Striking UAW members say they want benefits they gave up in 2007-2009 back: What they lost

Phoebe Wall Howard and Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press
Mon, October 2, 2023 

When walking the UAW picket line, on any given day at any location, autoworkers say their sacrifices in the past informed 2023 contract discussions with the Detroit Three automakers.

These UAW members say auto executives have seen a surge in benefit packages more recently, and it's time they share more with workers who build the vehicles.

A strike entering its third full week currently involves some 25,000 workers or about 17% of Detroit Three UAW members on picket lines outside factories and parts warehouses nationwide, and that doesn't include the collateral damage of closures triggered by a supply chain ripple effect.

The sacrifices autoworkers are referring to are benefits they gave up in 2007-09 during the Great Recession, a time of historic economic struggle and even bankruptcy at General Motors and Chrysler (now owned by Stellantis).

According to a list created by the UAW and obtained by the Detroit Free Press, major concessions in the 2007 collective bargaining agreement to slash overall company costs included:

Creation of a new wage and benefit structure for entry level "tiered" wages.


Reducing start rate of $14.20 and top rate of $15.34 for new “non-core” workers, with the top production rate for existing workers at the time at approximately $28.


Replacing traditional pension and retiree medical insurance with a 401(k) program.


Providing less comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance coverage.


Stopping general wage increases for traditional employees during the life of the contract, which started a pattern of no wage increases until 2015.

Major concessions continued in the 2009 collective bargaining agreement modifications included:

Suspending cost-of-living adjustments (COLA).


Suspending bonuses.


Suspending profit sharing.


Suspending Easter Monday holidays.


Discontinuing payment for unused vacation time.


Reducing break time.


Expanding use of temporary employees.


Allowing skilled trades workers to be used for production positions.


Eliminating the jobs bank.


Layoff protection (with SUB pay) reduced.


Implementing a no-strike clause (GM/Chrysler).
Retiree legacy costs were 'draining' balance sheets

In 2007, all three automakers created a Voluntary Employee Beneficial Association (VEBA) and eliminated the defined benefit plan (pension) for new hires. A VEBA is an independent trust that is financed by the companies and the union. It funds retiree health care.

Many UAW retirees work decades for automakers and retire prior to qualifying for Medicare.

The reason the companies had to end offering a pension and put a VEBA into effect to pay for the retiree health care was simple: “Their liability sheets were exploding,” said Marick Masters, professor at the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University.

Masters said the liability for Ford’s pension was $44 billion and GM’s was $85 billion in 2007. He noted that a GM document in the 2007 contract shows that GM’s retiree health care liabilities for hourly workers totaled $46.7 billion.

“They knew their pensions were unfunded and they would have to make increasing annual payments to fund those pensions, which would drain their capital,” Masters said. “So you had billions of dollars eroding the working capital of the company.”


Today, none of the automakers would want to return to pensions or retiree health care obligations because it would “balloon their costs,” Masters said.

These so-called legacy costs are what startups such as Tesla and Rivian do not have, and analysts often point to as obligations that make newer competitors more of a financial threat to the Detroit Three.

“These things create lifetime liabilities and you don’t have enough active workers to defray those costs,” Masters said. “Everybody after 2007 has been in a defined contribution plan. It’s a huge amount of money to bring back pensions and retiree health care … all those things are what got them into trouble.”

Government assistance came with strings

The union agreed with the companies to eliminate retiree health care and defined benefit pension plans for new hires in their 2007 contracts, he said. To obtain government assistance before bankruptcy, the union and the companies had to agree to additional labor cost savings and massive corporate restructuring, which continued into bankruptcy.

In 2009, the parties also agreed to terminate cost of living allowances and the jobs bank.

"From the union's perspective, these concessions represented suspensions of hard-won benefits in prior negotiations, not necessarily permanent givebacks," Masters said. "But the companies, at least with respect to retiree health care and defined benefit plans, had no intention of reintroducing these benefits given the enormous drain on their balance sheets."

A defined benefit plan guarantees a specific payment every month, and all workers after 2007 have defined contribution plans.

"In fact, the union at the time agreed to not ever negotiate retiree health care benefits again," Masters said, citing the 2007 contract document from GM that says: "Agreement is permanent; UAW may not negotiate further future retiree health care benefits."

In addition, COLA was something that they banned with no restoration date, he said. "They ended up giving lump sum payments in lieu of general wage increases because that's what the economics at the time required. And they couldn't give profit sharing checks because the companies weren't making profits during those years."

Economics are different now, experts say

When UAW President Shawn Fain and his members on the strike line tell reporters they want restored what they gave up voluntarily, it fails to reveal the whole story, said Erik Gordon, a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

"What really happened was a negotiated trade was made in return for plants staying open," he said.

At the time, GM had fired a significant number of executives and managers and said in its regulatory filings that it may be unable to compete for top management talent, Gordon said. "A lot of people gave up a lot of stuff."

What makes sense today, separate and apart from the past, is that the UAW members do deserve pay increases because the automakers have a lot of cash and they're making big profits, Gordon said. But the economics are different now than they were a decade ago and some benefits, such as pensions, have changed forever.

"What made sense at the time is not necessarily a continuation of what made sense then," Gordon said. "The industry faces different conditions and different risks. But I think it's a given that workers end up with substantial wage increases."
A factory worker's perspective

A UAW member who has worked in a Ford factory for more than two decade told the Free Press that the UAW is faced with negotiating on behalf of retired workers upset about negotiated losses, near-retired workers worried about negotiated losses and current manufacturing workers who feel they deserve more.

