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The 'Alligator Alcatraz" operations can continue, a divided appeals court rules
The federal appeals court allowed "Alligator alcatraz", the federal detention center for migrants, to resume its operations on Thursday. This decision overturned a lower court's ruling ordering the facility to stop accepting new detainees as well as halting construction. The 11th U.S. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled with a divided opinion that the Trump administration will likely prevail in a court battle against environmental groups who claim the facility threatens the Everglades' wildlife and the Everglades itself. Two judges supported the Trump administration and one judge disagreed. The majority of the court ruled that this project, which was funded by Florida state funds, did not require the environmental review required for federally-funded construction projects. The court found that although both Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Nuem, have stated the federal government would pay for the expansion of the detention facility there was no evidence to show federal funds were used. DeSantis stated in a social media video on Thursday that Trump's immigration enforcement was ready to be supported by the facility. In a post on social media, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security referred to this ruling as a "huge win". DHS stated that "this lawsuit was never about environmental impacts from turning an airport developed into a detention center." It has always been about open-borders activists, judges and other people trying to prevent law enforcement from removing criminal aliens who are dangerous from our communities. Friends of the Everglades is one of the environmental groups that filed the lawsuit. It stated on its website the detention centre was built in a hurry and would cause environmental damage to an important stretch of American wilderness. The facility, located 60 km (37 miles) west of Miami, is a subtropical wetland home to alligators. Crocodiles are also present. This is the imagery the White House used to demonstrate its resolve to remove migrants who it believes were wrongly permitted to remain in the U.S. by former President Joe Biden. According to court documents, the detention center was built for $250 million and spans over 18 acres (7 hectares). It is located on a site in Miami-Dade County (formerly Collier County) that used to be a "small, but busy working airport". According to the lawsuit filed by environmental groups, the reconstructed site has already been used to house 900 migrants and could accommodate thousands. In June, two environmental groups filed a motion to stop further construction on the detention center, claiming that it violated federal and state environmental laws. Trump, who toured the site and dismissed environmental concerns, said the detention center was a model for what he'd like to do nationally. The Republican president has been a proponent of aggressive immigration and border policy for over a decade. He has a Florida home. Dietrich Knauth reported from New York, Kanishka Singh from Washington and Edmund Klamann edited the article.
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ConocoPhillips will begin layoffs in November, the company states in a state notice
ConocoPhillips, a U.S. oil company, will start company-wide layoffs on Nov. 10 according to a notice that was sent out by the company Thursday. ConocoPhillips' CEO Ryan Lance told employees via video on Wednesday that the company would be cutting 20-25% from its workforce in order to undergo a restructuring. Later, the company confirmed that report. ConocoPhillips spokeswoman Dennis Nuss stated that the company informed the Texas Workforce Commission on Thursday that they anticipate the number of job cuts in Houston will reach the threshold required to report the information to the state. Nuss said that ConocoPhillips offers 60-day notice to affected employees, as well as severance, outplacement and assistance. A document sent to all employees, and seen by us, predicts that the end of employment dates will begin in 2025 during the first week of December. The document stated that ConocoPhillips had not yet decided which employees would be laid off, but added that the move will be permanent. Reporting by Georgina Mccartney and Arathy Sommesekhar, Houston; editing by David Gregorio
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Canada will soon announce promised assistance for the aluminum and canola sectors
Canada is set to unveil soon a number of measures that were promised in order to assist the steel and aluminium sector with tariffs imposed by the United States. It will also help canola growers, according officials. Melanie Joly, the Minister of Industry in Canada, told reporters at a press conference in Toronto that the government would soon be providing aid to aluminum producers in order to overcome the uncertainty caused by tariffs. Joly said Ottawa would also help the steel industry pivot away from U.S. market, but didn't give any details. Separately the Office of Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the government will soon announce measures to assist canola farmers who are being hit by Chinese tariffs on the oilseed crop. iPolitics, citing its sources, reported that the government is preparing a series major announcements for Friday. These will focus on economic and industry competitiveness. Carney's Office declined to comment. The federal minister responsible for bilateral trade earlier Thursday said that Canada still hopes to be relieved of U.S. steel, aluminum and auto tariffs. Dominic LeBlanc told reporters in Toronto that Canada is seeking common ground on this issue with Washington. Reporting by David Ljunggren, Promit Mukherjee and Rod Nickel.
