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Biden administration bars drilling on millions of acres in Alaska

News Feed
Friday, April 19, 2024

The Biden administration is restricting drilling on millions of acres of government-owned lands in Alaska — and taking the penultimate step toward blocking a mining access road in the same state. The administration announced on Friday that it would block off oil and gas drilling on 13 million acres in the Western Arctic that are part of an area known as the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve, found in Alaska’s North Slope, was set aside in 1923 by then-President Warren G. Harding as an emergency supply of oil for the Navy. The area is also home to caribou herds, threatened and sensitive bird species, and other animals including polar bears.  The administration also issued a document indicating that it would not approve a proposed industrial road through northwestern Alaskan wilderness toward deposits of copper and zinc — disrupting Ambler Metals’ effort to mine there.  The administration cited its finding that the road would significantly restrict activities for more than 30 Alaska Native communities. The Hill previously reported the Biden administration had reached this decision Tuesday. “Today’s historic actions to protect lands and waters in the western Arctic will ensure continued subsistence use by Alaska Native communities while conserving these special places for future generations,”  White House adviser John Podesta said in a statement.  “With these new announcements, the Biden-Harris administration has now protected more than 41 million acres of lands and waters across the country, leaving a huge mark on the history of American conservation,” he added. The Biden administration has a mixed record on energy- and conservation-related issues in Alaska, most notably approving the Willow Project last year — which will allow ConocoPhillips to drill in Alaska for about 30 years.  That move was particularly controversial among progressives, who said the administration should not allow significant new oil infrastructure amid the transition away from fossil fuels. One day prior to that decision, the administration announced its proposed expansion of protections in the petroleum reserve that was finalized on Friday.  It reverses a Trump-era effort to open up significantly more of the area for drilling.  The Biden administration’s move to bar the Ambler road’s construction technically is not final, as the government is required to wait at least 30 days before issuing a formal Record of Decision.   The actions taken by the Biden administration have been opposed by Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation, with lawmakers arguing that the move will have negative impacts on the area’s economy, including for Alaska Native Corporations.  The moves were met with praise from many environmental and tribal advocates.  “The Biden Administration's choice to reject the Ambler Road Project is a monumental step forward in the fight for Indigenous rights and environmental justice,” Chief Chair Brian Ridley of the Tanana Chiefs Conference said in a statement.

The Biden administration is restricting drilling on millions of acres of government-owned lands in Alaska — and taking the penultimate step toward blocking a mining access road in the same state. The administration announced on Friday that it would block off oil and gas drilling on 13 million acres in the Western Arctic that are...

The Biden administration is restricting drilling on millions of acres of government-owned lands in Alaska — and taking the penultimate step toward blocking a mining access road in the same state.

The administration announced on Friday that it would block off oil and gas drilling on 13 million acres in the Western Arctic that are part of an area known as the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

The 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve, found in Alaska’s North Slope, was set aside in 1923 by then-President Warren G. Harding as an emergency supply of oil for the Navy.

The area is also home to caribou herds, threatened and sensitive bird species, and other animals including polar bears. 

The administration also issued a document indicating that it would not approve a proposed industrial road through northwestern Alaskan wilderness toward deposits of copper and zinc — disrupting Ambler Metals’ effort to mine there. 

The administration cited its finding that the road would significantly restrict activities for more than 30 Alaska Native communities. The Hill previously reported the Biden administration had reached this decision Tuesday.

“Today’s historic actions to protect lands and waters in the western Arctic will ensure continued subsistence use by Alaska Native communities while conserving these special places for future generations,”  White House adviser John Podesta said in a statement. 

“With these new announcements, the Biden-Harris administration has now protected more than 41 million acres of lands and waters across the country, leaving a huge mark on the history of American conservation,” he added.

The Biden administration has a mixed record on energy- and conservation-related issues in Alaska, most notably approving the Willow Project last year — which will allow ConocoPhillips to drill in Alaska for about 30 years. 

That move was particularly controversial among progressives, who said the administration should not allow significant new oil infrastructure amid the transition away from fossil fuels. One day prior to that decision, the administration announced its proposed expansion of protections in the petroleum reserve that was finalized on Friday. 

