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Ace Daily News

NEWS & VIEWS U.S LEDE REPORT: An old battle over fur farming heats up with new environmental twist

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Aug: 01: 2023:

AceNewsDesk – Wearing fur has long been a controversial choice in the United States, with a large roster of fashion brands embracing bans on fur garments on the grounds that the practice is cruel to the animals farmed for their pelts

But a new twist on the issue has been gaining momentum and spurring debate over the impacts of mink farming on human and environmental health.

Earlier this year, California implemented the first state ban on the sale and manufacturing of fur products, including coats, trim on hooded jackets, and pompoms for hats and gloves. Many US cities and towns have banned fur sales, and in June, US Rep Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat from New York, introduced a bill that that would pay mink farmers to shutter their operations and create a nationwide ban on farming the small animals whose silky, sleek coats are coveted for use in high-end attire.

The aim of the federal bill is to reduce the chances that mink farming could trigger outbreaks of viruses that harm humans, an issue that triggered international concerns during the Covid-19 pandemic. Proponents of the measure say they hope it will be included in the upcoming Farm Bill.

Fur farming has also become a subject of intense debate over its environmental impact, with opponents arguing its practices contribute to water pollution and harmful climate change.

Fur farming takes β€œa huge toll on the environment as well as animals and public health,” said PJ Smith, director of fashion policy for the Humane Society of the United States.

A Humane Society International (HSI) report published last month determined that producing fur releases more greenhouse gases than producing the same quantity of other materials used to manufacture clothing, including cotton, acrylic, and polyester.

In contrast, proponents argue fur is a natural and enduring alternative to many fast fashion textiles, including faux fur, which is made from petroleum and can take over 1,000 years to break down.

β€œI have a mink coat that is 45 years old and it’s still in mint condition,” said Wisconsin fur farmer Valerie Zimbal, whose fifth-generation family-run business houses about 250,000 mink. β€œAmerica’s [fashion] is throwaway fashion. You wear it for a season and then it’s garbage by the end. A real fur garment lasts a really long time and it’s a natural fiber.”

Some industry backers warn that measures to ban fur farming could set the stage for the demise of other forms of farming.

β€œIf passed, [the bill] could set a dangerous precedent, allowing similar justifications to phase out other animal agricultural sectors,” said Challis Hobbs, executive director of Fur Commission USA, an organization that represents US mink farmers and certifies their products.

β€œThe potential implications of this bill are severe; it could result in an unnecessary confiscation of family-owned property, halt hundreds of millions of dollars being injected into rural communities that depend on these agricultural operations, and end families’ legacies and their right to farm based on unfounded fears,” Hobbs said.

Fur in decline

One point that is not subject to debate is the steady decline seen in US fur production.

In a report issued earlier this month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said US mink pelt production dropped 15% from 2021 to 2022, when 1.33 million pelts were produced. That was down from 3.75 million pelts in 2015, according to the report. There are only about 100 mink fur farms left in the US, according to industry experts.

The shrinking size of the market comes as fur-free policies have taken root at numerous well-known fashion brands, including Gucci, Balenciaga, Prada, Armani, Jimmy Choo, and Versace. One major luxury brand still selling fur is LVMH, which includes the brands Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Dior, and Marc Jacobs.

β€œIt’s been a wave that started around 2015 and it’s just taken off from there,” said Smith.

In addition to the push to eradicate US fur farming, similar moves have been made in many places across Europe. The United Kingdom banned fur farming in 2003 and has since been joined by France, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands. In 2021 Israel became the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur clothing.

Over 1.5 million people have signed the Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative, which calls for a ban on both fur farming and the sale of fur products in Europe.

Globally, about 100 million animals are still bred for their fur, however, according to HSI. Mink are the most commonly raised, followed by foxes and raccoon dogs, which are relatives of foxes.

Opponents of the practice say many of the animals are subject to abuse. The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) alleged in 2016 that one large fur farm in Wisconsin kept mink and foxes in filthy cages and terrorized the animals by spraying them with a loud pressure washer. Unlike animals farmed for food, species farmed for their fur in the US are not protected under federal laws such as the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.

β€œGreen” or greenwashing?

The clothing sector accounts for 2-8% of global carbon emissions, with people buying more clothing but keeping it half as long as they 15 years ago, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

β€œWe have to stop polluting ourselves by the use of plastics and polyester and petroleum products and really gear towards more natural fibers that could be farm-raised by certified, audited, and inspected farms,” said Charles Ross, head of sustainability at the auction house Saga Furs. β€œWhen a fur coat finally goes to a landfill, it biodegrades at the same speed as a leaf.”

But opponents of the industry view β€œsustainable fur” as a greenwashing tactic designed to improve fur’s public image. Smith from the Humane Society of the US said he first noticed a swing toward sustainability messaging in 2015 or 2016.(HSI photo from an investigation at a Finnish fur farm. Photo by Jay Akbar/Mail Online.)

β€œIt was really interesting to see the tactics switch when they were losing the animal welfare argument,” said Smith.

Undercutting the idea of fur as a β€œnatural” material, a 2011 report by the animal welfare group Four Paws found hazardous chemicals, including formaldehyde, in β€œworryingly high concentrations” in many of the furs it examined. A 2018 analysis by the groups Act Asia and Fur Free Alliance found chemical residues above permitted levels in the six fur garments they purchased in China.

