Biden EPA to make it easier for states to block fossil fuel projects

Ella Nilsen - CNN

The Biden administration unveiled a plan Thursday to undo Trump-era rule changes to a key section of the Clean Water Act, essentially giving states, territories and tribes more say on fossil fuel or industrial projects that could pollute their watersheds.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule centers on Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, a longstanding provision that gives states more authority to certify or deny federal permits that are necessary for certain projects, including oil and gas pipelines.

Section 401 became a flashpoint in the Trump administration between Democratic governors with ambitious climate goals and Trump officials who wanted to promote more fossil fuel projects.

In some states, including Washington and New York, Democratic governors used that authority during the Trump administration to deny permits for fossil fuel projects. That caused Trump’s EPA to revise the regulation – shortening the amount of time states could have to make a determination and saying states could only consider water quality issues in the process.

The Trump-era change was part of that administration’s policies to streamline permitting processes for fossil fuel projects.

Biden’s EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced last year the agency planned to overturn the Trump rule and restore full authority to states. Thursday’s announcement marked a major step in the process.

In a statement, Regan emphasized that the agency tried to find middle ground between giving states, territories and tribes more say on their water, while also not hindering infrastructure around the country.

“EPA’s proposed rule builds on this foundation by empowering states, territories, and Tribes to use Congressionally granted authority to protect precious water resources while supporting much-needed infrastructure projects that create jobs and bolster our economy,” Regan said.

The EPA says the rule change will streamline the permitting process, setting a reasonable period of time for states to certify projects, giving them up to a year. It also restores a broader scope of review for states, territories and tribes certifying project to determine whether a project will harm their waterways. The new rule also calls for project proponents to actively engage with the states that are in charge of signing off on projects.

Julia Anastasio, executive director and general counsel for the Association of Clean Water Administrators, told CNN she believed the agency had struck a middle ground between permitting projects and giving states a say, adding the process under the Trump administration was often confusing and lacked coordination between federal agencies and states.

“It seems as if the agency thoughtfully considered the comments and concerns of their co-regulatory partners (the states) and restored the balance of cooperative federalism,” Anastasio said.

In a statement, American Gas Association president Karen Harbert said states have dragged their feet on certifying projects and expressed concern about the Biden EPA changes.

“It should not take longer to get the permits and permissions for a pipeline than it does to build one,” Harbert said. “We are concerned that the proposed rule will veer from the intent that Congress had when authoring the Clean Water Act and will allow some states to delay and increase costs for essential energy infrastructure.”

EPA will take public comment on the proposed rule for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

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Taser-equipped drones in the works to stop school shootings — despite ethics concerns

Kathryn Mannie - 


© Zou Xunyong/Getty Images

A police drone carries 95-1 assault rifle in a drill on January 9, 2022 in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province of China.

Axon, the maker of Taser brand stun guns, announced Thursday that they have begun developing weaponized drones that can be deployed to stop mass shooters. Mere hours later, Axon's own ethics board made a public statement condemning the project.

Axon's plan to develop "a non-lethal, remotely-operated TASER drone system" comes on the heels of a number of deadly mass shooting events that have rocked the United States in recent weeks, including a school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

"Today, the only viable response to a mass shooter is another person with a gun," Axon CEO and founder Rick Smith wrote in the announcement. "In the aftermath of these events, we get stuck in fruitless debates. We need new and better solutions."

"Now is the time to make this technology a reality — and to begin a robust public discussion around how to ethically introduce non-lethal drones into schools," Smith continued.

Axon proposes to use a system of cameras and sensors to detect shooters. First responders would then pilot the drones with the aim of "incapacitating an active shooter in less than 60 seconds."

Sorrow, anger grows as funerals set to begin for Uvalde school shooting victims

But not everyone at Axon was in agreement on this decision, as evidenced by an Axon ethics board statement that came out just hours after the new drone system was announced, saying that the new project gives them "considerable pause."

The ethics board wrote that Axon came to them a year ago with the idea for Taser-equipped drones, but the project was much more limited and would have only been used by police.

"A majority of the ethics board last month ultimately voted against Axon moving forward, even on those limited terms," wrote the board. "Now, Axon has announced it would not limit the technology to policing agencies, but would make it more widely available. And the surveillance aspect of this proposal is wholly new to us."

"Reasonable minds can differ on the merits of police-controlled Taser-equipped drones — our own board disagreed internally — but we unanimously are concerned with the process Axon has employed regarding this idea of drones in school classrooms."

In response to this pushback from the ethics board, Smith tweeted that he agrees with their concerns, writing "there are many questions we will need to answer to ensure these systems are designed for maximum safety & with equity in mind. That’s the exact reason why I decided to go public: to broaden the discussion with many stakeholders."


The ethics board is advisory, so Axon isn't beholden to their recommendations. Its members include privacy advocates, former police chiefs, civil rights advocates and computer scientists.

Three years ago, however, Axon decided not to add a facial recognition feature to police body cameras after a report from the ethics board.