It reverses a Trump-era effort to open up significantly more of the area for drilling. 

The Biden administration’s move to bar the Ambler road’s construction technically is not final, as the government is required to wait at least 30 days before issuing a formal Record of Decision.  

The actions taken by the Biden administration have been opposed by Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation, with lawmakers arguing that the move will have negative impacts on the area’s economy, including for Alaska Native Corporations. 

The moves were met with praise from many environmental and tribal advocates. 

“The Biden Administration's choice to reject the Ambler Road Project is a monumental step forward in the fight for Indigenous rights and environmental justice,” Chief Chair Brian Ridley of the Tanana Chiefs Conference said in a statement.

Read the full story here.
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‘It can be done’: peat-free garden to feature at Hampton Court flower show

Gardeners’ World presenter Arit Anderson creating colourful display to encourage gardeners to move away from peatA completely peat-free garden will be showcased at the Hampton Court Palace flower show so the public can “have a chat about peat-free gardening” and learn how to do it themselves.Peat-free compost has been a divisive topic in the gardening world, with some gardeners arguing that it is not as good as the peaty stuff for growing plants. Continue reading...

A completely peat-free garden will be showcased at the Hampton Court Palace flower show so the public can “have a chat about peat-free gardening” and learn how to do it themselves.Peat-free compost has been a divisive topic in the gardening world, with some gardeners arguing that it is not as good as the peaty stuff for growing plants.Now Arit Anderson, a Gardeners’ World presenter, is creating a garden for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to show that forsaking peat does not mean you have to have a dull garden. Her garden will be full of colour and texture, with one area of naturalistic planting to mimic an untouched peatland, and another looking like a recognisable domestic garden, with shaded and sun-loving borders and beds.Peat, which is dug up from bogs, is an incredibly nutrient-rich surface layer of soil in which plants grow well. For years it was a key component of the compost used in horticulture and sold in garden centres.But bogs are one of the most critical carbon sinks in the UK, and often have extremely biodiverse and fragile habitats. Wildlife and environmental groups have made banning peat a critical demand in the past few years and the UK government announced a ban on peat for gardeners in 2022, which was supposed to be enacted this year. But this ban has now been delayed until 2030 at the earliest, and the relevant legislation to make it happen has still not gone through parliament.The ban has faced opposition from parts of the farming and horticulture industries, with the Horticulture Trade Association saying when it was announced: “Due to the current lack of quality alternative materials to peat, an immediate ban on peat could impact significantly on the availability of growing media. This would mean that the UK’s 30 million gardeners would be faced with products which have not gone through a lengthy enough quality assurance process, and which would have higher costs.”And so progressive members of the industry have been left to promote peat-free gardening without government support. At Hampton Court flower show, held from 2-7 July in the grounds of the palace, Anderson’s garden will be an example of gardening that can be done without destroying the UK’s precious bogs.A plan of Anderson’s peat-free garden. Photograph: c/o RHSThough avoiding peat compost is relatively easy these days, some plants are still grown in pots with plugs containing peat. Anderson’s garden aims to be informative and help gardeners and industry transition to peat-free by showcasing what can be achieved and empowering people to grow plants using sustainable alternatives. It will feature more than 2,000 annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.Anderson said: “To do this communication about where peat comes from was really important to me. It’s really important we have gardeners and the public talking about and understanding how to keep peat in the ground.“This garden is going to be a community space where we can all have a good old chat about peat. People will be able to walk through it and there will be a tiny mini boardwalk over a peat habitat, there will be an immersive video, lots of communication about what peat is and where it comes from and why it shouldn’t be in our gardens.“We want to be able to have visitors come and see that every single plant in the garden is peat-free. We are using ones that are being grown on trials at the moment; we need people to be able to feel confident they can see a plant that is grown healthily without peat. We have shrubs, flowers, trees and even vegetables as well.”Visitors to the garden will also be able to enjoy a series of talks and workshops to promote growing mediums that do not include peat.Richard Benwell, the chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “A shining marigold medal to Hampton Court for showing leadership in peat-free horticulture. The government has promised to ban the sale of horticultural peat products ‘as soon as parliamentary time allows’. Other important regulations, like new nature rules for national parks and regulations to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty, are also trapped in this legislative limbo. There’s still time before this parliament is over; now it’s a question of political will to make these important environmental changes happen.”Alistair Griffiths, director of science and collections at the RHS, added: “We’re delighted that Hampton will be host to this peat-free garden from plug to plot. Industry and gardeners are showing huge resolve in their ambition to be peat-free and the garden will showcase how it can be done with no less colour or quality. From 2026, our Legacy Peat Policy will aid the transition by accounting for the legacy peat that is likely to be found in older and larger garden plants.”The RHS will ban peat from its gardens and shows by 2026, when all plants raised will be required to have been grown entirely peat-free. Any potting action after this date must also be peat-free, for plants to be shown, exhibited or sold through its shops.