And, in an analysis of the HSI report released in June, researchers said they found that fur production resulted in higher air emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and water pollution per kilogram than materials including polyester, cotton, and acrylic. The report determined that the carbon footprint of mink fur is 31 times than that of the same amount of cotton, 25 times higher than acrylic, and 25 times higher than polyester.

β€œWhile all materials have a carbon footprint to some degree, our report shows just how large an environmental impact fur production has and dispels any myths about its green credentials,” said Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs for HSI in the UK, in a press release.

Producing just one kilogram of mink fur requires 563 kilograms of food such as chicken or fish, according to a 2011 report on Dutch mink farms conducted by an independent consulting company in Europe.

As well, there is evidence that emissions from mink manure contribute to water contamination in areas near fur farms.

β€œThe mink farms are clearly having an impact on water quality,” said Jules Blais, an environmental pollutants researcher at the University of Ottawa who spent three years studying contaminants in lakes around Nova Scotia, Canada’s fur farming capital. Blais found that lakes located near mink farms had high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, which led to algal blooms. When they grow out of control, the plants deplete oxygen, choking aquatic ecosystems.

As well, Blais said mercury is a concern.

β€œThere was an indication that lakes that were adjacent to mink farms had higher mercury than lakes that were not adjacent to mink farms,” he said. A 2022 study  he co-authored found mercury, the industrial chemicals polychlorinated biphenyl and pesticides in mink feed and mink waste.

COVID-19 concerns

Beyond the environmental worries are concerns about connections between human and animal health that were heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic, when the virus infected the animals at farms across the US, Europe, and Canada.

At least 18 US farms and more than 20,000 mink have been affected by COVID-19, according to Alicia Prygoski, a strategic legislative affairs manager at the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

One outbreak occurred in Michigan in 2021 when a taxidermist, his wife, and two mink farm employees caught a unique strain of the virus linked to mink – the first reported instances of animals transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to humans in the US.

Mink, along with white-tailed deer and a type of hamster, are among a few animals that have been found to have the ability to pass the virus to humans. As a result, COVID-19 in mink stand out to scientists as a possible source of new variants.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, wrote in its 2021 guidance for mink farmers and industry workers that it did not see any evidence that mink played a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people.

Farmed mink are also susceptible to other infections from humans, pigs, and birds, including the avian influenza (β€œbird flu”). Earlier this year, amidst a deadly global bird flu outbreak, mink at a large farm in Spain contracted and quickly spread the virus.

β€œHistorically, with avian flu, mammal-to-mammal transmission has been relatively low,” said Prygoski. β€œThen suddenly it’s spreading rapidly among mink at this industrial farm. This should be seen as a warning sign that the mink-to-mink spread shows that viruses like avian flu, and like COVID-19, have the potential to mutate in a way that could bring on the next pandemic.”

An eye on the runways

Despite the US industry’s decline, and the environmental and health debates, Charles Ross, head of sustainability at the auction house Saga Furs, doesn’t think fur clothes and accessories will vanish. Ross blames recent production declines on the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, noting that Russia is the world’s second-largest fur market.

β€œDespite shifts in geographical demand and cyclical markets, the production of mink pelts is falling below the global demand, which is setting up these US family mink farms for a good up market,” said Ross.

β€œWe’re starting to see fur on the runways again in North America,” he added. β€œWe’re seeing a very positive acceptance to fur again in the designer community.”

For Zimbal, the Wisconsin fur farmer, the concerns are baseless. Zimbal said her animals are well cared for. The breeding season begins in March and pregnant mothers give birth by May. The animals are fed with mixes of local cheeses and slaughterhouse scraps that otherwise go to landfills, according to Zimbal. Staff members provide the animals with toys to play with and use sprinklers in the summer to keep the mink cool. The animals are routinely tested for disease, she said.

In December, when the minks’ thick winter coats have grown in, the animals are euthanized with carbon monoxide. The fur is then β€œharvested” and the bodies are sent to pet food suppliers. In January and February, Zimbal sells the pelts at an international auction where China is the top buyer.

β€œThey’re coming after us because we’re a small industry,” said Zimbal. β€œTheir goal is to make everybody vegan. If you want to be vegan, you don’t want to eat meat, you don’t want to wear leather or fur, more power to you. But if I want to, shouldn’t that be my choice?”

An old battle over fur farming heats up with new environmental twist
(Featured Image: An employee at Zimbal Mink Farm in Wisconsin feeds the mink and puts fresh shavings into their nest boxes. Photo by Valerie Zimbal.)
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Ace Daily News

FEATURED POLAR BEAR SCIENCE REPORT: Repeat of 2013 high-profile Sierra Club polar bear attack, this time with Inuit victims

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jul: 31: 2023:

AceNewsDesk – Almost 10 years later to the day, another polar bear attack resulting in serious injury has taken place in the northern Labrador/Quebec region of Eastern Canada.

This will undoubtedly renew concerns that Davis Strait Inuit have raised about their safety in the face of high population numbers of polar bears (Tomaselli et al. 2022).

Remember the Sierra Club lawyer snatched, tent and all, in the middle of the night on 24 July 2013, in an almost-fatal attack that was reported around the world, see here and here? This time virtually the same thing happened to two Inuuk campers on July 26, in the same general area, as reported last week by Nunavut News.

Sea ice conditions were similar in both attacks. In 2013, the attacking bear appeared to be a fully adult male in good condition that had been watching the hiking party since the previous day but this year the predatory bear was described as a small β€œyoung adult” animal, suggesting it could have been a 3-4 year old female or perhaps a 2 year old male.