Danielle Citron, a member of the ethics board and a University of Virginia law professor, told NBC News there is a likelihood that some or all of the ethics board members will resign due to the weaponized drone project.

"There's a lot of disappointment, but a lot of us don't want to be hasty and lose the chance to have an influence," she said. "If we all resign, then who's there?"

Axon has long factored in to public debates about police and surveillance equipment.

In 2017, Reuters found that more than 1,000 people in the U.S. had died after being stunned with Tasers. The stun gun itself was ruled as the cause of death or a contributing factor in 153 deaths.

Report From China Says Nio Is Hiring For Manufacturing Positions In The US

Andrei Nedelea - Saturday


© InsideEVsNIO ET5 tooling trial production


1 of 7 Photos in Gallery©© insideEvs.com Copyright
NIO ES6 production

If this report is true, then it would confirm other rumors that Nio was looking to set up manufacturing in America.

Rumors have been floating around for months that Nio is looking to set up a manufacturing location in the United States, but today is not the day we get official confirmation. We instead came across some information that indirectly confirms it, this time straight from China, claiming that Nio is already hiring people for manufacturing-related jobs in the US, even though it has not officially announced building the facility.

According to Yicai, Nio (known in China by its company name, Wei Lai) is not only hiring people for manufacturing-related jobs, but is also looking to build a factory in the United States. We don’t yet know if it will purchase an already existing plant and repurpose it or build one from scratch in a new location.

They are also looking for an experienced designer with 10 years or more of blueprint planning and design experience for for an established automaker. It is in this particular job description that it is directly stated that the person to be appointed for this position would be

Responsible for above two experience of general drawing projects, including at least one US factory project.

The others are infrastructure experts, logistics managers and park planning experts, exactly the kind of professionals they would need to set up a factory. Nio already has a research and development center in the United States, in San Jose, California, where its American headquarters are also located.


And the way the job ad is phrased, it makes it perfectly clear that Nio may not stop at just having one factory in the US if things go according to plan.

Nio is also looking to open a new R&D center in Singapore, which will focus on the development of self-driving technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Singapore was apparently chosen because it would enable Nio to link its facility up with local science and research institutions; the country’s financial sector is also very well connected and this too would be useful for the automaker.

The company also has a design office open in Munich, right in the heart of the German automotive industry, in Bavaria. Nio’s expansion strategy is seen as aggressive by industry analysts who point to the fact that it now wants to expand into Europe, Southeast Asia and North America; last year it built around 200,000 vehicles, most of which were sold in China.

Procurement minister defends shipbuilding plan amid challenges

OTTAWA — Canada's procurement minister is defending the federal government's nearly $100-billion plan to build new coast guard and naval ships as delays, cost overruns and other emerging difficulties raise fresh questions about its long-term viability and worth.



Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi voiced support for the shipbuilding plan at a major arms industry conference on Thursday, one day after a Halifax shipyard publicly warned Canada’s new warship fleet could be delayed without additional federal funding.

In a breakfast address to hundreds of industry representatives, military officers and government officials, Tassi said the strategy is starting to deliver much-needed ships to the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard while creating thousands of jobs.

“This past year, we have had setbacks as all industries have with the fallout from the pandemic,” Tassi added. “Despite this, we continue to make progress.”

Among the ships so far delivered are the first two Arctic patrol vessels for the navy and three fishery science vessels for the coast guard.

The plan is also supporting about 17,000 jobs across Canada's marine industry, according to the government, and resulted in about $1.8 billion per year in economic activity since 2012.

Yet virtually every remaining vessel is currently behind schedule while the overall cost of the program has skyrocketed since it was launched in earnest more than a decade ago — with even more delays and cost overruns looming.

The minister did not mention Irving Shipbuilding’s request for additional federal funds in her speech, but instead praised the Halifax shipyard and Vancouver-based Seaspan Shipyards for pressing ahead despite the pandemic and other challenges.

She also surprised many by expressing confidence in the government’s talks with Chantier Davie, which have dragged on for more than two years after the Quebec-based shipyard was shortlisted in late 2019 to become the shipbuilding program’s third yard.

“We are making progress on this complex, multi-step process,” she said. “Chantier Davie has proven a valuable partner in the past, and we know they will continue to be an important part of the shipbuilding and ship repair landscape in this country.”


In an interview after her speech, Tassi said the government is doing its due diligence to ensure that Davie can meet its requirements and deliver the seven new coast guard icebreakers that it will be tasked with building.

“We don't want to have a situation where we rush through something, we don't get it right, we expedite for the purpose of expediting, but not being accountable to what is actually required,” she said.

“At the end of the day, success means that we do take the time to ensure that all the qualifications are met. Chantier Davie has been fantastic in that dialogue back and forth. We are making significant headway. We have worked very closely together.”

Officials previously said they expected a final deal with Davie by the end of 2020, but that didn’t happen. The last official update last summer said the government had revised that schedule to the end of 2021, a deadline it also missed.