Still, most UAW workers understand there can't be a full restoration of past benefits, said the Ford worker, who asked not to be identified for fear of backlash from the union. The workers dismissed the idea of debating CEO compensation packages. "But the companies have made money and we deserve substantial raises."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press


Opinion

UAW wants back concessions that saved automakers | Opinion

Ben Brady
Mon, October 2, 2023

Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer



On Sept. 14 at 11:59 p.m., the 2019 contract between the UAW and Ford, GM and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) expired and a new tentative contract agreement has not been reached. The International UAW called for a historic strategic, targeted strike on all three automakers, a first in the UAW’s 88-year history. As of Sept. 26, the UAW and Ford have made progress on contract negotiations, unfortunately GM and Stellantis have not, requiring additional UAW Locals to join the picket lines on Sept. 22, including UAW Local 674 in West Chester (GM Distribution).

I want to take a moment to provide some clarity to the general public on how important the negotiations are between the UAW and Ford, GM and Stellantis, as what we bargain for in our contracts, have direct and indirect consequences for the autoworkers, working men and women in the small businesses in the communities where we work and live, and our local, state and federal government budgets.

In 2009, the Big 3 − Ford, GM and Chrysler − were on the ropes, and while Ford did not require a government bailout, GM and Chrysler each took a bailout from the federal government. But for each company to survive long-term, UAW members made steep concessions in pay, gave up cost of living inflation pay, loss of benefits, loss of pensions for anyone hired after 2009 and other quality of life issues such as scheduled shift hours, overtime requirements and the ability for each company to place a two-tier wage structure which required any new employees to start at roughly half the wages of the legacy employee with a longer term to make top-out pay.


Since then, Ford, GM and Stellantis have made $164 billion in combined profits, $24 billion in the first six months of 2023 alone. The three CEOs of each company have also enjoyed a 40% to 70% wage increase, hefty stock options and the ability to have flex hours and the option to work from home. While the CEOs' quality of life has improved, UAW members in parts, production, powertrain and assembly plants have poured time and sweat into making the companies profitable with limited profit sharing and modest improvements in some workplaces. Unfortunately, UAW members have never fully recovered the concessions made since the 2009 contracts.

In a March 24, 2014 interview on CNBC "Squak Box," Bill Ford stated that the UAW (2009 concessions) saved Ford Motor Company. Because GM and Stellantis both were bailed out by the federal government through their bankruptcies, neither GM or Stellantis have ever recognized that the concessions also saved them as well. On August 31, 2023, the UAW filed a lawsuit against GM and Stellantis for failure to negotiate in good faith on the 2023 contract.

What are the UAW members demands for the 2023? To receive back many of the concessions that have made these companies billions. Those demands include a double digit pay raise, return of pensions and retiree health care for new hires, increases in vacation time and restorations of quality of life issues that have created hardships for families and communities across the nation, including the shuttering of plants in Lordstown, Ohio, Belvidere, Illinois and the closing of the Ford Batavia Transmission Plant in June of 2008 which impacted 800 jobs and left Clermont County looking for ways to make up the lost revenue for small businesses and the county budget.


The communities where UAW members work and live, enjoy the security autoworkers jobs provide. Most of these auto plants are in rural communities where small businesses rely on the workers spending their money in the grocery, auto parts, car washes, hardware and medical care facilities. While it is estimated that six jobs in small parts plants are a direct result of one job at an automotive plant, 20 jobs are created in the community for each autoworker job. Their jobs include teachers, waiters, retailers and local EMT, police and firefighters, which also rely on the tax dollars that come from the autoworkers in the form of payroll, property and sales taxes. The quality of life issues UAW members win in contract negotiations also filter into the overall national workforce including the 40-hour work week, weekends off, company provided health insurance, overtime pay and retirement plans. Autoworkers also are often some of the most generous in our communities through donations to sports teams, school functions and holiday drives. They also participate in local events that support the communities.

UAW members have a long history of being the workforce that keeps America moving. Today we are just asking for the companies to recognize our work in building quality vehicles our country depends on. We ask them for a true fair day's pay for the fair day's work we have always given. Most importantly, we ask for your community support as we continue to negotiate for a fair contract for all workers.

Ben Brady is chairman of the Greater Cincinnati UAW CAP Council.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UAW wants back concessions that saved automakers

SMALL VICTORIES
US Supreme Court rebuffs dispute over videos targeting abortion providers

Andrew Chung
Mon, October 2, 2023 

 Anti-abortion activist David Daleiden, waits outside Superior Court in San Francisco

By Andrew Chung

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a bid by anti-abortion activists to throw out more than $2 million in damages they were ordered to pay Planned Parenthood after secretly recording video of abortion providers in a scheme to try to show the illicit sale of aborted fetal tissue for profit.

The justices turned away the appeal by David Daleiden and his group, the Center for Medical Progress, of a lower court's decision in 2022 upholding most of the damages in a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood, a women's healthcare and abortion provider, accusing the defendants of conspiracy, eavesdropping and other claims. The lower court rejected the argument made by the defendants that with the secret recording they were exercising their right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution.

The justices announced their action on the first day of their new nine-month term.

Planned Parenthood filed suit in 2016 against Daleiden and his California-based organization in federal court in San Francisco seeking monetary damages, accusing them of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and engaging in fraud, trespassing, breach of contract and illegal secret recording.

The case before the Supreme Court centered on whether Planned Parenthood, even though it did not sue for defamation, should have to overcome strict limits that the justices through past rulings have placed on damages that public figures may recover for alleged harms related to a publication.

