low in energy -- it's a combustion waste, there's no energy left in CO2. So we have to provide a source of energy to make this conversion. And we’re using electricity at the connectors of this electrolyzer to enable this conversion of CO2 into ethylene,” co-founder and CEO Sarah Lamaison told me. “So, basically, you've got CO2 coming into our machine through a pipe, and this CO2 is going to be distributed over lots of catalytic cores, which are stacked on top of each other to increase the surface area available for the reaction.”

Electrolysis is nothing new, but the main issue with this process is that it requires a lot of input electrical energy. “The tricky thing with this technology is working on a way to make this conversion as energy-efficient as possible, because that's what increases the costs of your reaction. Electricity will account for around 50% of your cost, in fact, so that's huge,” Lamaison said.

Dioxycle has been designing its own catalytic cores with special metal alloys in order to improve the efficiency of the process. The startup tries to maximize the exposure time of CO2 and minimize all potential efficiency losses.

A green discount

The other thing that can make a technology like Dioxycle’s technology attractive is that it can be integrated in factories that produce a lot of carbon emissions and that use ethylene as a source material. This way, the factory can greatly improve its carbon footprint in two different ways. It can reduce its carbon emissions and it doesn’t have to buy as much ethylene from third-party suppliers — ethylene is usually produced using fossil fuels, such as petroleum derivatives.

In addition to the raw material that is used to produce ethylene, the usual transformation process is also responsible of many carbon emissions. In France, ethylene is the third most polluting material behind steel and concrete.

But potential clients also want the cheapest ethylene they can find. This is going to be key for Dioxycle’s long-term success. After two and a half years working on several internal proofs of concept, Dioxycle’s process has become better and better over time.

With today’s funding round, the company plans to roll out its first industrial prototype in a factory. The startup could also receive some public funding in the near future in addition to the funding round — the industrial prototype could be co-financed as a public/private partnership.

“We want to roll out our product in France, because there's a huge amount of decarbonized electricity available right now. Today, we're optimizing our carbon footprint by using the most carbon-free electricity possible,” Lamaison said.

Dioxycle also plans to sell its technology to American companies as there are a lot of incentives with the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Bill. With a recently introduced tax credit, it makes a lot of sense to capture and/or transform carbon emissions as part of your industrial process.

“That’s how we’re introducing the notion of green discount, as opposed to the well-known notion of green premium, which is the extra cost you pay for a green product versus a fossil fuel-based product,” Lamaison said. “Our process is so efficient in this respect that we can produce ethylene that is cost-competitive with fossil ethylene,” Lamaison said.

Image Credits: Dioxycle