Location

The Davis Strait polar bear subpopulation region encompasses most of Eastern Canada from the southeastern shore of Baffin Island to Newfoundland, as the map from the Dyck et al. 2021 report shows (see below).

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The approximate locations where the attacks took place were on opposite sides of the land mass that separates Ungava Bay, Quebec from the Labrador Sea: on the Labrador Sea side in 2013, in Torngat Mountains National Park, and the Ungava Bay side in 2023, marked on a map from the first report on bears of this region (Stirling and Kiliaan 1980), where the big arrows indicate the direction of ocean currents:

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2023 Attack

Quotes below are from the Nunatsiaq News report (27 July 2023). Note the community of Kangiqsualujjuaq is marked as β€œGeorge River” on the map above (my emphasis): 

A 70-year-old man and his son and daughter survived a polar bear attack in their tent Wednesday night [July 26] near Kangiqsualujjuaq, the village’s mayor says. 

Kenny Assevak and his daughter Siqua Baron, 25, were taken to Kuujjuaq’s hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Assevak’s 35-year-old son, Neekallak Baron β€” who killed the bear β€” was not injured, said Kangiqsualujjuaq Mayor Maggie Emudluk. 

It happened about 140 kilometres northeast of Kangiqsualujjuaq, where the attack victims live. At around 3 a.m. Wednesday, Emudluk received a call saying three people who were travelling toward Killiniq had been attacked by a polar bear. 

That morning, thick fog covered the community, meaning helicopter rescue was out of the question. 

At around 4 a.m., a boat rescue team was mobilized and at 6:15 a.m., they arrived at the scene where they took both injured victims. β€¦

The two victims made it back to the community at around 8:15 a.m.., where both were immediately medevaced to Kuujjuaq. Assevak was then transported to Montreal for treatment of his injuries.

…

β€œIt was not even a big polar bear,” Emudluk said, β€œit was a young adult polar bear.”As the Canadian Ice Service weekly stage of development chart below shows, sea ice had been present offshore as recently as the first week of July and only recently retreated from the area near the attack, which means the bear had likely only been onshore a few weeks at most. Although most polar bears are in the best condition of the year when they come off the ice, young bears are the exception. 

Because young bears are unable to successfully compete with older bears for prime hunting habitat, they are likely to be in less than ideal condition in early summer and therefore most likely to initiate predatory attacks on people (Amstrup 2003; Wilder et al. 2017). A young bear was responsible for a similar early-morning fatal attack on a camper in 2020.

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2013 Attack

The account summary below is from my 2014 blog post on the Torngat Mountains attack on Maine lawyer Matt Dyer, who ultimately had to be air-lifted to Montreal for medical treatment:

Seven hikers set out on a two week long adventure organized by the Sierra Club.

The mauling happened in the middle of the night of the third day, about 2:30am, despite the electric perimeter fence they had in place. 

The group assumed the bear that attacked the victim (Matt Dyer) was the same big male that had advanced on their campsite the afternoon before. The bear had come within 30-50 yards but retreated when the group fired some flares at it. But the bear stayed nearby, watching. 

The hikers knew he was there but apparently were not especially concerned. The bear attacked Dyer tent and all: it just pounced on the one-man tent and hauled the whole package away down the beach. The other hikers fired off some flares. The bear dropped Dyer and left. 

The bear was not pursued in the days afterward and was not shot.

As the ice chart below shows, sea ice had only retreated from the Labrador coast at the time of the attack, since thick ice was still present offshore during the first week in July:

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Most odd about this 2013 account is that no photos of the bear that attacked Dyer have ever been made public. I find it implausible that no photos exist, given the circumstances, but quite possible that the group agreed to suppress any images taken of the bear because it was in excellent condition and not the starving polar bear of the climate change narrative they later concocted (Crockford 2015). 

Polar bears reestablishing former northern Labrador territory

Back in the 1970s, when polar bear numbers in Davis Strait were low (Stirling and Kiliaan 1980), there were few records of bears spending the summer and denning along the shores of northern Labrador and northeast Ungava Bay, Quebec, see circled region on map below. 

However, according to the latest survey, that has changed now that the population has rebounded (Crockford 2023; Dyck et al. 2021; Peacock et al. 2013). The island in the middle of Ungava Bay is a major denning area for pregnant polar bears and some may now den along the mainland coast as well.

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From Dyck et al. 2021, tip of Ungava Peninsula marked by me.

References

Amstrup, S.C. 2003. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus). In Wild Mammals of North America, G.A. Feldhamer, B.C. Thompson and J.A. Chapman (eds), pg. 587-610. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Crockford, S.C. 2015. β€œA Harrowing Encounter.” Range Magazine, Spring: 42-43. 

Crockford, S.J. 2023. The Polar Wildlife Report. Global Warming Policy Foundation Briefing 63, London. pdf here. 

Dyck, M., Dunham, K.D., Ware, J.V., et al. 2021. Re-estimating the abundance of the Davis Strait polar bear subpopulation by genetic mark-recapture. Final Report [amended 9 May 2022], Government of Nunavut, Department of Environment, Iglulik. pdf here. 

Peacock, E., Taylor, M.K., Laake, J., and Stirling, I. 2013. Population ecology of polar bears in Davis Strait, Canada and Greenland. Journal of Wildlife Management77:463–476.

Stirling, I. and Kiliaan, H.P.L. 1980. Population ecology studies of the polar bear in northern Labrador. Occasional Paper 42, Canadian Wildlife Service. pdf here. 