Government
Health
Nature

2,000+ Genetic Signals Linked to Blood Pressure Discovered in Study of Over a Million People

The Queen Mary-led study reveals the most detailed picture yet of genetic contributors to blood pressure. The findings lead to improved polygenic risk scores, which...

The Queen Mary-led study reveals the most detailed picture yet of genetic contributors to blood pressure. The findings lead to improved polygenic risk scores, which will better predict blood pressure and risk for hypertension.Researchers led by Queen Mary University of London and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have discovered over a hundred new regions of the human genome, also known as genomic loci, that appear to influence a person’s blood pressure. In total, over 2,000 independent genetic signals for blood pressure are now reported, demonstrating that blood pressure is a highly complex trait influenced by thousands of different genetic variants. Extensive Study on Blood Pressure GeneticsThe study, published in Nature Genetics, is one of the largest such genomic studies of blood pressure to date, including data from over 1 million individuals and laying the groundwork for researchers to better understand how blood pressure is regulated.To understand the genetics of blood pressure, the researchers combined four large datasets from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of blood pressure and hypertension. After analyzing the data, they found over 2,000 genomic loci linked to blood pressure, including 113 new regions. The analyses also implicated hundreds of previously unreported genes that affect blood pressure. Such insights could point to potential new drug targets, and help to advance precision medicine in the early detection and prevention of hypertension (high blood pressure).The Role of Polygenic Risk ScoresFrom these analyses, the researchers were able to calculate polygenic risk scores, which combine the effects of all genetic variants together to predict blood pressure and risk for hypertension. For example, these risk scores show that individuals with highest genetic risk have mean systolic blood pressure levels which are ~17 mmHg higher than those with lowest genetic risk, and a 7-fold increased risk of hypertension. Therefore, these polygenic risk scores can discriminate between patients according to their hypertension risk, and reveal clinically meaningful differences in blood pressure.Impact of the Study and Future Directions“We have now revealed a much larger proportion of the genetic contribution of blood pressure than was previously known,” says Helen Warren, Senior Lecturer in Statistical Genetics at Queen Mary University of London and senior last author of the study. “We are making our polygenic risk scores data publicly available. There are many different potential applications of genetic risk scores, so it will be exciting to see how our blood pressure scores can be used to address more clinically relevant questions in the future.”“This large study builds on over 18 years of blood pressure GWAS research. Our results provide new resources for understanding biological mechanisms and importantly new polygenic risk scores for early identification and stratification of people at risk for cardiovascular diseases” says Patricia Munroe, Professor of Molecular Medicine at Queen Mary University of London, also a senior author of the paper.Application in Diverse PopulationsPolygenic risk scores have the potential to serve as a useful tool in precision medicine, but more diverse genomic data is needed for them to be applicable broadly in routine health care. While the collected data was mostly from people of European ancestry (due to the limited availability of diverse datasets when the study was started), the researchers found that the polygenic risk scores were also applicable to people of African ancestry, who have previously been underrepresented in genetic studies.This African ancestry result was confirmed through analyzing data from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) All of Us Research Program in the USA, which aims to build one of the largest biomedical data resources and accelerate research to improve human health.Understanding Hypertension in the UK ContextAn estimated 30% of adults in the UK have high blood pressure, known as hypertension. High blood pressure often runs in families, meaning that there is a genetic component to developing the condition in addition to environmental contributions such as a high-salt diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and stress. When blood pressure is consistently too high, it can damage the heart and blood vessels throughout the body, increasing a person’s risk for heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and other conditions.Reference: “Genome-wide analysis in over 1 million individuals of European ancestry yields improved polygenic risk scores for blood pressure traits” by Patricia B. Munroe, Helen R. Warren, et al. 30 April 2024, Nature Genetics. DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01714-wThe study combined previously published genetic data from the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing genetic and health information from half a million UK participants (N~450,000 individuals); the International Consortium for Blood Pressure (N~300,000 individuals combined from 77 different cohort studies); and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Million Veteran Program (N~220,000 individuals), with new data from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s biorepository, BioVU (N~50,000 individuals).The project was led by researchers at Barts NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, in collaboration with National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in the USA, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and other institutions, as part of the International Consortium of Blood Pressure. Altogether, over 140 investigators from more than 100 universities, institutes, and government agencies throughout the world contributed to this international study.