Various activist groups on the left and right conduct undercover operations often involving secret recording. Daleiden and his team portray themselves as investigative journalists and have said that the judgment against them in the suit threatens undercover reporting, a technique that can help expose wrongdoing and corruption.

Planned Parenthood has said the defendants are "ideological activists" - not journalists - whose videos were heavily edited as part of a smear campaign aimed at destroying the organization.

Using a shell company and fake identification, the activists gained access to Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Federation conferences and other locations where they recorded staff using hidden cameras.

The Center for Medical Progress released videos in 2015 purporting to expose Planned Parenthood officials trafficking in aborted fetal parts, sparking controversy, congressional inquiries and investigations in various states.

Planned Parenthood denied profiting from fetal tissue donation for medical research. Lower courts concluded that the videos did not contain evidence of wrongdoing.

A jury sided with Planned Parenthood in the lawsuit, and a judge awarded $2.4 million in damages - including for security costs to prevent future infiltration and targeting of doctors and staff - as well as more than $13 million in attorneys' fees and costs that are the subject of a separate appeal.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld most of the award last year, concluding that the First Amendment did not protect the defendants.

Noting that damages had been awarded for harms related to the infiltration, not to Planned Parenthood's reputation, the 9th Circuit said, "Invoking journalism and the First Amendment does not shield individuals from liability for violations of laws applicable to all members of society."

Daleiden and another activist also face an upcoming criminal trial in California in connection with the secret recordings.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)

Supreme Court declines to take up appeal from anti-abortion group that secretly recorded clinics

Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter
Mon, October 2, 2023 


Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

The Supreme Court declined on Monday to take up an appeal from an anti-abortion group known for releasing secretly recorded footage of abortion providers, leaving in place a lower court ruling that went in favor of Planned Parenthood.

The anti-abortion group had argued that its actions were protected by the First Amendment and sought to reverse millions of dollars in damages awarded to the abortion providers.

The case involved David Daleiden, a longtime anti-abortion activist who partnered with other like-minded activists, Troy Newman and Albin Rhomberg, to start a group called the Center for Medical Progress, meant to infiltrate organizations like Planned Parenthood.

According to court papers, they created a tissue procurement company they called BioMax. Such companies obtain human tissue samples, including fetal tissue, and provide them to medical researchers.

Although the company had a website and promotional materials, it was not involved in any business activity. Daleiden, using a false name, posed as the company’s procurement manager and vice president of operations.

According to court papers, employees used fake driver’s licenses and other means to infiltrate conferences that Planned Parenthood hosted or attended, and they arranged and attended lunch meetings and with Planned Parenthood staff, visiting health clinics. During these meetings, they recorded Planned Parenthood staff without their consent over a year and a half and then released on the internet edited videos of the conversations.

Planned Parenthood brought suit in January 2016 asking for monetary damages and other relief.

A district court ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood and awarded the group statutory, compensatory and punitive damages.

A panel of judges on the 9th circuit agreed that the damages were allowed under the First Amendment but rejected the claim under the Federal Wiretap Act.

“The First Amendment right to gather news within legal bounds does not exempt journalists from thaws of general applicability,” the court held.

“The First Amendment is not a license to trespass, to steal or to intrude by electronic means into the precincts of another’s home or office,” the court said in its opinion.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

The UAE holds a major oil and gas conference just ahead of hosting UN climate talks in Dubai

JON GAMBRELL
Updated Mon, October 2, 2023 







United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei talks during the ADIPEC, Oil and Energy exhibition and conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday Oct. 2, 2023. 

(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Emirati president-designate of the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks urged oil and gas companies Monday to be “central to the solution” for climate change, a message delivered even as the industry boosts its production to enjoy rising global energy prices.

The appeal by Sultan al-Jaber highlights the gap between climate activists suspicious of his industry ties and his calls to drastically slash the world's emissions by nearly half in seven years to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial times.

While addressing a major international concern, his remarks came at a marquee oil industry event highlighting the state oil company he oversees — feeding the concerns of those already critical of his appointment while also drawing applause from the same energy firms he wants to court at the upcoming COP28 talks starting in November.

“That is our North Star. It is, in fact, our only destination,” al-Jaber said. “It is simply acknowledging and respecting the science.”


However, he added: “We must do this while also ensuring human prosperity by meeting the energy needs of the planet’s growing population."

Al-Jaber serves as the CEO of the state-run Abu Dhabi Oil Co., which has the capacity to pump 4 million barrels of crude oil a day and hopes to reach 5 million barrels a day. He also made the call to the annual Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, known by the acronym as ADIPEC, which brings together the largest players in the oil and gas industries.

While this year's conference has been described as focusing on “decarbonizing faster together,” the event is primarily about the drilling, processing and sale of the same carbon-belching fuels driving climate change — which cause more-intense and more-frequent extreme events such as storms, droughts, floods and wildfires. And al-Jaber himself has repeatedly said the world must rely on oil and gas for the near-term to bridge that gap.

“A phase-down of fossil fuels is inevitable. In fact, it's essential,” al-Jaber said. “Yet, this must be part of a comprehensive energy transition plan that is fair, that is fast, just, orderly, equitable and responsible.”

But on the business side, the oil industry is on the rebound. After prices briefly went negative during the lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic, benchmark Brent crude now trades around $92 a barrel.

Diesel prices also are expected to rise as Russia has stopped its exports of the fuel, which likely will worsen global inflation through boosting transportation prices that will get passed onto consumers.