The delay is fuelling fears about the Canadian Coast Guard's aging fleet, which has lost several ships in recent years and whose icebreaker fleet is on its last legs.

Tassi also confirmed the government is in talks with Irving Shipbuilding about its request for federal funds to upgrade its shipyard, but would not provide further details.

Irving Shipbuilding president Kevin Mooney on Wednesday warned the current plan to start cutting steel on the navy’s new warship fleet in mid-2024 is contingent on the company getting additional funding by early next year.

“I can't get into details in terms of the discussions that are taking place,” Tassi said. “But the discussions have been ongoing. We are monitoring the situation very closely.”

Irving Shipbuilding’s warning is only the latest in a series of challenges to the shipbuilding plan, which was already facing challenges even before the COVID-19 pandemic and skyrocketing inflation threatened additional costs and delays.

Federal bureaucrats in April told a parliamentary committee that more cost overruns and delays were on the horizon for the delivery as "significant challenges" battered the shipbuilding program.

Tassi acknowledged those challenges in the interview, but insisted the plan is nonetheless delivering on its promise with new Canadian-built ships already in the water and more on the way, all while creating jobs and economic spinoffs.

“Being able to walk on the floor of these shipyards and talk to the workers, see the innovation, see the pride and see what's produced at the end of the day, is something I want Canadians to be able to feel,” she said.

“It's just something that we can take pride in.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2022.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

Canada's minister of sport launching financial audit of Hockey Canada following lawsuit

CBC/Radio-Canada - Yesterday 


Canada's sports minister has ordered a forensic audit of Hockey Canada after the organization recently settled a lawsuit with a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by multiple members of Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team.

Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge, seen in February, has ordered a financial audit into whether public funds were used in the Hockey Canada settlement of a lawsuit.

Pascale St-Onge said she was "shocked and angry" and said an investigation will be carried out to ensure public funds were not used in an out-of-court settlement to "cover up" the story.

TSN was the first to report on the lawsuit.

The plaintiff, identified as "E.M." in court records, claimed she was repeatedly assaulted while intoxicated in a London, Ont. hotel room in 2018 following a Hockey Canada event honouring the gold medal-winning junior team.

The woman, now 24, was seeking $3.55 million in damages.

Details of the settlement were not released.

None of the allegations against the players have been proven in court.


Bloc Quebecois MP Sebastien Lemire, who introduced Thursday's motion in the House of Commons calling for an investigation, said he was "outraged" by the allegations.
St-Onge says Canadians deserve to know

"How do we learn [about this] four years after the fact?" he asked. "Have we covered up charges of sex scandal allegations involving Hockey Canada players?"

St-Onge said Canadians deserve to know the truth.

In a statement released on May 26, Hockey Canada said the plaintiff chose not to speak with the both the police and Hockey Canada's independent investigator.

The organization also said the woman did not want to identify the players involved.

"This was her right and we fully respect her wishes," the statement said.

The National Hockey League also launched an investigation into the allegations.

"We will endeavour to determine the underlying facts and, to the extent this may involve players who are now in the NHL, we will determine what action, if any, would be appropriate," the league said in statement.

Conservative leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre tables bill to ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates

John Paul Tasker - 

Conservative leadership contender Pierre Poilievre has tabled a bill in the House of Commons that, if passed, would prohibit the federal government from imposing vaccine mandates on federal workers and the travelling public.

Poilievre, who has been a vocal opponent of mandates since the convoy of protesters against vaccine mandates rolled into Ottawa earlier this year, said he's tabling this legislation now "to give Canadians back control of their lives."

"I have met countless people and heard endless tragic stories of people separated from family members by their inability to get on an airplane or people languishing without a paycheque, despite having a spotless track record serving their employer over many years," Poilievre said while introducing the legislation Thursday.

"These mandates have become nothing more than a cruel attempt to demonize a small minority. They are absolutely unnecessary and without any scientific basis."
Most Canadians fully vaccinated

The existing mandates affect do only a fraction of the population — the vast majority of Canadians have already had at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. According to the latest figures, more than 86 per cent of all Canadians over the age of five are considered "fully vaccinated."

While the text of Poilievre's bill, C-278, explicitly mentions only COVID-19-related vaccine mandates, his social media accounts promoted the legislation as a way to "scrap all vaccine mandates and ban any and all future vaccine mandates" to give people their "medical freedom."

There is nothing in the legislation that would tie the hands of a future government that wants to impose another vaccine mandate down the line.

The bill follows Poilievre's past overtures to a small but politically organized group of voters who vehemently oppose all COVID-19 related restrictions, most of which have already been dismantled by provincial and territorial governments.

Former Quebec premier Jean Charest, another leadership contender challenging Poilievre for the top job, said Poilievre's vaccine mandate legislation sends an ominous signal.

"It's not clear whether Poilievre will procure vaccines for Canadians in a future pandemic," Charest said in a social media post.

