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Move America’s offshore wind energy from potential to power

As leaders gather for the first in-person celebration of Capitol Hill Ocean Week in two years, we have a proposal for how to bridge the chasm between America’s offshore wind energy ambition and current capacity. 

The gap is sizable. At present, the U.S. has only two operational offshore wind farms with a total output of just 42 megawatts. Getting to 30 gigawatts (a hundred times larger than megawatts) by 2030, the target set by the Biden-Harris administration, requires increasing wind energy generation by a staggering 700 times.  

Potential is worth pursuing

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just announced that CO2 levels in May reached 421 parts per million, “pushing the atmosphere further into territory not seen for millions of years.” Offshore wind energy can shift that balance by preventing 78 million metric tons of CO2 emissions from further heating up our planet, the equivalent of taking nearly 17 million gas cars off the road for a full year. Done responsibly, offshore wind would also inject more than $12 billion in annual capital investments on both coasts and create more than 44,000 jobs while protecting one of our greatest natural resources — our ocean.  

Consumers are already driving demand for clean energy

Developers are responding with aggressive bids for offshore wind leases as they become available. Last month, the Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) attracted $315 million for two leases in the Carolina Long Bay wind energy area. The New York Bight lease sales pulled in a staggering $4.3 billion. BOEM quickly followed up with an announcement of offshore wind lease sales in California. They are the first for the west coast and the first to require floating technology.  

Offshore wind energy faces multiple challenges

It ranges from permitting coordination to conflicts among different ocean uses, electrical transmission planning to limited capacity at key federal agencies. 

New and evolving technologies are driving exponential growth in the industry. Our legal and regulatory structure and traditionally siloed management must keep pace to evaluate cumulative impacts and set wind projects on a course for success.  

There is much work to be done to realize the promised benefits of climate mitigation, conservation and the equitable accrual of multiple benefits from offshore wind.  

It is a formidable but not insurmountable task

Our analysis recommends a combination of policy changes and regulatory actions that the administration, federal agencies and Congress can take from offshore wind project siting to transmission, leasing to construction and operation.  

BOEM is charged with setting a strong foundation for ocean energy management. The agency must examine and revise the offshore wind development permitting processes set in early 2009 that borrowed from oil and gas regulations. Regulatory updates are a priority that simply cannot be left for later.  

The president’s budget recognizes the current capacity limitations for BOEM, NOAA and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The administration requested $45 million for NOAA to build staff capacity, science, monitoring and fisheries needs related to offshore wind. Congress must do its part to ensure vital agencies can support this quickly evolving industry.  

The White House Ocean Policy Committee has all the key federal ocean and coastal agencies at the table and already provides a ready forum for interagency coordination. Together with the Permitting Council to oversee project authorizations, permits can be advanced with reduced conflict.  

The U.S. can build on the strong foundation of existing laws that govern our ocean and coasts including promoting the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and using ocean planning best practices and adaptive management. The Regional Ocean Partnerships and associated data portals can also deepen stakeholder and community coordination and drive evidence-based decisions.  

Sea: The future

As we celebrate the ocean on Capitol Hill and mark another National Ocean Month, we call on Congress to: 

• Revise the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to create a separate title for offshore wind, which will account for different needs of this unique industry and create opportunities for comprehensive planning and management. 
• Fully fund federal agencies engaged in offshore wind planning and permitting to ensure that staff have the resources to assess impacts, advance projects, conduct environmental review and engage ocean users and underserved communities,  
• Establish a comprehensive ocean statute, comparable to those that exist for public lands, as a basis for landscape-scale conservation and renewable energy programs.  

We need to move America’s offshore wind energy from potential to power. The time to act is now. 

Amy Trice is director of Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Planning program. Trice is a published expert on integrated ocean management working on federal ocean policy and with the Ocean Policy Committee and the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.

Ted Boling is a partner with Perkins Coie. Boling previously served on the President’s Council on Environmental Quality and as the country’s top National Environmental Policy Act attorney. They are co-authors of a new report on America’s offshore wind energy potential.

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Biden says Jan. 6 a 'clear, flagrant violation of the Constitution'

President Biden on Thursday called the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 a “clear, flagrant violation of the Constitution” hours before the House committee investigating the assault holds its first public hearing.  