Gazprom, the state-owned natural gas company that is a pillar of Russia’s economy, had a major stand at the conference despite facing U.S. sanctions over Moscow's war on Ukraine. Russian officials took part in Abu Dhabi's major arms fair earlier this year, showing the UAE's deepening financial ties to Moscow despite its long ties to the American military and hosting thousands of U.S. troops.

The conference highlights the challenge the United Arab Emirates has faced in trying to convince already-critical climate scientists, activists and others that it can host the U.N. Conference of the Parties — where COP gets its name.

Though all smiles at Monday's conference, al-Jaber has acknowledged the withering criticism he's faced. On Saturday, he offered a full-throated defense of his country hosting the talks he's slated to lead, dismissing critics who “just go on the attack without knowing anything, without knowing who we are.”

“For too long, this industry has been viewed as part of the problem, that it’s not doing enough and in some cases even blocking progress,” al-Jaber told the conference. “This is your opportunity to show the world that, in fact, you are central to the solution.”

Following immediately after al-Jaber, OPEC Secretary-General Haitham al-Ghais praised his speech and defended the oil industry.

“We see calls to stop investing in oil. We believe this is counterproductive,” al-Ghais said. “The cornerstone of global economic prosperity today is energy security.”

Al-Jaber said 20 oil and gas companies had pledged to be “net zero” by or before 2050 and eliminate routine gas flaring by 2030. However, the industry would still be producing the oil and gas that release the carbon dioxide that traps heat in the atmosphere.

Al-Jaber, a 50-year-old longtime climate envoy, has been behind tens of billions of dollars spent or pledged toward renewable energy by this federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Jaber and his supporters — including U.S. climate envoy and former Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a trip to the UAE this week — say that's a sign he can lead the COP28 talks.

Meanwhile, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said at the Abu Dhabi conference that an Iraqi-Turkish oil pipeline that had been halted for months would see its flow restart this week.

“As of today, the pipeline is ready to operate,” he said. “And within this week we will start operating the Iraqi-Turkey pipeline, which after the resuming of oil operations, will be able to supply half a million barrels to the oil market.”

He did not elaborate on what the terms would be for the 970-kilometer (600-mile) pipeline, which is Iraq's largest. In March, Iraqi officials won an international arbitration case to halt oil exports from the semiautonomous Kurdish region to Ceyhan, Turkey, on the Mediterranean Sea.

Iraqi and regional Kurdish government officials did not immediately acknowledge the pipeline reopening, though Iraq's oil minister has said it was anticipated, without elaborating. Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd., which operates Shaikan oil field in Kurdish region of Iraq, saw its stock jump up by over 20% in trading Monday on the London Stock Exchange on news of the pipeline restarting.

Bayraktar said the pipeline also sustained damage in the recent earthquake and flooding in Turkey that had been repaired.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the climate and environment: https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment


Oil Latest: Industry Is Part of Energy Change, Executives Say

Anthony Di Paola and Salma El Wardany
Mon, October 2, 2023



(Bloomberg) -- Ministers and oil industry chiefs are gathering for the biggest energy conference in the Middle East as crude heads toward $100 a barrel. Whether prices can hold at these levels and the outlook for OPEC+ supply cuts are among topics that will be discussed from Monday.

But this year, climate is looming large over the forum. Delegates at the annual Adipec summit in Abu Dhabi, which has been dominated by oil in its long-running history, will devote a lot of their time to the energy transition. The meeting comes just two months ahead of the United Arab Emirates also hosting the crucial COP28 conference.

All times UAE

Oil Firms Must Be Heard in COP28, Executives Say (5:04 p.m.)

The oil industry is part of the energy transition and its voice should be heard at COP28, executives including Halliburton Co. CEO Jeff Miller, Liam Mallon of Exxon Mobil and Gordon Birrell of BP, said in a panel discussion.

Companies need to upgrade downstream operations to lower emissions, while a transformation of upstream operations is also required, they said.

Electrification of operations, carbon-capture and emissions detection can support the decarbonization process, they said.

Shell CEO Says Investors Will Decide If Low Carbon Is Viable (2:50 p.m.)

Shareholder needs to make a judgment on whether the low-carbon energy options that Shell Plc is pursing are viable, Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan said.

“We need to be able to cover our cost of capital and make a return for our shareholders,” he said.

Oil Industry Is Central for Energy Transition: COP28 Chief (4:23 p.m.)

Large swathes of the global oil industry will pledge to eliminate methane emissions and gas flaring by the end of the decade, the president of the COP28 climate summit said.

More than 20 private and state oil and gas producers have made the commitment alongside setting targets to reach net zero by 2050, Sultan Al Jaber said. He did not name the companies.

Adnoc Testing Geothermal Energy for Cooling (3:24 p.m.)

Adnoc, the main oil producer in the United Arab Emirates, is testing using geothermal energy for district cooling in a preliminary program, as the country seeks to diversify energy sources.

The company is also studying capturing carbon in acquifers, said Musabbeh Al Kaabi, executive director of low-carbon solutions and international growth. Adnoc said Sunday it is doubling its carbon-capture target in a push toward net zero emissions.

UAE Warns About Lack of Oil Investment as It Boosts Own Capacity (2:30 p.m.)

The global oil industry has been losing capacity in the last few years due to a lack of investment, said United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail al Mazrouei.

The minister rebuffed concerns about rising oil prices, arguing that crude needs to be high enough to justify making new investments. The UAE will expand its own capacity to 5 million barrels a day by 2027, Mazrouei said. From 2025, OPEC+ output quotas will be based on the latest capacity numbers, not outdated figures, he said.