Tomaselli, M., Henri, D., Pangnirtung Hunters and Trappers Organization, et al. 2022. Nunavut Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit on the health of the Davis Strait polar bear population. Final project report, Government of Nunavut. pdf here. 

Wilder, J.M., Vongraven, D., Atwood, T., et al. 2017. Polar bear attacks on humans: implications of a changing climate. Wildlife Society Bulletin41(3):537-547. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.783

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American History

OTD 1816: George Thomas was born & Graduated West Point & Mexican – American War but Remaining Loyal to Union

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jul: 31: 2023:

AceHistoryDesk – Today in History – On July 31, 1816, George H. Thomas was born in Southampton County, Virginia. An 1840 graduate of West Point, Thomas served in the Mexican-American War (1846-48) and returned to teach at West Point in 1851. When the Civil War began, he remained loyal to the Union, causing his family in Virginia to sever their ties with him.

Patrick Francis Healy. Prints & Photographs Division

Patrick Francis Healy Inaugurated as President of Georgetown UniversityGEORGE

Patrick Francis Healy, SJ, was inaugurated as president of Georgetown University on July 31, 1874. The Reverend Father John Carroll (later Archbishop Carroll), who was neither president of Georgetown University, nor a faculty member, founded the university in 1789. Healy is considered Georgetown’s β€œsecond founder.”

One of the first African Americans to receive a PhD and the first to head a predominantly white university, Healy was born in Jones County, Georgia, to Michael Morris Healy, an Irish-immigrant planter, and Mary Eliza, a mulatto slave. Patrick was one of ten children. The boys were not allowed to attend schools in Georgia as they were considered slaves by state law so Michael Healy sent his four older sons North where they would become free and able to receive an education. They first attended a Quaker school in Flushing, New York, before they enrolled in Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Architectural drawing for the Healy Building, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., Perspective rendering. Paul J. Pelz, draftsman; J. L. Smithmeyer & Co., architect, 1875. Architecture, Design & Engineering Drawings. Prints & Photographs Division

After graduating, Patrick Healy entered the Jesuits in 1850. He took his vows in 1852 and became a teacher and prefect at St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia.

In 1853 he returned to Holy Cross as a teacher and in 1858 he was assigned to study philosophy and theology at Georgetown University before receiving orders to go to Rome for further ecclesiastical studies. The Roman winter was hard on his health so he was sent to the Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven) in Belgium where he received a doctorate in philosophy in 1865. Healy became a priest in 1864. In 1866, he returned to teach philosophy at Georgetown, then a preparatory academy and small college.

Healy took his final vows as a Jesuit in 1867 and was named prefect of studies (dean) in 1868 and then vice president. The university’s board of directors voted him acting president in 1873 upon the unexpected death of the president, the Reverend John Early. The following year Healy was confirmed as president.

Healy Hall, Georgetown University. [Washington, D.C.] Theodor Horydczak, photographer, Oct. 1948. Horydczak Collection. Prints & Photographs Division

The unique Flemish Renaissance structure pictured above, a distinctive feature of the Washington, D.C., skyline, was a product of the Healy administration.

In the antebellum period, Georgetown attracted mainly Southern students: four-fifths of its alumni joined the Confederacy. After the war, however, students came in far greater numbers from the Northeast. The university’s colors β€” blue and gray β€” were selected to symbolize the healing and reuniting of the country.

Healy initiated Georgetown’s transformation from a small school to a modern university. In the post-Civil War years, he modernized the curriculum and his reforms included a new emphasis on science, expanding and upgrading the law and medical schools, and centralizing the university’s libraries. Healy also founded the Alumni Association and oversaw major construction projects. Due to ill health, his doctor advised him to retire; he did so in 1882. Patrick Francis Healy died in 1910.

Washington, D.C. The Aqueduct Bridge and Georgetown from the Virginia Bank. William Morris Smith, photographer, between 1860 and 1865. Civil War Glass Negatives and Related Prints. Prints & Photographs Division

Learn More

  • The Library of Virginia’s Legislative Petitions collection presents images of petitions submitted to the Virginia legislature from more than eighty counties and cities on topics such as the historic debate over the separation of church and state, the rights of dissenters such as Quakers and Baptists, and the sale and division of property in the established church.
  • Shaping the Values of Youth: Sunday School Books in Nineteenth-Century America presents Sunday school books published in America between 1815 and 1865 and documents the culture of religious instruction of youth during the Antebellum era. The items in this collection are held by the Michigan State University Libraries and the Clark Historical Library at Central Michigan University.
  • The Church in the Southern Black Community traces how Southern African Americans experienced and transformed Protestant Christianity into the central institution of community life. This collection is included in the University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill Libraries Documenting the American South collections.
  • View the online exhibition Religion and the Founding of the American Republic for more discussion about the role of religion.
  • Search Today in History on college or university to find features on American colleges and universities including Columbia, Harvard, Howard, and Vassar.
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Australian News

BREAKING AUSTRALIA SCAMWATCH REPORT: Consumer watchdog issues warning following rise of inheritance scams

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jul: 31: 2023:

Australia’s consumer watchdog has issued a warning about inheritance scams which it says are on the rise.

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Consumers have been told to β€œwatch out” for unexpected letters in the mail, which may be postmarked from an overseas address.

The letters, which may purport to be from a law firm, appear to be aimed at prompting the recipient to claim a deceased person’s life insurance.