Biden, speaking at the beginning of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, acknowledged that many Americans would be watching the proceedings Thursday night, and learning new details about the attack.

“I think these guys and women broke the law, tried to turn around a result of an election,” Biden told reporters.  

“There’s a lot of questions — who’s responsible, who’s involved – I’m not going to make a judgment on that, but I just want you to know that … a lot of Americans are going to see for the first time some of the detail that occurred,” he continued.  

The remarks were Biden’s first public comments on the hearings. The White House has offered support for the committee’s work but sought some distance from it, seeking to avoid the appearance of influencing the investigation.  

Biden, who is in Los Angeles for the Summit of the Americas, is expected to keep up with news out of the hearing but it’s unclear if he will watch the proceeding live.  

“Clearly, he’ll be very busy,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday. “He will be very focused on his trip.” 

The hearing is slated to begin at 8 p.m. Thursday evening. It’s the first of a handful of public hearings the committee plans to hold in the coming weeks that will examine the events leading up to the deadly storming of the Capitol by a crowd of Trump supporters last January.  

The committee is expected to rely on recorded testimony from Trump administration officials and members of the former president’s family in order to connect Trump to the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and the effort that unsuccessfully sought to stop the certification of Biden’s electoral win. 

Biden condemned the Jan. 6 attack as an attempted coup in an address on its one-year anniversary earlier this year and rebuked Trump for spreading a “web of lies” about the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

Biden waived executive privilege on tranches of Trump-era White House documents so that they could be turned over to the committee despite objections from the former president. 

“There is no executive privilege to overthrow the government of the United States,” White House chief of staff Ron Klain said during an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday afternoon.  

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Sriracha maker warns of 'unprecedented shortage' of popular products after crop failure

(WGHP) — Lovers of sriracha-style chili sauce could soon be suffering as bottles of the sauce have become harder to find on shelves.

Huy Fong Foods, the company behind the popular Huy Fong brands of sriracha and chili sauces, warned retailers and customers in April of a “severe shortage” of the peppers used to make its sauces, blaming “weather conditions affecting the quality of chili peppers.”

“Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products,” wrote the company, which produces sriracha sauce, chili-garlic sauce and sambal oelek chili paste.

Due to the shortage, Huy Fong Foods said it would not be fulfilling any orders for sriracha since April 19 and will not begin taking orders for more until after Labor Day on Sept. 6.

On Thursday, Huy Fong Foods confirmed the issue remains ongoing.

“Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products,” the company wrote in an emailed statement shared with Nexstar. “We are still endeavoring to resolve this issue that has been caused by several spiraling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest.”

“We hope for a fruitful fall season and thank our customers for their patience and continued support during this difficult time.”

A representative for the brand did not comment on which regions, if any, could be more affected by the shortages than others.

It’s possible a chili shortage could have wide-ranging impacts at supermarkets and restaurants, as sriracha-style sauces are not only used independently but also as an ingredient in many other spicy condiments, such as the spicy mayo used in wraps, sushi rolls and chicken sandwiches. It’s unclear if other brands of sriracha sauce are experiencing the same issue; a representative for Sriraja Panich, another brand available at specialty stores in the United States, had not indicated supply shortages on its official social media channels.

A representative for the company that produces Sriraja Panich was not available for comment at the time of publication.

Huy Fong Foods, Inc., founded in 1980, is based in Irwindale, California.

Source: TEST FEED1

Who is Nick Quested, the documentarian testifying tonight on Jan. 6?

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot will hold its first public hearing tonight on what led to the uprising at the U.S. Capitol, looking to paint a narrative of a concerted effort to overturn certification of the 2020 election with former President Trump at the center.

One of the key witnesses called to testify at tonight’s trial is Nick Quested, a documentarian who followed the Proud Boys before and during the rioting.

Here’s what we know about Quested and his role in the committee’s investigation.

A British filmmaker with two Emmy awards

Quested, 52, hails from London, England. He owns Goldcrest Films, a film distribution company with operations in London and New York.

The company has produced popular movies such as the 1989 animated film “All Dogs Go to Heaven.”

According to his biography, Quested has won two Emmys, including for his work on the documentary film “Restrepo” in 2010, which followed a U.S. platoon in Afghanistan.

He followed the Proud Boys and was at the Capitol riots

Leading up to Jan. 6, Quested was filming the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys for a documentary about rising extremism in American, the Associated Press reported.