Government
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White House finalizes permitting reform rule included in debt ceiling deal

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized rules Tuesday aimed at streamlining the environmental review process under the National Environmental Protection Act. The final rule, which was part of an agreement in last summer’s deal to increase the federal debt ceiling, creates new methods for the federal government to establish a categorical exclusion....

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized rules Tuesday aimed at streamlining the environmental review process under the National Environmental Protection Act. The final rule, which was part of an agreement in last summer’s deal to increase the federal debt ceiling, creates new methods for the federal government to establish a categorical exclusion. These are the speediest category of decisions in the permitting process because they refer to cases where the government has determined they do not affect the environment enough to require an environmental review. The additions in the final rule include allowing joint categorical exclusions between multiple agencies. The final rule also includes provisions to improve community engagement in the environmental review process, undoing a 2020 Trump administration rule that critics have said imposed excessive hurdles for public comment during the process. It further eliminates provisions of the 2020 rule that the Biden administration CEQ said “attempted to curtail judicial review” of permitting decisions. “President Biden has unleashed historic investments to build our clean energy future, make long-overdue infrastructure upgrades across the nation, and deliver benefits to communities that have been historically left behind,” CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory said in a statement. “These reforms will deliver smarter decisions, quicker permitting, and projects that are built better and faster. As we accelerate our clean energy future, we are also protecting communities from pollution and environmental harms that can result from poor planning and decision-making while making sure we build projects in the right places.” Environmental groups praised the Biden administration for the final rule, saying it restored enforcement strength to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that had been previously rolled back. “Meaningful community engagement is the key to unlocking our clean energy future. It leads to better projects that face less opposition on the back end,” Christy Goldfuss, executive director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement. “We do not have to sacrifice environmental justice, community safeguards, public health, or environmental protections to fight climate change and build the clean energy economy we need.”

Government
Climate
Health

Congress is killing Biden's cancer moonshot

Lawmakers aren’t willing to meet the president’s budget requests, casting doubt on reaching the program’s ambitious goal.