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US Sues Southern California Edison for Eaton and Fairview Wildfires
On Thursday, the U.S. Government filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison, accusing the utility of causing wildfires such as the Eaton Fire, which damaged National Forest System land in January. The two complaints filed against Edison International in Los Angeles Federal Court seek damages due to negligence, trespassing by fire and violations of California Public Safety laws. Southern California Edison (SCE) had no immediate comments. The January wildfires that ravaged Southern California left at least 30 dead and damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 buildings. The Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, both in Altadena, caused the majority of the damage. In a lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Justice attributed the January 7, Eaton Fire to faulty SCE electrical infrastructure or sparks that came from this infrastructure. This caused the fire, which burned nearly 8,000 acres (3.200 hectares), in the Angeles National Forest of Los Angeles County. Second lawsuit: A sagging SCE Power Line allegedly caused the Fairview Fire that burned nearly 14,000 acres of San Bernardino National Forest, Riverside County, on September 5, 2022. In both lawsuits the Justice Department accused SCE that it knew high winds could cause wildfires but failed to upgrade its equipment in order to reduce those risks. Investors and property owners have also sued SCE over the wildfires of January. Edison shares fell 1.6% early in the afternoon. U.S. v. Southern California Edison Co et al. U.S. District Court Central District of California Nos. The cases are U.S. v. Southern California Edison Co et al., U.S. District Court, Central District of California Nos.
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EIA: US crude stocks rise as refineries start maintenance
The Energy Information Administration reported on Thursday that U.S. crude inventories increased last week, as refineries prepared for maintenance, and gasoline stocks decreased ahead of the long Labor Day Weekend. The EIA reported that crude inventories increased by 2.4m barrels, to 420.7m barrels for the week ending August 29. This was compared to analysts' expectations based on a poll of a 2m barrel draw. John Kilduff of Again Capital said, "This report is a bit bearish with the crude build." He added that refineries would be reducing production for maintenance in autumn, which could put pressure on crude stock levels. After the release of these data, U.S. crude oil prices remained unchanged at $63.51 as of 12:12 pm. ET (1612 GMT). Brent crude oil prices fell 0.8% to $67.05. The EIA reported that crude stocks at Cushing, Oklahoma's delivery hub, rose by 1.6 millions barrels in the past week. Data showed that net U.S. crude oil imports increased last week by 434,000 barrels a day. Refinery crude production fell by 11,000 barrels per day and refinery utilization rates dropped by 0.3 percentage points in the past week, to 94.3%. The EIA reported that gasoline stocks dropped by 3.8 millions barrels last week, to 218.5million barrels. This was compared to expectations of a 1.1million-barrel withdrawal. The data revealed that distillate stocks, which includes diesel and heating oil rose by 1.7m barrels last week, as opposed to expectations of a 600k barrel drop.
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Sources say that China Concord's floating oil facility has arrived in Venezuela to support the project.
According to two sources, and based on images, the first floating crude production facility for a $1 billion China Concord Resources Corp project in Venezuela is now in Lake Maracaibo. This is Venezuela's second-largest output region. The Chinese firm, CCRC is aiming to increase production at two oilfields located in western Venezuela – Lago Cinco, and Lagunillas Lago – and hopes to reach 60,000 barrels a day by the end next year, up from 12,000 bpd. This is a rare boost for a Chinese private firm in an OPEC-sanctioned country that has been struggling to attract foreign investments. CCRC began negotiating its participation in oilfields last year with the state company PDVSA, under a production-sharing contract of 20 years. The company has sent Chinese oilfield developers to help reopen 100 wells quickly. According to vessel tracking data, photos and videos, the jackup Alula is a self elevating offshore platform that arrived from China's Zhoushan Port. Last weekend, it was guided by a towboat under the bridge of Lake Maracaibo on its way to Lagunillas. The Sao Tome & Principe flagged jackup is a large piece of infrastructure that has been installed on Lake Maracaibo for the first time in many years. The U.S. imposed its first sanctions against Venezuela in 2019. PDVSA, Venezuela's Oil Ministry and the PDVSA did not respond to comments immediately. Sources told us last month that Lago Cinco, and Lagunillas Lago, are expected to produce both light and heavy crude oil. The lighter crude will be delivered to PDVSA, and the heavier crude will go to China. PDVSA has stabilised oil production at around 1,000,000 bpd in Venezuela this year. Last month, exports reached a new high of 966 500 bpd.