"The only way to stop this is with a serious leader who won't risk the health and well-being of millions of Canadians for his own power," he said while urging Canadians to take out a Conservative party membership before Friday's deadline and vote in this leadership election.
Federal vaccine mandates remain in place a year on

Late last summer, the Liberal government introduced an order that demands all federal public servants, workers in federally regulated industries and the transportation sector and members of the travelling public get their COVID-19 shots if they want to go to work, fly on a plane or travel by interprovincial train.

Nearly a year later, the mandate remains in place.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said in March that the government was considering a shift from "an emphasis on requirements to recommendations," while also promising a "review" of all existing mandates.

At the time, Tam said all federal vaccine mandates should be re-examined because the science tells us the primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine — the first two doses — offers very little protection against an Omicron infection.

Asked about that review last month, Tam said it is "still ongoing" and deferred to the government, which has held firm on its two-dose mandate.
Tories demand Ottawa end all COVID-19 travel measures

With the support of the other opposition parties, the vast majority of Liberal MPs voted down a Conservative motion this week that called for the government to revert to pre-pandemic rules for travel by dumping vaccine mandates, random COVID-19 tests and the requirement that international travellers answer pandemic-related questions on the ArriveCAN app.

Poilievre wasn't in the chamber for a vote on the motion. That prompted criticism from Brampton, Ont., Mayor Patrick Brown, another leadership rival, who said Poilievre's opposition to vaccine mandates was just for show.

"Pierre Poilievre claims to oppose vaccine mandates. But when the Conservative Party of Canada put forward a motion to end all travel mandates ... Pierre didn't support it," Brown said in a social media post.

Poilievre said he intended to vote for the Conservative motion but he experienced "a technical problem" when joining the parliamentary debate remotely from Thunder Bay, Ont.

Poilievre said Thursday it was time for the government to move on from pandemic measures that have become a feature of Canadian life during this health crisis.

"We are an outlier here in Canada today. Most countries have removed mandates for travel, including the U.K., Germany, Italy, Thailand, Poland, Argentina, Chile and many others. All provinces have now removed vaccine mandates. The five big banks have done likewise, and public sector unions have even begun legal actions to remove these discriminatory mandates," Poilievre said.

Poilievre's legislation, a private member's bill, isn't likely to pass through a Commons controlled by the Liberal-NDP alliance.

These types of bills also take months, and sometimes years, to pass through all the legislative phases in both houses of Parliament, which means the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates may already be gone before this bill ever gets to a vote.

'A national shame,' say advocates about lack of progress on MMIWG action plan

Ka’nhehsí:io Deer - Today


A year into a national action plan to end violence against Indigenous women, advocates say little has been done and more accountability is needed from the federal government.

"It is with deep disappointment and frustration that I say the lack of accountability is staggering and unacceptable," said Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle, during a press conference held at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., on Friday.

The National Family and Survivors Circle (NFSC) made significant contributions to the development of the national action plan, which was released June 3, 2021, on the second anniversary of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' final report.

The inquiry concluded that the violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls amounts to genocide and identified 231 Calls for Justice, including the call for a national action plan to be developed.
'This genocide will continue'

However, contributors to the plan say little has been done thus far, especially on the calls for justice that relate to setting up accountability mechanisms and better tracking of data.

"It's a very difficult process to move forward on and hold individuals accountable if they have no mechanisms in place," said Anderson-Pyrz.

The NFSC said one of its critical recommendations called on governments to establish an oversight body in the form of a National Indigenous Human Rights Ombudsperson and a National Indigenous Human Rights Tribunal before June 3, 2022.

Neither have been established.

"This is a national shame," said Anderson-Pyrz. "It is also dangerous, each day of inaction in this area leads directly to the tragic loss of human life."

She listed the names of five Indigenous women across Canada who died by homicide since March: Tytiana Janvier, Chelsea Poorman, Doris Trout, Rebecca Contois, her own niece Tessa Perry, as well as the recent declaration for a coroner's inquest that the death of Chantel Moore was a homicide.

"Without the political will to create transformative change, this genocide will continue," said Anderson-Pyrz.

Sylvia Maracle, executive director of the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, expressed similar concerns on behalf of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.

"We're also waiting for systemic change," said Maracle.

"We're waiting for a return to power and place, and that requires a great deal of public education go on so that we can combat the sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia in Canada."

The national action plan included 23 short-term priorities to start within the next one-to-three years, such as public awareness campaigns, a nationwide emergency number, and a national task force to review and re-investigate unresolved files of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

According to a progress report, over $508.8 million in funding has been announced since 2021 for various initiatives aimed at prevention and to directly support families and survivors. The report said that many plans are in the early stages or have not been started yet.

"Things aren't moving fast enough, but they are moving forward," said Marc Miller, minister of Crown–Indigenous relations.

"This isn't the opportunity today for anyone to be patting themselves on the back or making any excuses."
Native Women's Association gives feds a failing grade

The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) was also critical of the government's progress.

It published a score card, giving the government a failing grade for its "minimal actions."

"Their plan is flawed," said Lynne Groulx, NWAC's CEO.

