US Energy Secretary Is Trying to Change Blue-State Minds About Fossil Fuels
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Chris Wright isn't just rolling back Biden-era policies, he's intent on resetting expectations.
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Welcome to our guide to the commodities markets powering the global economy. Today, senior reporter Jennifer A. Dlouhy speaks with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Call it 'the great energy reset.'
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Healani Sonoda-Pale, a leader of the Native Hawaiian organization Ka Lahui Hawai 'i, said the new law was a product of community organizing efforts over more than two years and is a testament to the people's power. 'We know that restoring our aquifer and holding the federal government accountable will be a marathon, not a sprint, ' she said in a statement. The WAI working group formed in May 2023 was made up of state and city leaders including Green, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters, DLNR Director Dawn Chang, Honolulu Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer Ernie Lau and leadership in the Legislature. The working group's final report criticized Navy statements over contamination levels, and contended that far more fuel had been spilled over the past 80 years from Red Hill than has been documented. There have been 70 documented incidents over eight decades amounting to potential spills totaling 180, 000 gallons of fuel, including around 19, 000 gallons in a 2021 spill that contaminated a Navy well and water system on Oahu serving 93, 000 military members and civilians. The WAI report said total spill volume could be as high as 1.94 million gallons. The working group's 2023 report also called for access to Navy monitoring wells, stepped-up testing and payment from the Navy to repair Oahu's compromised water system. In direct response to the 2021 spill, BWS shut down several of its nearby wells to guard against fuel contaminating water distributed to other parts of the island. BWS also filed a $1.2 billion claim with the Navy to recover costs of the water agency's response under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The Navy has said it has a long-term commitment to protect Oahu's aquifer, environment and community members. Lau told state lawmakers in January while testifying in support of HB 505 that in working on the Red Hill issue for 11 years, it's clear to him that a structure beyond existing regulatory framework is needed to restore land and water contaminated by Red Hill fuel. The changes under HB 505 are intended to be part of the desired new structure. Sonoda-Pale said at the same Jan. 28 hearing on the bill held by the House Water and Land Committee that special officials are needed to ensure that Red Hill disaster remediation is carried out. 'It's going to take decades, ' she said. Alfred Medeiros told the committee that local government needs to do more to hold the Navy accountable for what he called crimes. 'Ola i ka wai. Water is life, ' he said. Medeiros added that people may have forgotten that the Navy poisoned the public water supply and that much more work needs to be done. 'There's still sediment sitting in those tanks, ' he said. 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Biden breakdown: Where investigations into the former president stand
Former President Joe Biden left office in January, but questions about his mental acuity and decline while in office continue to mount amid the release of audio of his interview with former Special Counsel Robert Hur and his cancer diagnosis, drawing attention to a number of actions taken in his final days in office and beyond. Biden Struggles With Words, Key Memories In Leaked Audio From Special Counsel Hur Interview Here's a look at the known, active investigations into the former president and his team: Former President Joe Biden used his final weeks as commander-in-chief to grant clemency and pardon more than 1,500 individuals, in what the White House described at the time as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president. The Justice Department is reviewing the list of people that were granted pardons by former President Joe Biden, amid concerns about his use of an AutoPen to automatically sign documents. DOJ Pardon Attorney Ed Martin is reviewing the list of Biden-era pardons granted during the former president's final weeks in office, including the one granted to his son, Hunter Biden, and the preemptive pardons granted to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, Biden family members, and members of the House Committee investigating Jan. 6. Read On The Fox News App Biden Only Hand-signed One Pardon During Final Spree, And It Was His Most Controversial One But Biden only signed one pardon by hand during his final weeks in office—and it was his most controversial one—for his son, Hunter Biden. Biden pardoned his son Hunter in December 2024 after vowing to the American people for months he would not do so. Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony gun offenses during special counsel David Weiss' investigation. The first son was also charged with federal tax crimes over his alleged failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Before his trial, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea. Former President Biden in December 2024 announced a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden "has committed or may have committed" from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. "From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," the former president said. Here Are Biden's Most Controversial Pardons, Mainly Signed Using Autopen "There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me — and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. "I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision." The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is leading an investigation into an alleged cover-up of Biden's mental decline. The investigation, specifically, is into whether those inside Biden's inner-circle knowingly colluded to hide the former president's declining mental acuity and used methods to circumvent the former president when it came to the issuance of important orders, particularly through the use of an autopen tool used to mimic the president's signature. House Gop Secures Four Key Witnesses In Biden Mental-decline Probe As Former Aides Agree To Talk So far, four former Biden aides have agreed to voluntarily testify for transcribed interviews, including the director of Biden's former Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, Biden's assistant and senior advisor to the first lady, Anthony Bernal, former special assistant to Biden and Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations, Ashley Williams, and Biden's Deputy Chief of Staff, Annie Tomasini. Tanden will appear before the House Oversight Committee on June 24, Bernal two days later on June 26, while Williams will testify July 11 and Tomasini on July 18. Lone Biden Official Breaks Silence On Cognitive Decline As Cabinet Stays Mute But Biden's former White House doctor, Kevin O'Connor declined an invitation to sit for a transcribed interview scheduled for June 27. Comer subpoenaed O'Connor to compel that testimony. Comer sent letters to five more top former Biden staffers, putting his total outreach in the investigation to 10 people so far. The latest round of letters are being sent to former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, former senior communications advisor Anita Dunn, former top advisors Michael Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Bruce Reed. Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer in May. "Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms," Biden's team shared in a statement. "On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone." "While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," the statement said. Joe Biden Diagnosed With 'Aggressive Form' Of Prostate Cancer With Metastasis To The Bone During his presidency, Biden had a "cancerous" skin lesion removed from his chest, the White House said at the time. Biden, during a 2022 speech discussing pollution in his home state, said: "That's why I and so damn many other people I grew up (with) have cancer." But House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has expanded his investigation into Biden's mental decline to include an investigation into the timeline of when Biden learned he had cancer. Biden's White House Physician Subpoenaed As Republicans Dig Deeper Into Alleged Cognitive Decline Cover-up "If you'll remember, Joe Biden did an interview several years ago and said he had cancer. The White House quickly issued a statement saying, oh, he misspoke," Comer said during an appearance on Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria." "Now, how many people do you know in the history of the world that have misspoke saying they had cancer when they really didn't?" Comer added: "So there's evidence out there that would suggest that there's been a cover-up with respect to his cancer for many years, just based on Joe Biden's own words." Comer has subpoenaed O'Connor, the former White House physician who gave Biden several clean bills of health. Fox News' Alec Schemmel and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. Original article source: Biden breakdown: Where investigations into the former president stand