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OPEC's oil production increased in August, according to a survey
A survey released on Thursday found that OPEC oil production increased in August following an OPEC+ production agreement. This was primarily due to the United Arab Emirates' and Saudi Arabia's higher production. According to the survey, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) pumped 27,84 million barrels of oil per day in July, an increase of 360,000 barrels per days over the revised total for the month of July. The United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, were the countries that saw the biggest increases. OPEC+ - which includes OPEC, its allies, including Russia - is accelerating the plan to undo its latest layer of production cuts. Some members must also make additional cuts to compensate earlier overproduction. This should, theoretically, limit the impact of price hikes. According to an agreement between eight OPEC+ member countries covering August output, five of the OPEC-members - Algerian, Iraqi, Kuwaiti, Saudi Arabian and UAE - had to increase output by 416,000 bpd, before the effects of compensation cuts totaling 178,000 bpd. According to the survey the actual increase of the five was 310,00 bpd. Many outside sources place the output of Iraq and the UAE higher than what the countries themselves claim. Other estimates, like those from the International Energy Agency (IEA), say that they pump significantly more. The survey aims at tracking supply on the market. It is based upon data provided by LSEG (a financial group), information from companies that track flow, such as Kpler and information from sources within oil companies, OPEC, and consultants. (Additional reporting and editing by Louise Heavens, Ahmad Ghaddar)
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Australian Prime Minister Albanese talked to Trump about minerals and security.
In a telephone call with Donald Trump, the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday evening discussed ways for Australia and United States to collaborate on vital minerals. This was confirmed by his office. Albanese’s office released a statement saying that the two leaders discussed ways to collaborate on important minerals and trade "in both nations' interests". It added that they also discussed the importance shared security interests. Albanese said on social media it was "a warm and constructive conversation." Albanese was reelected leader of the center-left Labor Government in a national election in May. He has yet to meet Trump after a scheduled meeting on the sidelines the G7 Summit in Canada in June, which Trump cancelled, was cancelled. Albanese will travel to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September. The call transcript did not mention that Australian officials were trying to arrange a meeting between Trump and Albanese while Albanese was in the United States. Richard Marles, the Deputy Prime Minster of Canada, visited Washington last week to meet with Vice President JDVance. He said on Monday that he was expecting a meeting between leaders "in a not too distant time." Australia's largest trading partner is China, not the United States. The Trump administration is pressing Australia to increase defence spending to 3.5% from the current 2%. At the same time, the Pentagon is reviewing the trilateral AUKUS partnership. The United States, Australia and Britain announced details in 2023 of their plan to sell Australia U.S.-made nuclear-powered attack subs by the early 2030s and to build submarines later to counter China's Indo-Pacific ambitions. Albanese stated in April that Australia would create a strategic reserve to separate itself from a Chinese-dominated market. ? (Reporting and editing by Timothy Heritage and Rod Nickel, Sydney)
Oklo to build Tennessee facility for recycling nuclear waste
Oklo, a nuclear power company, announced on Thursday that it will design, build and operate a facility in Tennessee for recycling nuclear waste. This plant is the first phase of an entire nuclear fuel center, which could cost up to $1.6 billion.
The fuel plant would be the United States' first of its type if it is approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The plant is expected to be operational by early 2030s, creating more than 800 new jobs.
The initial investment - Oklo didn't specify the amount - will go towards the construction of an installation to recycle nuclear waste (which the industry refers to as spent nuclear fuel) into fuel for reactors such as the Aurora reactor planned by Oklo. Oklo is hoping to receive a reactor license from the NRC by the end of 2027.
Oklo will work with TVA, a federally owned utility to recycle nuclear waste. They also plan to assess power sales to TVA from Oklo's reactors.
Jacob DeWitte is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Oklo. "By recycling waste fuel at scale, Oklo turns waste into gigawatts. We reduce costs and establish a secure U.S. Supply Chain," he said.
Many anti-proliferation activists oppose reprocessing. They say its supply chain can be used by militants to steal materials that could be used in crude nuclear bombs.
France and other countries have reprocessed their nuclear waste, breaking it down to uranium or plutonium. They then use these materials to create new reactor fuel.
In 1976, the former president Gerald Ford stopped reprocessing due to concerns about proliferation. Ronald Reagan lifted the moratorium on reprocessing in 1981. However, high costs have prevented new plants from being opened. DeWitte stated that the plutonium or uranium removed from waste by Oklo’s process will not be pure but instead mixed with other components, rendering it unusable for fissile materials.
Oklo stated that recycling waste currently held at U.S. Nuclear reactor sites would unlock energy equivalent to five-times the oil reserves in Saudi Arabia. TVA President and CEO Don Moul said that the next generation of nuclear technology is being developed and built right here in our backyard.
(source: Reuters)