"They have all the experts. They have all the information. They have all the resources at their disposal. Why can't they put those elements together and just do it?"

The organization did not participate in co-developing the action plan, citing problems with the process, and released its own costed plan to address the inquiry's call for justice. Groulx said NWAC completed 40 of its own 66 proposed actions.

"If we can do that with our very limited resources … why can't the big government of Canada move forward with more actions?" she said.

PAKISTAN

My father survived the Karsaz bombing; each new terror attack takes us back there

The mental health impact of living with terrorism day in and day out remains an invisible cost that is unfactored and uncared for.

Preh Memon Published June 1, 2022 -

Over the last few decades, there is a severe burden of ‘resilience’ that has been thrust upon the inhabitants of some large cities in Pakistan, whether it is in the form of persistent rates of crime, diseased public utilities, unbreathable air, floundering healthcare or dismal transportation infrastructure.

This oft-romanticised resilience is once more being demanded by the state as citizens of cities like Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar are again being pushed into an unhappy reunion with an affliction that has reared its ugly head after a relative lull — accelerating terror attacks at home.

Deadly incidents of this nature are cause for serious emotional instability among residents of these cities. But by now, many locals have whittled down emotional survival to a fairly simple and linear process:

Internal security event → temporary panic and lament of said event → desensitisation → next internal security event → repeat.

It may seem somewhat callous to reduce this to such a mechanical progression, but the defence mechanisms adopted by those who live in the midst of frequent terrorism are not really up for judgment. If sanity is to be preserved, some form of detachment is necessary. And as someone who has personally employed this process many times in the past, I can say that it works, and works well at that.

Until your father is present at the site of a bombing. Then the process comes crashing down.

When calamity hits home

Karachi, 18th October 2007: Celebrations of Benazir Bhutto’s return to Pakistan were met with two bombs ripping through Karsaz in quick succession, killing nearly 200 people and injuring 500 others. Jammers were activated, emergency was declared, and public healthcare facilities were put on high alert. My father was drowning somewhere in this sea of deadly chaos.

The rest of us were home when the news found us. On hearing it, my mother lost all sensation in her legs and collapsed. We began dialling my father’s mobile phone number but couldn’t get through because of the jammers. There was no way of knowing if he was safe, or injured, or even alive.

The only information we could get was coming from our television set — all I remember of it now is a crimson BREAKING NEWS template designed to incite fear and a casualty count that was escalating with horrifying frequency. We kept dialling my father’s number desperately in the hope that we could break through the infrastructural blockade imposed by the state. The minutes kept passing and panic kept mounting.

At this point, there is no formula or process in the world that can help you.

You’d think crying would come naturally at this time but it doesn’t; you are too gripped by fear to respond as you normally would. Your heart throbs and you lose basic bodily control. You are gasping for air and trembling all over, and it is a Herculean task to collect yourself enough to focus on dialling a number, over and over again.

As soon as they could, my father’s brothers and cousins set off to find him — I vaguely remember one of them rushing into the car without his shoes on. They didn’t think about what would happen if another bomb went off in a city that appeared to be under the control of terrorists. Frankly, I don’t think they cared. The meaning of family truly comes through in times of crisis, and if there’s one thing to be grateful for in a society where relationships are unravelling constantly, it is to have the support of loved ones who prioritise those bonds above all else. But that’s a subject for another time.

Hurt is good

Soon after they left, we received a phone call from my mother’s sister in Hyderabad. She had somehow miraculously gotten through to him. “He’s hurt,” she told us.

How hurt, she could not say — she had only spoken to him for a few seconds. In the days that passed, we would come to learn that shrapnel from the bomb had pierced through his torso and legs, lodging pieces of metal deep inside his body and permanently damaging a large part of his intestinal tract.

But at that time, ‘he’s hurt’ was good to hear. We were happy with hurt because hurt meant alive, and alive meant hope. My father had found his way to an ambulance that was taking him to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre — a designated hospital for injuries and casualties — but he eventually ended up at (what is now known as) the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

The cosmic irony of the situation is still astounding — at the time, my father was employed at the Civil Hospital as Professor of Surgery. Had any patient in his condition come to the hospital that night, they would have been surgically operated on by my father and his team. And yet here he was, bleeding profusely out of his abdomen, playing the role of patient instead of surgeon.

As word spread through the hospital that one of their own was injured, a team of healthcare workers began stabilising him for surgery. He was operated on at around dawn, some hours after hell exploded in Karsaz. My father lost half his intestines that morning in a procedure known as a hemicolectomy. He was in intensive care for the weeks that followed. Metal still remains lodged in his body, buried deep in his bones. But he is with us today. Words cannot express how grateful we are for this, and all of us pray constantly for his sustained health.

The scars that never heal

Words can, however, attempt to convey the depth of trauma we were exposed to as a family that night, and the lasting impact it has had. Nearly 15 years later, I have still not been able to talk about it. I can only write about the horror of October 18th, protected by the façade of screens and the comfort of one-way communication. If the bombing comes up in conversation, I change the topic; when I fail at that, I leave the room. That period of my life haunts me completely and is triggered every time there is a terror attack in Pakistan, especially in my hometown Karachi.