Scamwatch has warned these letters may be fake, and that scammers will often impersonate lawyers, bankers and foreign officials.

β€œYou will lose time and money chasing money that doesn’t exist,” the consumer watchdog said.

Inheritance scams are often elaborate, with fake bank statements, birth certificates and other documents used to make it seem real.

β€œThey will say you have a large inheritance from a distant relative or wealthy person,” Scamwatch said.

β€œYou will be asked to pay a series of fees, charges or taxes and send personal information and documents to get the money.”

Scammers may also send out a court order claiming someone is a beneficiary, and ask them for personal information or money to make a claim.

β€œThere is no free money,” Scamwatch said.

β€œYou will lose more money trying to get it.”

SCAMWATCH & 7NEWS REPORT: 

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Ace Breaking News

PRESS RELEASE GOV.U.K REPORT: PM Confirms today Hundreds of new North Sea oil & gas licences will be granted

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jul: 31: 2023:

AceBreakingNews – Hundreds of new North Sea oil and gas licences to boost British energy independence and grow the economy

Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street

Hundreds of new oil and gas licenses will be granted in the UK, the Prime Minister has confirmed today (Monday 31 July).

  • Prime Minister commits to future oil and gas licensing rounds, as new analysis shows domestic gas production has around one-quarter the carbon footprint of imported liquified natural gas
  • North East Scotland and the Humber chosen as locations for two new carbon capture usage and storage clusters – building a thriving clean industry in the North Sea which could support up to 50,000 jobs
  • Investment in the North Sea will continue to unlock new projects, protect jobs, reduce emissions and boost UK energy independence

Hundreds of new oil and gas licences will be granted in the UK, the Prime Minister has confirmed today (Monday 31 July), as the UK Government continues to back the North Sea oil and gas industry as part of drive to make Britain more energy independent.

The Government and the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) are today announcing a joint commitment to undertake future licensing rounds, which will continue to be subject to a climate compatibility test.

By adopting a more flexible application process, licences could also be offered near to currently licensed areas – unlocking vital reserves which can be brought online faster due to existing infrastructure and previous relevant assessments.

With the independent Climate Change Committee predicting around a quarter of the UK’s energy demand will still be met by oil and gas when the UK reaches net zero in 2050, the Government is taking steps to slow the rapid decline in domestic production of oil and gas, which will secure our domestic energy supply and reduce reliance on hostile states.

This will increase the UK’s energy security and reduce dependence on higher-emission imports, whilst protecting more than 200,000 jobs in a vital industry as we grow the UK economy. As part of a visit to a critical energy infrastructure site in Aberdeenshire today, the Prime Minister will highlight the central role the region will play in strengthening the UK’s energy independence and meet the next generation of skilled apprentices key to driving this work forward.

The NSTA – responsible for regulating the oil, gas and carbon storage industries – is currently running the 33rd offshore oil and gas licensing round. They expect the first of the new licences to be awarded in the autumn, with the round expected to award over 100 licences in total.

Future licences will be critical to providing energy security options, unlocking carbon capture usage and storage and hydrogen opportunities – building truly integrated offshore energy hubs that make the best use of the established infrastructure.

This comes as new analysis released by the NSTA today shows that the carbon footprint of domestic gas production is around one-quarter of the carbon footprint of imported liquified natural gas. As the UK is a rapidly declining producer of oil and gas, new oil and gas licences reduce the fall in UK supply in order to ensure vital energy security, rather than increase it above current levels – so that the UK remains on track to meet net zero by 2050.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

We have all witnessed how Putin has manipulated and weaponised energy – disrupting supply and stalling growth in countries around the world.

Now more than ever, it’s vital that we bolster our energy security and capitalise on that independence to deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses.

Even when we’ve reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas. But there are those who would rather that it come from hostile states than from the supplies we have here at home.

We’re choosing to power up Britain from Britain and invest in crucial industries such as carbon capture and storage, rather than depend on more carbon intensive gas imports from overseas – which will support thousands of skilled jobs, unlock further opportunities for green technologies and grow the economy.

The UK’s oil and gas industry are also vital to driving forward and investing in clean technologies that we need to realise our net zero target, like carbon capture usage and storage, by drawing from the sector’s existing supply chains, expertise and key skills whilst protecting jobs.

Today, the Government has confirmed that projects Acorn in North East Scotland and Viking in the Humber have been chosen as the third and fourth carbon capture usage and storage clusters in the UK.

The Government has already committed to deploy CCUS in two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s – the HyNet cluster in North West England and North Wales, and the East Coast Cluster in the Teesside and Humber β€“ and another further two clusters by 2030 – now confirmed as Acorn and Viking.

Together, these four clusters will build a new thriving carbon capture usage and storage industry, which could support up to 50,000 jobs in the UK by 2030.

The UK has one of the largest potential carbon dioxide storage capacities in Europe, making the North Sea one of the most attractive business environments for CCUS technology. The Government has committed to provide up to Β£20 billion in funding for early deployment of CCUS, unlocking private investment and job creation.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said:

In the wake of Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine, our energy security is more important than ever. The North Sea is at the heart of our plan to power up Britain from Britain so that tyrants like Putin can never again use energy as a weapon to blackmail us.

Today’s commitment to power ahead with new oil and gas licences will drive forward our energy independence and our economy for generations. Protecting critical jobs in every region of the UK, safeguarding energy bills for British families and providing a homegrown fuel for our economy that, for domestic gas production, has around one-quarter the carbon footprint of imported liquified natural gas.