Non-OPEC+ Oil Supply Is Outstripping Demand Growth: Yergin (2:11 p.m.)

Oil production in countries that are not part of the OPEC+ alliance, such as the US and Canada, is growing faster than demand, Dan Yergin, vice chairman at S&P Global Inc., said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Still, continued supply curbs by Saudi Arabia can be worrying because of concerns over global economic growth.

India Is Telling Oil Producers That Prices are Too High (1:54 p.m.)

India has “a constant dialogue with all producing countries where we keep raising this point” that crude prices are too high, Pankaj Jain, secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said in an interview.

His country isn’t comfortable with current oil prices, which are near $93 a barrel in London, and “we need more production now,” Jain said. While India acknowledges OPEC’s right to decide how much they produce, the group’s cuts have increased prices.

“High prices lead to demand destruction,” Jain said. “Our viewpoint is we are finding these prices difficult to pass, difficult to continue to meet our energy needs.”

BP’s Interim CEO Reiterates No Change in Strategy (1:30 p.m.)

There will be no change in BP Plc’s strategy that was laid out in February, following the abrupt departure of Bernard Looney as head of the company, interim CEO Murray Auchincloss said.

“That’s a strategy that’s endorsed by the management team and endorsed by the board and a person leaving does not change the strategy,” he said. “We remain firmly committed to it.”

Looney resigned last month after admitting he had not fully disclosed relationships with colleagues. BP’s head of US operations, David Lawler, has also quit to pursue other opportunities outside the company.

Also read: BP Ends Its Week of CEO Chaos With Many Unanswered Questions

Iraq Official Says Ceyhan Pipeline Can’t Restart Yet (1:11 p.m.)

An Iraqi official cast doubt on a statement from Turkey that a key pipeline bringing oil from northern Iraq to the Mediterranean coast can resume this week.

Flows can’t restart until commercial and financial issues have been resolved, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Earlier on Monday, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said the pipeline will resume operations this week. The oil conduit, which can carry almost half a million barrels of crude a day, has been offline since March amid a payment dispute between Ankara and Baghdad.

OPEC+ Has ‘Right Policy’: UAE Energy Minister (11:22 a.m.)

OPEC+ currently has the “right policy” for the oil market, the UAE’s Mazrouei said in an interview at the Adipec conference in Abu Dhabi.

Prices will increase if there’s no further investment in the industry, he said, adding that OPEC isn’t setting a price target.

Iraq Oil Pipeline Will Resume This Week (11:08 a.m.)

A crude oil pipeline running from Iraq’s Kurdistan region to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey will resume operations this week, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

The pipeline was shut earlier this year after an arbitration court ordered Ankara to pay about $1.5 billion in damages to Iraq for transporting oil from Kurdistan without Baghdad’s approval.

Citi Says Oil to Collapse to Low $70s in 2024 (9:53 a.m.)

Brent crude will collapse to the low $70s a barrel next year as the global market swings back to a surplus, according to Citigroup Inc. The shift reflects “more oil coming into the market,” analysts including Ed Morse said in a quarterly report.

“Higher prices in the near term could make for more downside for prices next year,” the Citi analysts said.

Oil Markets Will Continue to Tighten, Halliburton Says (9:18 am)

There’s a lot of support for oil prices and the market will continue to tighten, Halliburton Co. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Miller said in a Bloomberg TV interview at the Adipec conference.

The company is returning cash for our shareholders, he said.

Also read: Halliburton Sees US Gas Glut Freeing Up Gear for Oil Explorers

Deeper OPEC+ Production Curbs Unlikely: Eni (9:00 am)

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies are unlikely to deepen their production cuts, Eni SpA CEO Claudio Descalzi said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Crude prices in London rose almost 10% last month as ongoing supply curbs squeeze the market.

A lack of investments in projects is the main issue for oil, while demand remains strong, Descalzi said.

--With assistance from Nayla Razzouk, Ben Bartenstein, Leen Al-Rashdan, Salma El Wardany and Yousef Gamal El-Din.

Bloomberg Businessweek




3 Oil Companies Leading in Renewable Energy Investment

Nilanjan Banerjee
Mon, October 2, 2023 



Economies across the world are gradually transitioning to cleaner energy sources. There has been a steady increase in pressure on energy companies to act on climate change on multiple fronts. Most analysts believe that although renewable energy will meet future energy needs, oil and natural gas demand will not be completely wiped out.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration, in its Annual Energy Outlook 2023, revealed that through 2050, renewables will increasingly match power demand. Thus, there are abundant opportunities for energy companies with a footprint in oil and gas resources or transporting commodities and the renewable energy space. Three such companies are Shell plc SHEL, Eni SpA E and Enbridge Inc ENB, which are well-poised to gain in the long run.
3 Stocks

Growing renewable business at a rapid pace is among the core strategies of Shell. In the renewable energy front, Shell has roughly 50 gigawatts (GW) of renewable generation capacity, considering projects either in operation, under construction or in the pipeline. Thus, for renewables and energy solutions, SHEL is investing actively in solar energy, wind energy, electric vehicle charging and others.

To implement the production of renewable energy, Plenitude, a benefit company, was established and is being controlled by Eni. To counter the decarbonization challenge, renewable energy generation is among the key strategies of Eni. This is reflected in its ambitious goal for more than 15 GW of installed renewable energy generating capacity by 2030.

Enbridge has been investing in wind farms, solar energy, geothermal projects and power transmission developments, reflecting the company's strong focus on renewables. Considering all the renewable energy projects that are either operational or under construction, Enbridge boasts a net of 2,173 megawatts of zero-emission energy generating capacity.