As one can imagine, it has been particularly difficult to deal with the spate of IED bombings in Karachi these past few months. Nights have been spent with tears, terror, and trauma as memories of 2007 find their way into bedtime thoughts and nightmares.

There is little hope for stability that can be offered by a leadership that is forever dancing with these forces of terror, sometimes in negotiation and at other times in battle with them. Loss of innocent life remains an unrelenting theme in Pakistan. The mental health impact of living with terrorism day in and day out remains an invisible cost that goes unfactored and uncared for. We are mentally breaking down inside. But so long as we appear functional on the surface, who really cares about what’s going on internally?

Some among us are still able to deal with terrorism using the standard emotional survival process mentioned at the beginning of this piece. My own emotional response, unfortunately, has changed. It now goes:

Internal security event → terror → incapacitation → next internal security event → repeat.

Header illustration: Panuwach/ Shutterstock.com

The author is a business graduate with an interest in politics, law and systemic reform. Aside from her professional pursuits, she writes short stories

PAKISTAN

Tax tobacco now

Zafar Mirza Published June 3, 2022 - 

THE time is ripe for a heavy tax to be slapped on consumer items that have proved to be harmful such as tobacco products and sugary drinks. Such a measure would be good for public health and will support the ailing economy. Smoking is on the rise, and a cash-strapped Pakistan desperately needs revenue. The IMF supports such taxes and tobacco excises in Pakistan are way below the recommended global level.

Tobacco is lethal. Of the eight million deaths that occur globally each year due to tobacco use, 170,000 are in Pakistan — to put it into perspective, the total deaths from Covid-19 in Pakistan were around 31,000. Tobacco causes 20 different kinds of cancers and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Ninety per cent of lung cancer detected in males is attributed to tobacco use.

Read more: Big tobacco’s environmental impact is devastating: WHO

Whereas tobacco use is on the decline globally, smoking rates are going up in Pakistan, most disturbingly among children and women. The prevalence of tobacco use in Pakistan is around 24pc, and 10.7pc of the youth aged between13 and 15 years are smoking. With a high population growth rate and 62.7pc of the population under 25, Pakistani youth are a great market for the tobacco industry where children serve as replacement customers.


In view of the uncontrolled tobacco pandemic, the first ever global public health treaty — the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) — was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2003. Pakistan is a member. This comprehensive treaty covers almost all determinants of tobacco use: legislation and governance; measures for countering the tobacco industry’s interference; strengthening tobacco taxation; banning advertisements, transforming packaging; tobacco cessation and treatment for dependence.


Of the 8m deaths that occur globally each year due to tobacco use, 170,000 are in Pakistan.

Article 6 of the FCTC specifically deals with ‘Price and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco’. Analyses show that a tax increase that escalates tobacco prices by 10pc decreases tobacco consumption by about 4pc to 5pc.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended at least a 70pc share of excise taxes on the retail price of tobacco products, whereas currently in Pakistan, the federal excise duty is around 45pc. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) divides cigarettes into expensive and inexpensive categories. The market share of expensive cigarettes is only 12.2pc, whereas the bulk ie 87.8pc, is made up of cigarettes that cost less than Rs119.2 per pack. The current FED on the retail price of expensive cigarettes is Rs104 and on inexpensive cigarettes it is only Rs33.

Read: ‘Around 1,200 children take up smoking every day in Pakistan’

The Social Policy Dialogue Centre, WHO, The Union, Vital Strategies and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids have jointly produced a Tobacco Fact Sheet 2022 for Pakistan in which they have analysed and argued that since FED on cigarettes has not increased since July 2019, adjusting for inflation and income, cigarettes have become more affordable today. The SPDC et al have also made a budget proposal to increase FED from Rs33 to Rs42.9 on inexpensive cigarettes and from Rs104 to Rs135.2 on the high price tier. This would increase the weighted average of FED to 54.16pc, still around 16pc less than the recommended level of 70pc.

According to calculations based on data from the State Bank of Pakistan and the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics in 2021, Pakistanis are annually smoking cigarettes that are collectively worth Rs347 billion, whereas the total costs of smoking-related diseases and deaths in Pakistan is Rs615.07bn. And according to FBR, in fiscal year 2020-21, the revenue collected from cigarettes was a mere Rs135bn.

One of the reasons why Pakistan is falling into a debt trap is insufficient revenue generation. Our current funding programme with the IMF has stalled because of our slow progress on reforms. High tobacco taxation, however, is one area that the IMF also recommends. In 2016, the Fund came out explicitly with its position on tobacco taxation through a published paper titled How to Design and Enforce Tobacco Excises? At the outset, the paper mentioned that “…tobacco is one of the most prominent killers of our times”, that “Taxes can be a powerful instrument to decrease tobacco consumption” and that “…tobacco-related revenue can in some cases represent a high proportion of government revenue”. With the IMF supporting tobacco taxation, this is the right time to leapfrog to achieve the global benchmark of 70pc of FED. Pakistan also needs to remove the price-tier anomaly and should have uniform taxation. Instead of falling into the trap of the industry argument of illicit tobacco trade, we need to honestly put in place measures to effectively control the illicit trade. More on this topic later.