Our next steps to develop carbon capture and storage, in Scotland and the Humber, will also help to build a thriving new industry for our North Sea that could support as many as 50,000 jobs, as we deliver on our priority of growing the economy.

The Prime Minister has also tasked the relevant Government departments and regulators to work collaboratively and report back by the end of the year on how we can make the best use of our offshore resources in a truly integrated way as we unlock CCUS and hydrogen opportunities in the North Sea.

A call for evidence has also been launched by Government today, seeking views on the evolving context for taxes for the oil and gas sector to design a long-term fiscal regime which delivers predictability and certainty, supports investment, protects jobs and the country’s energy security.

Stakeholder comments:

David Whitehouse, CEO Offshore Energies UK said:

Domestic production is the best pathway to net zero and the UK Government’s commitment to licences is a welcome boost for energy security and jobs. Oil and gas fields decline naturally over time. The UK needs the churn of new licences to manage production decline inline with the maturing basin. There are currently 283 active oil and gas fields in the North Sea, by 2030 around 180 of those will have ceased production due to natural decline. If we do not replace maturing oil and gas fields with new ones, the rate of production will decline much faster than we can replace them with low carbon alternatives.

Developing our new carbon capture industry and its high-value jobs needs significant investment from our energy producing companies.  This means that the bedrock to success and delivering growth in the economy can only be collaboration between private and public capital. The UK’s skilled offshore workforce, its engineering expertise and its geology have given our nation a unique opportunity to lead the way in building a net zero world.

Tom Glover, RWE UK, Country Chair said:

RWE is delighted that Viking CCS has been awarded Track 2 status for the Government’s Cluster Sequencing Process. RWE is a long-term cluster partner of Viking CCS and is developing two projects that could use this facility, providing firm, secure and flexible low carbon power generation to support our transition to a net zero economy.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

We welcome the Government’s decision to designate Viking as a Track 2 carbon capture utilisation and storage cluster (CCUS). Progressing a CO2 transport and storage network in the Humber represents a significant step toward helping the region meet its Net Zero ambitions and ensuring that it remains a source of high-skilled jobs and energy security for decades to come.

The announcement shows the importance of CCUS to the Humber and, along with the East Coast Cluster, creates an additional pathway to support our plans for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) at Drax Power Station. We are currently engaged in formal discussions with the UK Government on this project and hope to invest billions in its development and deploy this critical, carbon removals technology by 2030.

Dr Nick Cooper, CEO of Acorn lead developer Storegga, said:

We are thrilled that the Acorn Project has advanced directly into Track-2. Acorn has been progressed by the development partners as the Track-1 reserve since late 2021 and is ready to move promptly to support the decarbonisation of Scotland and the wider UK.

Today’s news is a defining milestone for us, and the Scottish Cluster. Acorn will be a major contributor towards meeting the UK and Scotland’s carbon reduction targets, able to serve emitters connected by pipeline and ship.

As Lead Developer, Storegga thanks Acorn partners and Scottish Cluster participants for their support and we look forward to working with Government to deliver the multiple benefits of creating and future-proofing jobs, bringing inward economic investment, developing green-tech industries and, crucially helping decarbonise Scotland and the UK.

Harbour Energy’s Executive Vice President of Net Zero and CCS Steve Cox said:

The successful award of Track 2 status to Harbour’s Viking CCS project in the Humber as well as Acorn in northeast Scotland is another demonstration of how we are well positioned to use our existing skills and infrastructure to help develop the burgeoning CCS industry in the UK.

More widely, the announcement today shows the key role the North Sea oil and gas sector will play in helping to deliver the UK’s carbon capture goals.

Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive at the CCSA, said:

We are pleased to see the UK Government pushing ahead with its CCUS deployment programme and selecting the next two CCUS clusters, as time is running out to meet 2030 targets. This CO2 infrastructure is critical to safeguarding the UK’s supply chain security, enabling local industries to continue to thrive whilst reducing their emissions as we transition to a net zero economy.

It is therefore vital that the Government urgently sets out clarity on the process and timeline for selecting carbon capture sites within these β€˜Track-2’ clusters and within the previously announced Track-1 cluster expansion.  Billions of pounds of investment is waiting to be deployed to decarbonise these industrial regions, but firm plans are required to secure it.

There are a number of other clusters under development across the country, which is why last year we asked government for visibility of the longer-term CCUS deployment plan. Collectively, CCUS clusters could protect 77,000 current jobs and create a further 70,000 jobs across the UK. Government’s forthcoming vision for the UK CCUS sector needs to be published as soon as possible, to avoid investment flight in those regions that have not been selected today.

Simon Roddy, Senior Vice President of Shell UKβ€˜s Upstream business, said:

This is an important step forward for one of the UK’s leading CCS clusters. The Acorn Project is a central part of plans to decarbonise North Sea operations, and to store emissions from other parts of Scottish industry. As Technical Developer, we bring Shell’s global experience of CCS and the delivery of major projects. To stimulate investment in this and other CCS clusters, continued co-operation with governments will be key to finding the most innovative approaches and business models to allow CCS to reach the scale needed to help the UK achieve net zero.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive of SSE, said:

Carbon capture will play a critical role not only in decarbonising the UK’s power system but also in unlocking economic growth and boosting our energy security, and today’s announcement marks a major step forward in its deployment. We know how important it is that the north-east of Scotland and Humber are decarbonised and the decision to support the Scottish Cluster and Viking Cluster shows that there is commitment to doing so.