A fight over precious groundwater in a rural California town is rooted in carrots

AMY TAXIN
Updated Sun, October 1, 2023 

























2 / 26
Jeff Huckaby, president and CEO of Grimmway, walks on a carrot field owned by the company, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in New Cuyama, Calif. In the Cuyama Valley northwest of Los Angeles, two of the country's biggest carrot farmers filed a lawsuit in a bid to have their groundwater rights upheld by a judge. The move pushed hundreds of small farmers and cattle ranchers, local residents and even the tiny school district into court, and has prompted community outcry and a call for a carrot boycott. 

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

NEW CUYAMA, Calif. (AP) — In the hills of a dry, remote patch of California farm country, Lee Harrington carefully monitors the drips moistening his pistachio trees to ensure they’re not wasting any of the groundwater at the heart of a vicious fight.

He is one of scores of farmers, ranchers and others living near the tiny town of New Cuyama who have been hauled into court by a lawsuit filed by two of the nation's biggest carrot growers, Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms, over the right to pump groundwater.

The move has saddled residents in the community 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles with mounting legal bills and prompted them to post large signs along the roadway calling on others to boycott carrots and “Stand with Cuyama.”

“It’s just literally mind-boggling where they’re farming,” Harrington said, adding that his legal fees exceed $50,000. “They want our water. They didn’t want the state telling them how much water they can pump.”

The battle playing out in this stretch of rural California represents a new wave of legal challenges over water, long one of the most precious and contested resources in a state that grows much of the country’s produce.

For years, California didn't regulate groundwater, allowing farmers and residents alike to drill wells and take what they needed. That changed in 2014 amid a historic drought, and as ever-deeper wells caused land in some places to sink.

A new state law required communities to form local groundwater sustainability agencies tasked with developing plans, which must be approved by the state, on how to manage their basins into the future. The most critically overdrafted basins, including Cuyama’s, were among the first to do so with a goal of achieving sustainability by 2040. Other high and medium priority basins followed.

But disputes arose in Cuyama and elsewhere, prompting a series of lawsuits that have hauled entire communities into court so property owners can defend their right to the resource beneath their feet. In the Oxnard and Pleasant Valley basins, growers sued due to a lack of consensus over pumping allocations. In San Diego County, a water district filed a lawsuit that settled about a year later.

It’s a preview of what could come as more regions begin setting stricter rules around groundwater.

The lawsuit in Cuyama, which relies on groundwater for water supplies, has touched every part of a community where cellphone service is spotty and people pride themselves on knowing their neighbors.

The school secretary doubles as a bus driver and a vegetable grower also offers horseshoeing services. There is a small market, hardware store, a Western-themed boutique hotel and miles of land sown with olives, pistachios, grapes and carrots.

From the start, Grimmway and Bolthouse participated in the formation of the local groundwater sustainability agency and plan.

Their farms sit on the most overdrafted part of the basin, and both companies said they follow assigned cutbacks. But they think other farmers are getting a pass and want the courts to create a fairer solution to reduce pumping throughout the basin, not just on their lots.

“I don't want the aquifer to get dewatered because then all I have is a piece of gravel, no water, which means it's desert ground, which is of no value to anybody,” said Dan Clifford, vice president and general counsel of Bolthouse Land Co. “What we're trying to get is the basin sustainability, with the understanding that you're going to have a judge calling balls and strikes.”

Grimmway, which has grown carrots in Cuyama for more than three decades, currently farms less than a third of its 20 square miles (52 square kilometers) there and has installed more efficient sprinklers to save water. Seeing groundwater levels decline and pumping costs rise, the company began growing carrots in other states, but doesn't plan to uproot from Cuyama, said Jeff Huckaby, the company's president and chief executive.

“It’s one of the best carrot-growing regions that we’ve come across,” Huckaby said, adding that arid regions are best so carrot roots extend below ground for moisture, growing longer. “The soil up here is ideal, temperatures are ideal, the climate is ideal.”

California has been a “Wild West” for water but that’s changing. The company has cut back its water use in Cuyama and hopes to remain there for decades, he said.

Until the lawsuit, 42-year-old cattle rancher Jake Furstenfeld said he thought the companies were working with people in town, but not anymore.

Furstenfeld, who sits on an advisory committee to the groundwater agency, doesn’t own land and doesn’t have an attorney. But he’s helping organize the boycott and has passed out yard signs.

“It’s been called David versus Goliath,” he said.

Many residents are worried about the water they need to brush their teeth, wash clothes and grow a garden. The water district serving homes in town said rates are rising to cover legal fees. The school district, which is trying to stay afloat so its 185 students can attend school locally, is burdened with unexpected legal bills.

“Without water, we have no school,” said Alfonso Gamino, the superintendent and principal. “If the water basin goes dry, I can kind of see Bolthouse and Grimmway going somewhere else, but what about the rest of us?”

Before the state’s groundwater law, most groundwater lawsuits were filed in Southern California, where development put added pressure on water resources. Legal experts now expect more cases in areas where farmers are being pushed to slash pumping.

“For an average person or a small user it is disruptive because must people haven’t been involved in lawsuits,” said Eric Garner, a water rights attorney who worked on California’s law. “For large pumpers, lawyers are an inexpensive option compared with having to replace their water supply.”

Most of the country's carrots are grown in California, with consumers demanding a year-round supply of popular baby carrots. The state's climate is a prime place for growing and carrots are one of California’s top 10 agricultural commodities, valued at $1.1 billion last year, state statistics show.