The tobacco revenues should also be earmarked to be spent only on the prevention and promotion of health. In this regard, attempts have been made since 2019 to impose a health tax. I led one effort on this front and got it included in the budget speech after the cabinet’s approval but it could not be realised due to bureaucratic rigmarole and collusion. Dr Faisal Sultan also tried to get through a Health Contribution Bill, 2021. The current government needs to pick it up and take it forward.

Not only is all this possible, it has also been done successfully elsewhere. The Philippines introduced the Sin Tax Reform Law in 2012 whereby it made bold reforms in tobacco taxation. In five years, it had increased the excise tax rate on cigarettes on low-priced brands to 1000pc. It also shifted from a multi-tiered price system; the total tax burden per pack of the most-sold brand more than tripled from 27pc (2012) to 93pc (2017); tobacco tax revenue grew from PhP32bn (2012) to PhP106bn (2017); there were three million less smokers in 2015 compared to 2012, with the biggest decline among the poorest households; and with incremental earmarking, the country’s health budget tripled from PhP50bn in 2013 to PhP165bn in 2019. Such is the power of tobacco taxation. This became possible only because of a committed leadership, which was ready to deal with the industry’s pressure and was supported in its efforts by an active civil society.

As we approach the next budget in turbulent economic times, it is high time to make bold decisions and offer win-win solutions for all. More on the issue of sugary drinks later.

The writer is a former SAPM on health, professor of health systems at Shifa Tameer-i-Millat University and WHO adviser on UHC.

zedefar@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2022

PAKISTAN
The No Brainer with Few Takers

The obvious advantages of solar energy have yet to percolate to the government level, deplores Fatima S. Attarwala.

Published in Mar-Apr 2022 Fatima S. Attarwala

The numbers are convincing. And misleading. If this was a comic book, a superhero (or villain) would have found a way to harness Pakistan’s solar power into a suit that would put Iron Man to shame. Or at least solved the problems of sweltering nights and scorching days when the power goes off.

At one point, MIT, Stanford University and the University of California researched an atmosphere/energy programme that analysed the future energy demand of 139 countries, comparing their solar, wind and hydroelectric potential. The research indicated that Pakistan has the potential of producing a whopping 92% of its electricity requirements from solar energy; this rate is among the highest in the world. Another study conducted by the World Bank found that Pakistan has tremendous potential to generate solar power and that just utilising 0.071% of the country’s area for solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation would meet its current electricity demand. The keyword here is ‘potential’, which is based on studies that tabulate complicated formulae on paper and not reality.

The reality is that although the sun may shine all day long, solar energy plays a rather humble role in Pakistan’s energy makeup. According to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) State of the Industry Report 2021, at 530 MW, solar constitutes less than two percent of the total installed electricity generation capacity and the amount of solar deployed in the energy mix is mostly stagnant; it increased by a measly 0.94% in FY 2020-21 compared to FY 2019-20. Currently, all solar power projects are small-scale, with individual installed capacities of 100 MW or less. While the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) is pursuing 22 solar photovoltaic power projects, their combined cumulative capacity is 890.80 MW – for context, Pakistan’s country-wide government efforts that are in the pipeline would power (at most and only if materialised completely) about a third of Karachi’s needs in summer.

So why, despite the promising numbers, has solar such a humble position in Pakistan’s energy mix? For one thing, it makes less economic sense compared to its competitors. According to energy expert Farrukh Mahmood Mian, initially, even nuclear, the most expensive of renewable options, was cheaper than solar. Another reason is that Pakistan has coal reserves, which although are neither clean nor green, offer several plus points. By one estimate, Pakistan’s coal reserves amount to 3,377 million tons, equivalent to over 300 times the annual consumption. Coal is (relatively) cheap, there is a lot of it and it provides employment; consequently, 74% of coal consumption is used for electricity generation. Despite this, consumers, residential and commercial, endure frequent load shedding as well as increasing electricity tariffs. It is not like one can mine coal oneself, set up a nuclear plant or a dam to power a household. However, installing solar panels is possible and highly doable.

Therefore, while the government ignores solar power, the private sector has been quietly embracing it. According to Reon Energy, a business vertical of Dawood Hercules, the solar market potential is estimated to be 4,000 MW to 4,500 MW, which is why the private sector sees a market that is five times bigger than the PTI’s Government’s plans envisaged. Furthermore, solar is among the cheapest options available, as without using batteries, the levelised cost of energy (over 25 years) for a unit of solar electricity is about seven rupees compared to the grid tariff, which can be as high as Rs 24 (inclusive of tax). Factoring in batteries, the cost of solar increases by roughly five rupees to a ballpark figure of Rs 11.