Time remains of the essence. Now, we must move quickly to deploy the transport and storage infrastructure which will underpin the rollout of CCS across the chosen clusters. Doing so will allow crucial low-carbon projects – such as our carbon capture project at Peterhead – to be brought forward, supporting the energy transition while providing good, green jobs and enhancing regional economies. The UK has a real opportunity to lead the world on carbon capture if we can accelerate progress and today’s announcement provides welcome impetus.

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Australian News

AUSTRALIA DEFAMATION TRIAL REPORT: Heston Russell against ABC told media reporting on war crime allegations ?

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jul: 31: 2023:

#AceNewsDesk – A judge overseeing former commando Heston Russell’s defamation case against the ABC has been told it is “absolutely vital” that the media be free to report on allegations of war crimes by Australian forces.

man in suit with police officer in background
Heston Russell was the commander of the November Platoon from 2011 to 2012.(AAP: Nikki Short)none

Mr Russell is suing the broadcaster in the Federal Court over online, radio and television stories published in 2021, arguing they falsely implied he was involved in the death of a prisoner in Afghanistan.

The ABC is relying on a defence of public interest.

The broadcaster’s barrister Nicholas Owens SC explained how he expects the defence to be deployed.

Both sides agree on the first element of the defence, the court was told.

“Mr Russell agrees, we wholeheartedly agree, that it is absolutely vital that the media be free to report upon allegations of war crimes by Australian forces,” Mr Owens said.

A man wearing a surgical face mask walking
“It is difficult, with respect, to think of a topic of much less weight than that.”Barrister Nicholas Owens SC argued it was “absolutely vital” for the media to freely report on war crime allegations.(AAP: Joel Carrett)

Mr Owens said that by the end of the case, he believed the judge would “have no cause to doubt” that the respondents believed that publishing the stories was in the public interest.

“The real fight, as we apprehend it, will be … whether that belief… was in fact reasonable,” he said.

The stories followed previous reports about allegations against unnamed soldiers from a US marine, who was given the pseudonym “Josh”.

They included the alleged death of a bound prisoner in 2012 after “Josh” heard a “pop” over a radio after being told a group of prisoners would not all fit on a helicopter coming to pick them up.

Mr Russell β€” the commander of November Platoon from 2011 to 2012 β€” last week told the court he was “absolutely shocked” when he saw the 2021 stories that reported his platoon was being investigated.

Investigative journalist Mark Willacy, who is one of the respondents, was today cross-examined by Mr Russell’s counsel Sue Chrysanthou SC about what information he had prior to the publication of the allegations from the marine.

Heston Russell poses for a portrait outside wearing a sports jacket with military medals pinned to his chest.
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Mr Russell is suing the ABC for online, radio and television stories in 2021 over the death of a prisoner in Afghanistan. (Australian Values Party)

Willacy accepted confidential sources may potentially breach the law by handing over certain sensitive information to journalists.

“I think you know, Ms Sue Chrysanthou, that journalists often deal with sources who are very delicately placed,” he said.

The court heard the journalist re-read a chapter of his colleague Chris Masters’ book, No Front Line, believing it referred to the period of “Josh’s” deployment from May to November 2012.

The cross-examination explored the timing of two different rotations of Australian forces β€” rotation 17 in the first half of “Josh’s” deployment, and rotation 18 in the latter half.

Rotation 18 included November Platoon, the court has heard.

Head shot Mark Willacy.
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Ms Chrystanthou put to Willacy that he would have known from research for his own book that rotation 17 was a period known for its “huge body count”.

She alleged that even in the face of “all the facts to the contrary”, the journalist’s mind was “closed” against any suggestion the period in question covered anything other than rotation 18.

“No, it wasn’t closed,” Willacy replied.

“I just use the information that I had, from the sources that I had that was the most credible in terms of matching up what essentially was an allegation of a prisoner being murdered.”

Ms Chrysanthou last week told the court the ABC had engaged in an “inexcusable abuse of power” by publishing articles and using a “PR machine” to issue press releases about the reporting.

The trial is expected to run until Friday.

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Australian News

FEATURED AUSTRALIA OPERATION SANDON REPORT: Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog in spotlight as fallout continues

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jul: 31: 2023:

AceNewsDesk – A property developer at the centre of a damning report by Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog has defended himself in a lengthy press conference in Melbourne.

A man giving a presentation in a conference room
Mr Woodman adorned the walls of his media conference with quotes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet adapted to criticise IBAC.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)none

Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) last week tabled the final report of its Operation Sandon investigation.

The five-year investigation found developer John Woodman had plied suburban councillors with hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for project support.

Mr Woodman on Monday hosted a press conference on behalf of a group calling themselves “the victims” of Operation Sandon, during which the developer gave a PowerPoint presentation addressing what he called the “false narrative” in the IBAC report.

Much of the presentation was related to urban planning and development, and did not directly address the claims levelled at Mr Woodman.

A man giving a presentation in a conference room
During the conference, the developer accused IBAC of “seeking front-page media headlines regardless of the devastating consequences”.John Woodman denied ever exchanging money for political favours.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)

When pressed by journalists, Mr Woodman denied he bribed councillors β€” telling those in attendance to refer to a dossier totalling more than 100 pages which had been distributed to media and brushing off media questions.

“Donations to political parties are not improper as long as there is not a quid pro quo,” he said.

“I have never done that.”