Along the highway, Grimmway's fields are doused with sprinklers for eight hours and left to dry for two weeks so carrot roots stretch in search of moisture. Critics question the companies' use of daytime sprinklers, but Huckaby said Grimmway uses far less water than the alfalfa grower who farmed there before.

The suit in Cuyama, filed two years ago, has an initial hearing in January. In a recent twist, Bolthouse Farms has asked to withdraw as a plaintiff, saying the company has no water rights as a tenant grower and plans to slash its water use 65% by 2040. The company that owns the land, Bolthouse Land Co., is still litigating.

Jean Gaillard, another Cuyama advisory committee member, sells produce from his garden to locals. He tries to conserve water by alternating rows of squash between corn stalks and capturing rainwater on the roof of an old barn.

Paying a lawyer to represent him rather than re-investing in his produce business is problematic, he said. Meanwhile, his well water has dropped 30 feet (9 meters) in the past two decades.

“We feel we are being totally overrun by those people,” Gaillard said. “They are taking all the water.”

__

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

There's a thriving global market in turtles, and much of that trade is illegal

Jennifer Sevin, Visiting Lecturer in Biology, University of Richmond

Mon, October 2, 2023
THE CONVERSATION

Smuggled rare Mexican box turtles intercepted by U.S. officials at the Port of Memphis. USFWS


Hatchling turtles are cute, small and inexpensive. Handled improperly, they also can make you sick.

Turtles are well-known carriers of salmonella, a common bacterial disease that causes fever, stomach cramps and dehydration and can lead to severe illness, especially in young children and elderly people. In August 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an advisory about an 11-state outbreak of salmonella bacteria linked to pet turtles.

“Don’t kiss or snuggle your turtle, and don’t eat or drink around it. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick,” the agency warned.

Global trade in turtles is big business, and the U.S. is a leading source, destination and transit country. Some of this commerce is legal, some is not. For example, it has been illegal in the U.S. since 1975 to sell turtles with shells less than 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter because young children often contract salmonella from them. But it’s easy to find them for sale nonetheless.

However, humans are a much bigger threat to turtles than vice versa. Over half of the world’s turtle species are classified as threatened or endangered, and overharvesting of wild turtles is a major cause. Turtles also face other threats, including habitat loss, climate change, pollution, diseases, invasive species and death or injury while trying to cross roads.

As a conservation biologist, I work with colleagues from academia, nonprofit organizations and state and federal agencies to protect threatened species and combat wildlife trafficking. I also use the global wildlife trade to teach important ecological concepts and research skills. Here’s what we know about trade in turtles and how it threatens their survival.

Life in the slow lane

It’s hard to harvest turtles sustainably because they are so long-lived. Individual turtles of some species can survive for more than 100 years. Most turtles reach reproductive maturity late in life and have relatively few eggs, not all of which produce successful offspring.

To put this in context, compare a common female snapping turtle from the northern U.S. with a female white-tailed deer. Begin at the start of their lives and fast-forward 17 years. At this point, the snapping turtle will just be ready to reproduce for the first time; the deer will already be dead, but it may have produced over 600 descendants. It can take a female turtle her entire life to generate one or two offspring that in turn reach adulthood and replace her in the population.

Turtles are valuable because they play diverse roles in land, freshwater and ocean ecosystems. For example, tortoise burrows provide refuge for hundreds of other species, including birds, mice, snakes and rabbits. Box turtles – the type you may encounter in your garden – consume practically any kind of plant material and excrete the seeds as they move around, helping plants spread. Some seeds even germinate more readily after passing through a box turtle’s gut.

In lakes and ponds, freshwater turtles serve as both predator and prey, and they help maintain good water quality by consuming decaying organisms. Terrapins reside in brackish water zones, where rivers flow into oceans and bays, and feed heavily on snails. Without terrapins present, the snails would quickly consume all underwater seagrasses, which would harm fish, shellfish, sea urchins and other organisms that rely on seagrasses for their survival.

In global demand

Humans have long been fascinated with turtles. Revered in many cultures, turtles have symbolized strength and longevity for centuries. Today, people use turtles as pets; sources of food, jewelry and other curios; and in traditional medicines and religious and cultural practices.

International trade in turtles takes place on a massive scale. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nearly 127 million turtles were exported just from the U.S. between 2002 and 2012. About one-fifth (24 million) came from the wild.

More recent data indicates that exports declined between 2013 and 2018, but trade in particular species increased. Commercial freshwater turtle farming is still a multimillion-dollar industry in the southeastern U.S.; a small number of native turtle species, largely bred on turtle farms, now make up the bulk of legal U.S. exports, for use as both pets and food.

There’s no good way to quantify how many native turtles are harvested from the wild. But history shows what happens when they are hunted without limits. Historic demand for sea turtles, diamondback terrapins and snapping turtles as food led to such crashes in populations that management agencies had to regulate their harvesting.

Turtles also are gaining popularity as pets, particularly for younger adults. Surveys indicate that more than 2 million Americans own turtles. To curb pressure on wild populations, state agencies are prohibiting or limiting personal collection and possession of native turtles.

Black market turtles

Despite existing regulations, demand for some native North American turtle species is so strong that people collect, smuggle and sell the animals illegally. For example, in 2019 a Pennsylvania man was sentenced to six months in prison and fined $250,000 for trafficking thousands of protected diamondback terrapins.

Rare species such as wood turtles and Blanding’s turtles, as well as uniquely patterned individual turtles, command top value on the black market. Internet commerce, social media apps and online payment mechanisms make it easy for illegal buyers and sellers to connect.