Quested was present for most of the rioting on Jan. 6, documenting what the Proud Boys were doing when they broke through police barriers and into the Capitol building.

The filmmaker was also present at a secret meeting between two extremist group heads: Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and Elmer “Stewart” Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, the AP noted.

Tarrio and other Proud Boy members were charged on Monday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) with seditious conspiracy, accused of coordinating an attack against the U.S. Congress. Rhodes was charged for seditious conspiracy earlier this year and has pled not guilty to the charges.

According to ABC News, Quested’s material also contains video of key rioters including Jacob Chansley, the infamous “QAnon Shaman” who was sentenced to more than three years in prison last year.

A member of Quested’s crew also followed rioters into the U.S. Capitol and covered the crowd as they chanted for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the news outlet noted.

Panel looking to show Trump ‘was at the center of that effort’

Quested has already met with the Jan. 6 committee and provided key film and video to the panel, which is expected to show those videos and images during the primetime hearing.

The Jan. 6 committee says it plans to “present previously unseen material documenting January 6th,” which they say will show a coordinated effort to turn over the 2020 election results.

“We will be revealing new details showing that Jan. 6 was the result of a coordinated, multistep effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election and stop the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden,” a select committee aide said on a call with reporters on Wednesday.  

“And indeed, that former President Donald Trump was at the center of that effort,” the aide added.

The Jan. 6 committee conducted more than 1,000 interviews and looked through thousands of documents and materials.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Washington Post Live on Tuesday that lawmakers have “found evidence of concerted planning and premeditated activity.”

“The idea that all of this was just a rowdy demonstration that spontaneously got a little bit out of control is absurd. You don’t almost knock over the U.S. government by accident,” he said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Child abuse rates dropped during COVID — the reasons point to economics

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and America went into lockdown, child welfare systems across the country grew concerned. Calls to child abuse hotlines plummeted and child welfare leaders sounded the alarm, suggesting that the steep decline in reports was a sign that an unseen epidemic of abuse was spreading behind locked doors. As one reporter described it: “While much of the city has been staying indoors and ‘staying safe,’ for many children from troubled homes, the coronavirus pandemic has confined them to the most dangerous place they can be.” 

The shift to virtual schooling fueled these concerns. Education personnel is responsible for 20 percent of all child abuse hotline reports during the school year. And teachers no longer had the ability to see children in person and spot the signs of abuse and neglect that they are obligated to report.   

But then something unexpected happened. Child abuse and neglect rates did not go up across the United States. Research published by two of us in JAMA Pediatrics found that the rate of child abuse emergency department visits actually declined in the early months of the pandemic, from an average of 1,000 a month to a low of 400 a month in March 2020. Hospital admissions for child abuse declined sharply.  

Other researchers reported drops in hospitalizations of infants for abusive head trauma.  Reports to child welfare agencies fell by 40 to 60 percent, a far steeper drop than could be accounted for by school closures.  

What explains this missing child abuse epidemic? It’s simple: prevention works. 

The pandemic demonstrated the positive impacts of addressing family needs rather than removing children from their families after disaster strikes. When the pandemic began, many parents struggled to keep their families safe. Many faced job loss, health issues and the disruption of routines. In March 2020 and March 2021, Congress passed COVID relief bills that provided timely, meaningful support to offload this stress and lessen the impact on families. These investments reduced economic stress, which had a measurable impact on protecting children from both abuse and neglect.  

Research has found that spending on public benefit programs such as cash assistance, housing, child care, the Earned Income Tax Credit and Medical Assistance Programs is associated with a reduction in child welfare system involvement and child fatalities due to maltreatment. Chapin Hall’s analysis of the relationship between economic and concrete supports and child maltreatment and child welfare involvement confirms this, noting: “Research suggests poverty is a key driver of child welfare system involvement . . . even modest economic supports can stabilize families and alleviate the need for more intensive intervention.”

Which of the COVID-era supports made the biggest difference? A 2020-2021 survey of 9,000 U.S. parents found that nearly half of U.S. families received assistance with basic needs. Stimulus checks and child tax credits dramatically reduced childhood poverty. Unemployment insurance payments and eviction moratoriums stabilized housing for many. Communities and nonprofit organizations stepped up as well. School bus drivers delivered food to children who missed their school lunches. Nonprofits turned office space into food pantries. Teens helped get food to the elderly, and adults found ways to preserve their family ties. 