President Joe Biden is scrambling to fund his cancer moonshot and its ambitious goal of cutting the death rate by half — an aim close to his heart that’s no longer a bipartisan priority.Lawmakers backed the initiative during the final days of Barack Obama’s presidency, passing the 21st Century Cures Act, and allotting $1.8 billion to the cause, nearly unanimously. Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it "the most significant legislation passed by this Congress.”But times have changed. The spending package Congress passed in March doesn’t reup Cures moonshot money that dried up at the end of last year. Lawmakers rejected Biden’s request to fund Cures this year and also cut off his moonshot's most direct funding stream.The new budget is tight across the board, reflecting Republicans’ control of the House, deficit concerns and, not least, their desire to deny Biden a win months before the election. Congress’ decision has left Biden scrambling to fill the gap."Actions have consequences. Arbitrarily calling for spending cuts means the money will come from somewhere," Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), who with former Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) spearheaded the Cures law in 2016, told POLITICO in an email. "It is a shame we cannot find more funding for cancer research and that this work will be impacted by partisan efforts to slash spending."Republicans see the cuts differently."When you're running a $1.6 trillion deficit, spending cuts aren't the problem," Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the new chair of the House Appropriations Committee, told POLITICO. "We've been very generous,” he added, referencing the hundreds of millions in funding since the Cures law passed.The moonshot is important, Cole said, but the magnitude of the deficit requires tough choices and compromise on entitlement costs that Democrats aren’t willing to make.Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), an OB/GYN who’s co-chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus, argues that the next big health care bill needs to focus on how to pay for medical innovation and make it affordable.The White House offers a holistic perspective on the funding fallout. "We are well prepared to take forward the cancer moonshot in a tough funding cycle," Danielle Carnival, deputy assistant to the president for the cancer moonshot, told POLITICO. "We avoided the critical cuts that the Republicans were proposing" to the broader National Institutes of Health budget."This is personal to them," Carnival said of the president and first lady Jill Biden. The initial moonshot program, launched under Obama, was named after Biden’s son Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015. To get cancer funding back on track, Biden requested mandatory moonshot funding in his fiscal year 2025 budget request last month. The request both signals the president's commitment to the moonshot and foreshadows his priorities for a second term, but it's not money he gets without Congress’ assent.Such funding would require Cures-style legislation before it could be distributed to agencies like the NIH. In other words, it's a multi-step Hail Mary so long as Congress is divided.That has advocates of increased cancer research worried."If not this administration, then who?" Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, asked, citing Biden’s personal commitment. “We really look for this administration to lead."In the meantime, Biden’s leaning on the agencies to keep moonshot programs going and pursuing private sector help that costs the government nothing. Last month, he said the country’s largest health insurers were expanding services to help patients and their families navigate health care treatments for cancer.But there’s only so much he can do, said Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), a cancer survivor on the Appropriations Committee who represents a district close to NIH headquarters: “Without funding, you can’t hire the best researchers, you can’t acquire cutting-edge technology. Put simply, you can’t innovate.”