In this situation, Reon Energy expect the commercial and industrial market to reach approximately 3.2 GW (3,200 MW) by 2025. Pakistan’s residential net metering renewable market has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 164% over the last five years (net metering takes into account the units supplied to the grid and for which the owner is compensated – and as per NEPRA’s State of Industry Report 2021, the total installed capacity of net-metering consumers at the end of the last fiscal year was approximately 232 MW), while the commercial and industrial Tier 1 market grew at a steep CAGR of 97% compared to the previous government’s efforts of less than one percent growth.

Residential Benefits It makes sense for homeowners to switch to a hybrid solution of on-grid and solar power. The sun powers the household when it shines and grid electricity steps in when it does not (cloudy weather and at night). This is borne out by Ali Karimjee, a resident of DHA, Karachi, who installed an 11 KW system solar system in 2018. “In the cooler months, I don’t pay an electricity bill. In fact, I get extra credit that is adjusted during the coming months.” The solution cost him about Rs 1.1 million in 2018. He adds that even in the peak of summer, his bills do not exceed Rs 7,000 or 8,000 per month, despite running three ACs and an assortment of household appliances. Given the cost savings, he has recouped 75% of his investment to date.

Commercial Interests Commercial tariffs are considerably higher than residential tariffs in terms of on-grid electricity and are set to spiral given the fiscal crunch. ‘Green’ and ‘sustainability’ have become corporate buzzwords and many companies are pledging their contribution towards a cleaner environment, and solar panels are a happy combination of environmental responsibility and fiscal prudence. As Mujtaba Raza, CEO, Solar Citizen, says, “The reason businesses opt for solar is predominantly the financial payoff. Compared to other countries, Pakistan’s solar costs are lower because of higher energy tariffs and lower labour costs.” He points out that Karachi University installed a 65 KW system in one of their buildings, a solar solution that will save them Rs 250,000 a month and “as they pay high commercial rates, their ROI will be under two years. However, he adds, “regardless of the savings, the upfront cost can be very exorbitant for some consumers, as it can range from anything from one and a half to three million rupees; rather like buying a new car.”

Borderline Affordability Clearly, solar solutions are not within everyone’s budget. According to Musa Khan Durrani, Head of Business & Planning, SkyElectric, it costs about Rs 150,000 per KW (roughly Rs 150 per watt), with installations coming in at multiples of 5 KW. Battery storage adds a further Rs 250,000 per KW for a home solution from a reputable company. He adds that Pakistan is the only country in the world where solar installations are taxed at 17% GST and the entire industry has been derailed since the last mini-budget, added to which the global shortage of semiconductors has impacted the industry as solar solutions require a lot of chips and deliveries that took about four weeks now take 12 weeks.

“Container shipping prices have gone up seven times in the last year, and we expect this to be compounded because of the Ukraine-Russia war. The free fall of the rupee has not helped given the number of imported components in a solar solution. Thus, overall, the price of solar solutions has increased by 40 to 50%, he concludes.

Financing Green Portfolios Financing is another challenge. The State Bank of Pakistan has provided a renewable energy financing facility to encourage banks to increase their green financing portfolios, with a maximum annual mark-up rate of six percent. According to Reon Energy, this facility has been instrumental in supporting the uptake of solar by the private sector. “The market has just started to fully comprehend the benefits of this scheme and is keen to switch to renewable power. However, this facility may expire on June 30, 2022 and taking the growth forecast into account, the scheme needs to be extended for a further three years.”

In Durrani’s opinion, the benefits of solar are a catch-22 situation for the government. “Increasing solar generation in the overall grid will, in one way, increase the Circular Debt because surplus power is one of the core reasons behind it. Tariffs are high because of surplus power. Since tariffs are high, people switch to solar. As they switch to solar, the surplus of power increases pushing tariffs higher. And the circle continues.”

Transmission Conundrum Solar energy, or any other form of renewable energy, will not solve the current transmission challenges. For clarity, the transfer of electricity to the grid system comes under transmission, and transfer from the grid system to the end consumer comes under distribution. The weakness in the system (and which causes loadshedding) is the distribution, where the infrastructure typically has a life of 20 to 25 years, after which continuous investment is required. Therefore, although renewable energy can solve the issue of moving away from dirty energy, its transmission will still rely on the same old infrastructure. In this respect, says Durrani, “The goal the world over is to move away from centralised grid station power towards distributive power whereby every house produces electricity while consuming it. This is to move away from a model where huge investments are required to transmit electricity from its source of generation.”

Solar is unique in that any house with sufficient space can generate its own electricity and therein lies its potential. However, solar did not figure significantly in the previous government’s power plans. No doubt there are incentives for the private sector to move towards it, but the reality is that without government intervention, despite the outlandishly rosy numbers, solar’s potential will remain in the realm of comic books.

Fatima S. Attarwala is an analyst at Dawn’s Business & Finance. attarwala@gmail.com