Between 1998 and 2021, U.S. enforcement agencies intercepted at least 24,000 protected freshwater turtles and tortoises from 34 native species that were being illegally traded across the U.S. These animals may be held without food and water and in crowded spaces, sometimes wrapped in tape and stuffed in socks.

A live smuggled Mexican box turtle intercepted by U.S. officials at the Port of Memphis in 2021. USFWS

How to help

To curtail the illegal turtle trade, regulators are working to strengthen regulations and increase enforcement. Private citizens can also help reduce the demand and protect wild turtles. Here are some simple steps:

Before you purchase any live animal or wildlife-related product, review relevant local, state, national and international regulations. Just because something is for sale doesn’t mean it’s legal.

Make an informed decision about owning a turtle. Consider the size it will reach as an adult, its care requirements and its life span. Prioritize adopting one from a reputable rescue organization, and seek out a captive-bred turtle instead of a wild one.

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is a terrapin that has become highly invasive in the U.S., outcompeting native species. Galano~commonswiki/Wikimedia, CC BY-SAMore

Don’t release an animal that you no longer want or can’t care for into the wild. This is illegal and can have serious ecological impacts. The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), a freshwater turtle that’s native to the Mississippi River basin, was sold by the millions in recent decades and released by many pet owners. Now it is considered one of the world’s most invasive species because it outcompetes native turtles for food and space.


If you encounter illegal wildlife collection, smuggling or sales, report them to your state fish and wildlife agency or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for investigation.


Support efforts to conserve and restore turtle habitat and minimize other threats, such as pollution and road traffic.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

It was written by: Jennifer Sevin, University of Richmond.

Read more:

Turtles on the tarmac could delay flights at Western Sydney airport

More people eat frog legs than you might think – and humans are harvesting frogs at unsustainable rates

Jennifer Sevin is a co-founder and serves on the steering committee of the Collaborative to Combat the Illegal Trade in Turtles.

Mote’s Sea Turtle Protection Zone initiative urging boaters to ‘Go Slow for Those Below’

Jim DeLa
Sun, October 1, 2023




Law enforcement agencies aren't the only ones keeping track of boaters' speed on the area's waterways.

Mote Marine Laboratory is also using laser speed guns to collect data on boaters' habits as part of its two-year-old Sea Turtle Protection Zone initiative.

Sea turtles are found year-round in Southwest Florida waters. During nesting season, the endangered turtles spend more time closer to the surface and close to their nesting beaches. With more turtles near the surface, there’s a greater chance they'll be hit by a boat.

Mote scientists have documented boat-strike hotspots along the Sarasota area coast and created the voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone, which stretches from Longboat Key to Siesta Key, including Sarasota Bay.


The zone was created in 2021 through a partnership between the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University of Florida. The project is also funded by the Disney Conservation Fund and money collected from the sale of the state's sea turtle license plate.

“The area extends pretty much from the 10th Street boat ramp down to the north Siesta Key Bridge," expanding about a mile offshore, said Gretchen Lovewell, stranding investigations program manager at Mote Marine Laboratory.

"It's a voluntary zone where we're asking people to just slow down and be on the lookout for sea turtles."



Mote says since the 1980s, boat collisions with sea turtles have tripled in Florida. Lovewell says this year has been particularly hard on the sea turtle population. "This year, June, July and August, were really high numbers for us. We've already had over 30 turtles this year that we've recovered that have been hit by boats," most of them in the new protection zone.

And 90% of sea turtle strikes are fatal, according to Valerie Nicole Tovar, conservation manager at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

“Our goal is to increase boater awareness and enlist boater voluntary compliance to decrease sea turtle injuries and deaths by creating a united front with our local boating communities," Tovar said in a recent news release. A similar zone has also been established in Palm Beach County, she said.

Lovewell says while numbers rise during nesting season, generally from May to October, it is a year-round problem. "They're here year-round because we are recovering them year-round," she said. "Which is part of why we're asking for this voluntary zone to occur year-round."


Lovewell says their data collection is just beginning, with a speed gun that uses a laser to measure a boat's speed. "We try to go out once a week. We have a Lidar (Light detection and ranging) gun just like the police officers have."

She says her team has seen some boaters seemingly unconcerned about what they may hit. "We've recorded some boats going over 60 miles an hour coming through Big Pass."

Lovewell said local law enforcement are on board with the protection zone. "All of our local law enforcement are very much near and dear partners to us," she said.

According to Mote, hot spots for sea turtle strikes include Longboat Pass, New Pass, Big Pass, Siesta Key, Venice Inlet, and offshore 2 miles north of New Pass to two miles south of Big Pass extending out 1½ miles.


Boaters can do their part by following this advice:

• Go slow: Follow Coast Guard-approved safe boating guidelines. Go as slow as safely possible in areas bounded by red lines – the voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone – and limit your travel time in these areas. Follow any posted speed-zone signs – it’s required by law.

• Wear polarized sunglasses to see and avoid sea turtles in your path, and ask one of your passengers to be the designated wildlife spotter.

• Report stranded sea turtles (as well as stranded marine mammals) in Sarasota and Manatee counties to Mote at 888-345-2335. Elsewhere in Florida, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: 888-404-3922.

• Stow trash: Be sure to stow trash and line when under way. Marine debris that accidentally blows overboard or out of a vehicle can become ingested by or entangled around marine life.

• Keep the water trash free: Never discard trash in the water.

Jim DeLa is a reporter for the Community News Collaborative. Reach him at jdela@cncfl.org

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sea turtle initiative urges Sarasota-Manatee boaters to use caution