Mr Woodman also said he had not spoken with Premier Daniel Andrews one-on-one since 2010, despite the report detailing a private lunch between the two and associates in 2019.

Former councillor addresses ‘absurd’ accusations of bribery

Former Casey councillor Sam Aziz was also present at the press conference and denied any wrongdoing, calling it “an absurd issue”.

The IBAC report said Mr Aziz received more than $550,000 from Mr Woodman in exchange for support for his plans to rezone tracts of land in Cranbourne West.

A man giving a presentation in a conference room
The former councillor fled to Egypt in 2020 after IBAC raided his home.Sam Aziz was cut off from speaking further during the press conference by John Woodman.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)

Mr Aziz said he endured difficult financial circumstances in 2017 and provided Mr Woodman with cash from his own personal account for investing.

He said the $550,000 payment was in fact Mr Woodman returning his investment with interest.

“So I don’t understand how my own money, invested somewhere with someone, when it’s returned to me can actually be counted as a bribe,” he said.

However, Mr Aziz admitted the exchange of cash with Mr Woodman did look suspicious.

Two casually dressed men sit at a table in a Subway sandwich outlet.
Surveillance photos taken by undercover agents captured a secret meeting at a Subway restaurant between Mr Aziz and Mr Woodman, where cash was wheeled to the meeting in a suitcase.(Supplied: IBAC)

” In return for money and other financial benefits, councillor Aziz provided influence over Casey Council processes and decisions,” the report said.

In its report, IBAC said the relationship between Mr Woodman and Mr Aziz was transactional.

Former IBAC boss fronts parliamentary committee

The media conference came on the same day the former IBAC boss accused the government of undermining the watchdog.

Robert Redlich, served as IBAC commissioner from 2018 until the end of 2022, when the investigations for both Operation Sandon and Operation Daintree were carried out.

The government also faced criticism off the back of the release of IBAC’s Operation Daintree report, which found senior political staffers pressured the state’s Health Department to award a contract to a key Labor ally without competitive tender.

Integrity experts called for a toughening of the watchdog’s powers β€” IBAC can only make a finding of corruption if the conduct constitutes a criminal offence.

A man sits behind a desk, in front of a purple IBAC sign.
Robert Redlich has criticised major constraints on Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog which he says prevent it from doing its job properly.(AAP: James Ross)

Speaking to the Victorian parliament’s Integrity and Oversight Committee on Monday, Mr Redlich said it was a fundamental constraint for anti-corruption agencies trying to do their jobs, calling criminal law a “blunt instrument” in investigations of integrity.

“The act requires that it is not corruption unless a crime has been committed. That is far too onerous an obligation,” Mr Redlich said.

“Integrity commissions should not be constrained by having to be satisfied that a crime has been committed.”

A number of reports are printed out and laid on a wooden table.
IBAC’s Operation Daintree revealed breaches of duties and obligations of ministers, ministerial advisors and senior public servants.(ABC News: Darryl Torpy)

Mr Redlich publicly criticised the Andrews government in March, accusing Labor of trying to undermine the work of IBAC and “find dirt” on the watchdog.

“If this committee is stymied at the outset because political considerations override an objective determination of things that are wrong, then it’s a very sad day,” he said.

“If we can’t say that the integrity committee of the Victorian parliament is acting with integrity, we have a very, very serious problem.”

Integrity and Oversight Committee chair Tim Read echoed Mr Redlich’s comments and called for new legislation to give the anti-corruption watchdog “more teeth”.

“While IBAC remains hamstrung in what it can investigate, political corruption will persist in Victoria,” Mr Read said.

“For too long Victoria has fallen behind the rest of the country when it comes to parliamentary integrity.”

The ABC has contacted the government and IBAC about Mr Redlich’s comments.

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Ace Breaking News

PRESS RELEASE GOV.U.K REPORT: Home Secretary cracks down on criminals receiving citizenship on Immigration Rules

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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jul: 31: 2023:

AceBreakingNews – Toughened-up good character rules will mean the criminality threshold for British citizenship is in line with the government’s Immigration Rules

Home Office

Tougher rules will make sure serious criminals cannot claim British citizenship regardless of when or where the crime took place.

The government crackdown will come into effect tomorrow (31 July), with the strengthened rules applying to new applications from anyone who has received at least a 12-month prison sentence. This re-affirms the government’s commitment to protecting UK borders and ensuring no one with a criminal record can abuse the British immigration and nationality system.

The updated rules are stricter and more specific on so-called β€œgood character” requirements, which are a key condition to be granted British citizenship, and look at whether an individual has observed UK law as well as shown respect for the rights and freedoms of British citizens. The requirements include factors such as criminal convictions, immigration offending and serious behaviour like war crimes, terrorism or genocide.

The changes remove the previous rules where some criminals could be granted British citizenship after a prescribed number of years had passed since the end of their sentence – regardless of the type of crime or where it was committed.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

British citizenship is a privilege. Those who commit crimes shouldn’t be able to enjoy the breadth of rights citizenship brings, including holding a British passport, voting and accessing free medical care from the NHS.

I am cracking down on abuse of the UK’s immigration and nationality system, by introducing a tougher threshold so that serious criminals cannot gain British citizenship. This is the fair and right thing to do for our country.

There will be some exceptions to the new rules, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, for example if someone has mitigating circumstances that support an exceptional grant. Cases like this could include someone who committed a minor offence a long time ago but has made sufficient, positive changes that they are now considered to be of good character.

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