With these supports in place, families did not just make it through COVID, they got to enjoy time spent at home with each other. In the survey, parents reported that they read books, cooked, told stories, went for walks, played outdoors, watched TV, or played video games with their children. Even while acknowledging extraordinary stress, most families found that the pandemic brought them closer. 

The drop in abuse and neglect rates also illuminated the flaws in our system of mandatory reporting. The experience during COVID, when kids saw fewer mandated reporters such as teachers, shows mandatory reporting is not the end-all-be-all solution to child and family well-being. The evidence that racial disparities affect our current mandatory reporting process and child welfare system has been accumulating for years. One study shows that more than half of Black children and more than one-third of all children in America are the subjects of a child abuse or neglect investigation by the age of 18. In contrast, another study reports that Black adults are less likely to recall that they experienced child abuse than white adults. This racial disproportionality could be the result of our society’s tendency to blur the lines between abuse and neglect and economic instability.  

The charge of neglect, which accounts for the majority of families involved with child protective services (CPS), is driven by persistent poverty or, as was the case during the pandemic, temporary economic shocks, such as a job loss or health issues. Both of these conditions can lead to unaddressed substance abuse, mental health problems, domestic violence and other family stressors. Rather than CPS involvement and family separation, these families need resources that could enable them to weather the storm and keep their children safely in the home. 

We have an opportunity to put the lessons from this pandemic to work to reduce child abuse and neglect, reform child welfare and mandatory reporting and address systemic racial inequities.  

Three federal programs are due for reauthorization by Congress this year and can help to make community-based prevention more of a priority. They include the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, and the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program (TANF), with its statutory goal of supporting needy families so that children can remain safely at home, is also due for reauthorization, and Congress could ensure families receive the resources they need upstream, prior to intrusive and costly CPS interventions. Other critical supports to families are the expanded Child Tax Credit, paid family and medical leave, behavioral health services and quality childcare.  

This pandemic has taught us that child adversity, such as abuse and neglect, is a public issue, a solvable issue and a preventable issue. We know that parents love their children and that families are our greatest asset in ensuring that children are safe and healthy. Concrete and economic supports can help even the most overloaded parents overcome adversity and help their children thrive. A child and family well-being system that supports all families in getting their needs met should be our goal. It is an achievable goal, a collective responsibility, and one we invite everyone, especially Congress, to join us in pursuing.

Robert Sege, MD, Ph.D. and Allison Stephens are part of the HOPE National Resource Center at Tufts Children’s Hospital and Tufts Medical Center and co-authors of the report, “Child physical abuse did not increase during the pandemic.” Sege is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington D.C. and professor of pediatrics and medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Stephens is director of networks, communications and policy at Tuft’s Center for Community-Engaged Medicine. Amy Templeman is director of Within Our Reach and director of Practice Excellence at Social Current. She previously served as executive director of the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities.  

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Watch live: Biden delivers remarks at the Summit of the Americas

President Biden will deliver remarks at the Ninth Summit of the Americas Thursday evening.

The event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

Watch the video above.

Source: TEST FEED1

Jordan again rebuffs Jan 6 panel as subpoena deadline looms

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) again rebuffed the Jan. 6 committee as he stares down a Saturday deadline to comply with a subpoena from the panel.

In an 11-page letter to the committee, Jordan renewed earlier demands that the committee share the bulk of what it has assembled on the Ohio lawmaker, one of five in the GOP who now face demands for compulsory testimony. 

The lengthy letter seeks to provide a tit-for-tat with earlier correspondence from committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) who extended Jordan’s initial deadline for compliance. It was delivered as the committee prepares to kick off a month of hearings with its in prime time on Thursday night.

Each of Jordan’s missives has relied on arguments that the select committee was not properly composed or does not have a valid legislative purpose — arguments that have largely been rebuffed by the courts.

“While some courts have recognized the Select Committee’s investigation as having a legitimate legislative purpose, it does not necessarily follow that the Select Committee’s subpoena to me is in furtherance of a legitimate legislative purpose,” Jordan writes.

“That is the distinction at issue here, and one over which you glossed in your May 31 letter.”

