Brazil's agency approves Petrobras' fauna rescue plan as part of Amazon mouth request
Ibama said the approval is one of the steps needed by the company to gain a final green light to drill in the environmentally sensitive region, adding it will now hold tests and simulations to verify Petrobras' plan effectiveness.
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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Republicans who backed Trump's anti-environment bill have accepted over $105m from big oil
The Republican lawmakers who voted for Donald Trump's anti-environment tax and spending bill have accepted more than $105m in political donations from the fossil fuel industry, a new analysis has found, raising concerns about their relationship with big oil. Signed into law last month, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes billions of dollars in giveaways to oil and gas companies and their executives, alongside provisions to scale back credits for clean vehicles, wind and solar which were enshrined by Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). All but two GOP House members voted to support the budget bill, as did all but three GOP senators. That includes many Republicans from districts who benefited most from the IRA's green credits, and those who spent months attempting to defend renewable energy tax credits from the budget bill's provisions, such as Representative Andrew Garbarino of New York and Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Curtis of Utah. The new report from the environmental advocacy group Climate Power totalled up the funds the bill's backers have accepted from the fossil fuel industry over the course of their political careers, finding that House members accepted $54.4m and senators accepted $51.5m. 'These Republicans in Congress are caught red-handed taking massive donations from the oil and gas industry, and voting to give them billions and to destroy their competition from their own state's clean energy industries,' the analysis says. With House midterm elections scheduled for next year, Climate Power also looked at fossil fuel donations to the 15 House Republicans deemed most vulnerable to an electoral challenge, according to the Cook Political Report, which independently analyzes the political viability of elections and campaigns. All 15 backed the mega-bill, and together, they accepted more than $3m in donations from the fossil fuel industry, the authors found. Hailing from Colorado, Iowa, Arizona, New Jersey, California, Michigan and New York, the lawmakers on the list are from regions that have seen benefits from the IRA's credits for wind and solar energy, as well as battery manufacturing. The mega-bill puts more than 110,000 jobs from the three sectors at risk in the 15 lawmakers' districts, and is also expected to raise consumers' energy bills by up to $200 annually by 2030, according to the climate policy thinktank Energy Innovation. Some on the list had previously critiqued the bill: Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, who has accepted $229,179 in oil and gas contributions, pledged to support clean energy tax credits but backed the legislation anyway, while Colorado's Jeff Hurd, pledged to oppose the bill due to its cuts to Medicaid but ended up supporting it. 'These Republican members of Congress all represent moderate swing districts with close elections, where voters of both parties expect their representatives to look out for them, not to kill their jobs and raise their utility bills for the sake of out-of-state special interests,' said Pete Jones, a director at Climate Power. 'These members chose who to stand up for, and they picked their billionaire donors.' Big oil spent a stunning $445m throughout the last election cycle to influence Trump and Congress, Climate Power found in January. The industry also poured more than $19m into Trump's inaugural fund, accounting for nearly 8% of all donations it raised, a report found last month. 'We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it,' Trump said in his inaugural address. Since re-entering the White House, Trump has passed not only the anti-environmental One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but has also signed a slew of executive orders and policies aimed at cracking down on clean energy and boosting already-booming oil and gas.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Trump's ‘visa integrity fee' could cause a decline in tourism
Donald Trump signed a new $250 ' visa integrity fee' into law, which will take effect in October and applies to non-immigrant visa holders from certain countries. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) initially estimated the fee would generate over $27 billion for the US economy over a decade. However, a Tourism Economics analysis suggests the fee could cost the United States $11 billion over three years by deterring international visitors. This potential decline in tourism could lead to reduced visitor spending and job losses, particularly impacting visitors from significant markets like India and Brazil. The fee is being introduced despite the US already facing a decline in international tourism and ahead of major events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Brazil is open for business, Lula says at Chinese factory opening
SAO PAULO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday that foreign companies that want to do business in Brazil are welcome, speaking at the opening ceremony for a factory for Chinese automaker GWM ( opens new tab in the state of Sao Paulo. "Count on the Brazilian government. Whoever wants to leave, leave. Whoever wants to come, we welcome you with open arms," Lula said at the ceremony. During his speech, Lula criticized the 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, and said that his country is facing an "unnecessary turbulence." Lula said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month that he would initiate a conversation at the BRICS group of developing nations, which includes China, about how to tackle Trump's tariffs. The leftist leader noted that in the past automakers Ford (F.N), opens new tab and Mercedes ( opens new tab have decided to scale back their operations in Brazil, but celebrated the arrival of other companies, like China's GWM ( opens new tab. Brazil is always open to negotiating business, he stressed. GWM's Brazilian arm has capacity to produce 50,000 vehicles per year and is expected to generate more than 2,000 jobs in the future when it begins exporting vehicles to Latin America, according to a press release. Brazil's auto exports are expected to grow 38.4% in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching 552,000 units, data from automakers association Anfavea showed last week.