‘Tough break for NIH’NIH, which leads the moonshot effort, took a budget hit this year.Although the Cures Act contribution to NIH fell by $678 million in fiscal 2024, Congress took steps to make up for that by backfilling $300 million when it finally passed an agency budget last month.The NIH budget fell from $47.5 billion in fiscal 2023 to $47.1 billion this year, a net cut of $378 million."That was a kind of a tough break for NIH," said Erik Fatemi, a principal at lobbying firm Cornerstone Government Affairs and former Democratic staffer on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee with authority over health care spending.It could have been a lot worse, cancer research advocates said.Cures provided supplementary money for NIH, but those funds had to be offset each year. That structure meant Cures funding fluctuated significantly, from several million dollars to over a billion dollars, depending on the year."The way they wrote it, there were lots of ups and downs. Some years that was a windfall for NIH. And some years, it's a real problem for NIH," Fatemi said. "This year is one of the years where it's a real problem, because the money goes way down."Even so, the point of a moonshot is to spend big and get big returns. Biden's cancer moonshot is fashioned after President John F. Kennedy's 1960s push to put a man on the moon, a period in which the U.S. funded NASA at historically high levels. Five years after NASA's funding peaked, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface.But Cures passed at a moment shielded from election pressures. Obama’s second term was ending and the 2016 election was over. By contrast, a cancer moonshot win this year would give Biden something to campaign on."Some see it as political," Jon Retzlaff, chief policy officer and vice president of science policy and government affairs at the nonprofit American Association for Cancer Research, said of the moonshot funding debate on Capitol Hill. "They see it as President Biden’s plan."That’s in keeping with larger politicization of science research funding since the pandemic, when Republicans objected to top NIH officials Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins’ handling of Covid-19.The NIH's effective budget cut this year stands in stark contrast to a decade of generous increases in which its budget rose an average of 5 percent a year.Congress opting not to invest in the cancer moonshot, while simultaneously tightening the NIH budget, will "further squeeze priorities," Ellen Sigal, founder of the advocacy group Friends of Cancer Research, said.‘Something dramatic may be necessary’By any definition, the American investment in cancer research continues to be huge.In addition to NIH, agencies ranging from NASA to the Environmental Protection Agency to Veterans Affairs are chipping in.DeGette and Carnival pointed to the fledgling Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, which Biden created two years ago to take on high-risk, high-reward research.It announced a series of cancer-related grants and programs last year, including one to advance cancer surgery and another to research using bacteria to target tumor cells.Carnival also stressed partnerships the administration has forged with the private sector, including recent commitments from major health insurance companies to help patients access treatment. Ensuring all patients can access state-of-the-art care is crucial to meeting the moonshot’s goal of reducing the death rate by 50 percent over 25 years.And while experts said Biden's request for mandatory moonshot funding in his 2025 is unlikely to materialize, the White House is optimistic."We still believe that that's possible," Carnival said. "We still think that there is a way to get continued bipartisan support.”And Congress did give the National Cancer Institute, an arm of NIH, a $120 million boost this year. That came "despite very tough budget constraints imposed by Republicans,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the chair of the Appropriations panel with control over the funding, told POLITICO in a statement.But cancer research advocates argue that even that boost is effectively a cut, due to inflation, rising research costs and salary raises for federal workers.Without the budget increases NIH is accustomed to, the agency will be forced to cut funding for promising clinical trials of new drugs, they said."That's what happens when there is a stall in research or when research dollars don't catch up with the pace of inflation," the American Cancer Society’s Knudsen said. “There's a direct impact on cancer patients through clinical trials and then an indirect impact through the scientific enterprise being stopped or slowed."Given the stakes, advocates and lobbyists are regrouping to fight for a robust 2025 NIH budget, which lawmakers are already beginning to consider.Concern hung over the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting in San Diego this month, where Retzlaff and his allies in the cancer research community strategized about how to get Congress to invest in NIH next year.During the 2013 budget cuts that resulted from spending wars between Obama and the Republican-controlled House, AACR mobilized a ten thousand person rally for medical research.“Something dramatic may be necessary" again, Retzlaff said.Megan Wilson contributed to this report.