Still, Jordan has failed to file suit himself to get the judiciary to consider that issue as well as the even weightier question of whether committees have the power to subpoena fellow members.

It’s a case that does not guarantee victory and instead risks solidifying the power of the legislative branch to compel testimony from its own members.  

A spokesman for the Jan. 6 committee declined to comment on Jordan’s letter. 

The panel initially asked Jordan to voluntarily speak with the panel’s investigators about his calls with President Trump on Jan. 6 as well as multiple calls and meetings with the White House and campaign to review strategy for contesting the election.  

In earlier letters Jordan, as well as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), have pushed back on the committee but failed to completely rule out a willingness to testify. Experts previously told The Hill such moves can be part of a strategy to “beat the clock” in hopes Republicans overtake the House. 

Jordan again renews objections in his new letter that he has relevant information to the committee or that they are in a position to judge what actions he took may or may not have been outside the scope of his role as a lawmaker.

“I will repeat again what I have informed you twice before: I have no relevant information that would advance a legitimate legislative purpose of the Select Committee,” he wrote.

“You seem to believe that you have the authority to arbitrate the scope of a colleague’s official activities. Respectfully, I do not answer to you or the other members of the Select Committee.”

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Scott releases updated policy agenda following chilly reception

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Thursday backed off his proposal to require low-income Americans to pay some income tax, a plan that earned bipartisan blowback.

The plan released Thursday, dubbed “Rescue America 2.0” would require “able-bodied Americans under 60” to work and pay taxes, according to Scott, who released a video outlining an updated tax proposal within the agenda. 

The revised plan was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Scott’s initial plan said that “all Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount,” though he noted that those who were not “able-bodied” and seniors would not be subject to the requirement.

In Scott’s video outlining how the revised proposal would work, the Florida Republican noted there had been “some confusion that arose from one of the points in the plan.”

“One of the 28 planks in this plan was poorly worded and enabled the establishment from both parties in Washington to twist it,” Scott said in the video, adding later that “I’m changing that plank to clearly state my intention,” Scott said.

“What I was trying to say is that every American needs to pull their weight. Every able-bodied American who can work, should work, so that we’re all in this together. If everyone pitches in, our country would be far stronger than it is today, both economically and morally.”

Scott also made clear earlier this year that he spoke only for himself and not the party in releasing the proposal.

But his position as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, made the proposal easy fodder for Democrats eager to use it against his party.

It also sparked tension with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who was eager to keep voters’ focus on Democrats’ issues heading into the midterms.

“We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years. That will not be part of the Republican Senate majority agenda,” McConnell said in early March. 

Scott is considered a possible 2024 presidential contender should former President Trump decide not to run for another term. 

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Editors from around the world press Brazil's Bolsonaro to ramp up search for missing journalist

Editors and journalists from media outlets around the world has urged Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and other officials in the country to ramp up the ongoing search for missing freelance journalist Dom Phillips. 

In a letter sent on Thursday, the group wrote that they are concerned about the safety and whereabouts of Phillips and his colleague, Bruno Pereira, who was traveling with him in Brazil and asked Brazilian officials to ramp up their search for the duo. 

The letter was signed by lead editors at news organizations including The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal. 

“As you will know from numerous press reports, Dom and Bruno have now been missing in the Amazon for more than three days,” the letter reads. “Their families, friends and colleagues have repeatedly requested assistance from local, state and national authorities and emergency services.”

“We are now very concerned by reports from Brazil that search and rescue efforts so far have been minimally resourced, with national authorities slow to offer more than very limited assistance,” the coalition’s letter continues. “We ask that you urgently step up and fully resource the effort to locate Dom and Bruno, and that you provide all possible support to their families and friends.” 

This comes three days after Phillips and Pereira were reported missing after last being seen in a remote part of Brazil’s Amazon region. 

Phillips is a freelance journalist who worked regularly for the Post and British newspaper The Guardian and was in Brazil with Pereira, a Brazilian Indigenous advocate, working on a new book about the country’s rainforest development, The Guardian reported. 

Authorities have arrested one individual who was allegedly seen with the duo before their disappearance, but has not been directly connected with a crime, according to the newspaper.

Bolsonaro called Phillips and Pereira’s reporting trip “an adventure that isn’t recommendable for anyone,” The Guardian noted.

Source: TEST FEED1