Government
Health
Science

Jeepney strike under way in Philippines as deadline to modernise nears

Government tells operators they must join cooperatives by Tuesday and gradually replace their vehicles with greener optionsA three-day strike by drivers of jeepneys in the Philippines began on Monday as transport groups warned that thousands could be pushed off the roads by government modernisation plans.The jeepney is the backbone of the Philippines’ transport system. The customised, privately-owned buses, which look like a cross between a Jeep and a van and are decorated in flamboyant colours, ply routes in neighbourhood streets and city centres, offering rides for as little as 13 pesos (23 US cents). They have featured in pop songs and films – Pope Francis even travelled through Manila in a jeepney-inspired popemobile. Continue reading...

A three-day strike by drivers of jeepneys in the Philippines began on Monday as transport groups warned that thousands could be pushed off the roads by government modernisation plans.The jeepney is the backbone of the Philippines’ transport system. The customised, privately-owned buses, which look like a cross between a Jeep and a van and are decorated in flamboyant colours, ply routes in neighbourhood streets and city centres, offering rides for as little as 13 pesos (23 US cents). They have featured in pop songs and films – Pope Francis even travelled through Manila in a jeepney-inspired popemobile.The government has for years wanted to modernise the vehicles, which were originally built from repurposed US army Jeeps left over from the second world war, and are known to chug out pollutants.Operators – who own the jeepneys – and drivers have been told by the government that they must join corporations or cooperatives by Tuesday, and gradually replace their jeepneys with more environmentally friendly vehicles that have more safety features.The government has said it will subsidise the new vehicles, and that cooperatives will be able to access bank loans. It also says that jeepneys will not be immediately withdrawn.Operators, however, say the new vehicles are completely unaffordable and that they will be burdened with huge amounts of debt.“As a small-time operator, we can’t afford the expensive modernised Jeep they want us to have,” says Almira Molina, who has two jeepneys.The new vehicles will be fitted with engines that meet European emission standards, or electric motors, and will have wifi, CCTV and air conditioning. But the vehicles, along with admission into a cooperative, will cost up to 2.8m pesos ($48,500) – far more than a traditional jeepney, which is usually priced between 150,000 to 250,000 pesos.There are about 179,000 jeepneys – the vast majority of which are at least 15 years old – and the transport group PISTON says thousands of drivers and operators are at risk of losing their livelihoods.“Why do they want to erase this? It’s a big question for everyone,” said Ed Sarao, of jeepney maker Sarao Motors, whose father, Leornardo, was a pioneer of the jeepney.The vehicle was built, he says, “from the ashes of World War II”.An older model jeepney, colourfully decorated. Photograph: Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty ImagesEvery jeepney is custom-made, and has its own unique designs – artwork can feature anything from the Virgin Mary, to basketball stars and images of agriculture or cartoon characters. The new minibuses in most cases do not have the same design as a classic jeepney – prompting fears its iconic shape could disappear from the streets.Groups representing operators and drivers say they are not opposed to change, but that the current government plans will unfairly hit the poorest.“The problem we see is that with the amount needed to modernise, small operators and jeepney drivers will not be able to afford this programme – and in the end huge corporations may take over the industry,” said Jan Atienza, of PISTON, which represents drivers and operators.Oscar Soria, 54, in his vehicle which is more than 20 years old. He says he’d prefer that the old vehicles are renovated. Photograph: Guill RamosOperators worry that if they are unable to keep up with debt repayments, their vehicles could be seized, and drivers left without work.The government argues that joining cooperatives or corporations will allow jeepney drivers and operators to pool resources, be more efficient, and get better access to finance. It says vehicles will be upgraded gradually, over a period of between five and eight years, and that this process will improve environmental standards and make the roads safer.Veteran jeepney driver Oscar Soria, 54, said his operator, who owns the vehicle he drives, has joined the government’s programme but he has yet to feel an impact.“I don’t think the electric jeepneys will last long,” he said.Given the choice, he said he would rather continue driving a traditional jeepney, and wants these vehicles to instead be renovated. “Because passengers are used to this kind of Jeep. And the fare is a little cheaper. Of course, the fare will increase when the modern jeepneys will be operational,” he said.Gina Gatarin, a researcher specialising in Philippine transport systems, said that past research into transport reforms in other Asian or African cities showed that such programmes were unlikely to succeed if they were pushed in a top-down manner.“It’s very important that we create a transport sector which is less polluting and more safe for everyone, but it should not be at the expense of these poor drivers being pushed out of the labour force,” Gatarin said.Jeepneys, which account for 40% of all motorised trips in the country, are the most affordable way for people to get around, at a time when many are already facing increases in the cost of food and other essentials.The strike will last until the end of Wednesday. The government has said previous strikes have been limited in their impact.

Government
Agriculture
Food

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The drought and the lack of water supplies in the capital city of Iran (Tehran), is a horrendous problem nowadays. The lakes of Tehran's area are all dried, some of the farmers have got to irrigate their farms by a kind of drainage to produce adequate harvest. This documentary proves that these problems have historical reasons and background in the political history of Iran in the last century. In addition to this historical and scientific view, The director shows that the fear of drought and famine in Iran is one of the major issues in Persian mythologies and legends. Narration of the film uses a poetic language to combine a mythological story about drought with the historical realities according to this specific topic: There's a dreadful dragon in Persian mythology, who is immortal and responsible for drought. Water crisis in Tehran contemporary history is a major problem too; and a dry land is a sign of the return of the dragon.

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Government

The Green Amendment: New Mexico, Part One

Join Maya van Rossum, Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, in her exploration of New Mexico’s biggest environmental issues and the role a NM Green Amendment could play in the fight for environmental justice with: Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, legislative sponsor of the New Mexico Green Amendment; Emma Rose Cohen, CEO/Founder of the sustainable business Final; Beata Tsosie-Peña, Environmental Health and Justice Program Coordinator for Tewa Women United; Artemisio Romero y Carver, founding member of Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA); and Dee George and Penny Aucoin, fracking waste accident victims impacted residents of Otis, NM.

Government
Activism
Documentary

Jetty Cats

Jetty Cats explores contemporary animal rights issues through a focus on a feral cat colony that has survived on a rocky, seaside jetty in Southern California for decades. There is an ongoing debate over feral cat colonies involving advocates who support the trap, neuter, and return -- or "TNR" -- model of management, and those who argue that trapping and euthanizing the cats is more humane. This documentary’s point-of-view supports the TNR model and the related “no-kill” animal shelter policy, and features an exclusive interview with Richard Avanzino, the "Father" of the no-kill movement.

Animals
Government
Activism

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