Latest news with #Burkholder
Business Upturn
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Upturn
EnerGeo Alliance Testified in Support of the Modernization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
Washington D.C., U.S., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Forrest Burkholder, EnerGeo Alliance's Board of Directors Vice Chair and President and CEO of SAExploration, testified on behalf of EnerGeo Alliance during the Legislative hearing including Rep. Begich Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Discussion Draft Bill. Burkholder, in his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee – Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries, highlighted the absolute necessity of modernizing and revising the MMPA, and applauded Representative Begich's efforts in this direction: 'America and the world continue to need energy; the majority of energy comes from the earth, and Geosciences are the primary source of information that enables responsible production', he said. 'Of critical importance is the permitting process; despite –or precisely because of its importance, the process is a point of heightened vulnerability for the geoscience industry. Permitting of exploration is often stalled in regulatory reviews without clear timelines and is a favored entry point for activists seeking to block American energy development. Whether that's petroleum, natural gas, or even alternative energy.' Alaska is one of the areas where, despite responsible operations by the industry, issued permits for exploration activities have been stalled for multiple years due to unexplained delays. This uncertainty has a direct impact on local communities, the state's, and the nation's economic well-being and energy security. Over the past years, the MMPA and other environmental laws, created to provide better protections for the environment, have been exploited by activists to hinder energy development projects: 'The MMPA was intended to provide better protections for marine mammals from human activities that can cause direct physical harm to them – a goal that has largely been realized. Decades of regulation and litigation have caused the MMPA to be interpreted far more expansively than Congress intended and exposed significant flaws in the plain language of the Act.' 'As with many laws, we don't always know the problems until we've operated under them.', continued Burkholder. 'We've learned that for some people it's easy to exploit the ambiguities in existing regulations governing the potential 'take' of these activities. Activists have discovered that those ambiguities create opportunities for regulatory sabotage that can freeze agency activity and undermine all the best intentions of honest regulators.' Rep. Begich's Draft Bill represents an opportunity to fix these issues: 'By setting reasonable deadlines in the application process, removing unnecessary duplication between the MMPA and ESA, along with removing or defining terms, Congress can ensure the agencies are accountable to existing statutory timelines and prevent future misapplication of the statute so that it can function as originally intended.' 'Fixing these problems would increase permitting efficiency, decrease uncertainty, and ultimately benefit all stakeholders, the implementing agencies, and most importantly, marine mammals. It would prevent abuse of the law and facilitate greater geoscience investment and American energy independence.', concluded Burkholder. ### About EnerGeo Alliance Founded in 1971, EnerGeo Alliance is the global trade alliance for the energy geoscience industry, the intersection where earth science and energy meet. We represent the geoscience companies, innovators, and energy developers that use earth science to discover, develop, and deliver energy to our world. Together, we are Making Energy Possible. Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
EnerGeo Alliance Testified in Support of the Modernization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
Washington D.C., U.S., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Forrest Burkholder, EnerGeo Alliance's Board of Directors Vice Chair and President and CEO of SAExploration, testified on behalf of EnerGeo Alliance during the Legislative hearing including Rep. Begich Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Discussion Draft Bill. Burkholder, in his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee - Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries, highlighted the absolute necessity of modernizing and revising the MMPA, and applauded Representative Begich's efforts in this direction: 'America and the world continue to need energy; the majority of energy comes from the earth, and Geosciences are the primary source of information that enables responsible production', he said. 'Of critical importance is the permitting process; despite –or precisely because of its importance, the process is a point of heightened vulnerability for the geoscience industry. Permitting of exploration is often stalled in regulatory reviews without clear timelines and is a favored entry point for activists seeking to block American energy development. Whether that's petroleum, natural gas, or even alternative energy.' Alaska is one of the areas where, despite responsible operations by the industry, issued permits for exploration activities have been stalled for multiple years due to unexplained delays. This uncertainty has a direct impact on local communities, the state's, and the nation's economic well-being and energy security. Over the past years, the MMPA and other environmental laws, created to provide better protections for the environment, have been exploited by activists to hinder energy development projects: 'The MMPA was intended to provide better protections for marine mammals from human activities that can cause direct physical harm to them – a goal that has largely been realized. Decades of regulation and litigation have caused the MMPA to be interpreted far more expansively than Congress intended and exposed significant flaws in the plain language of the Act.' 'As with many laws, we don't always know the problems until we've operated under them.', continued Burkholder. 'We've learned that for some people it's easy to exploit the ambiguities in existing regulations governing the potential 'take' of these activities. Activists have discovered that those ambiguities create opportunities for regulatory sabotage that can freeze agency activity and undermine all the best intentions of honest regulators.' Rep. Begich's Draft Bill represents an opportunity to fix these issues: 'By setting reasonable deadlines in the application process, removing unnecessary duplication between the MMPA and ESA, along with removing or defining terms, Congress can ensure the agencies are accountable to existing statutory timelines and prevent future misapplication of the statute so that it can function as originally intended.' 'Fixing these problems would increase permitting efficiency, decrease uncertainty, and ultimately benefit all stakeholders, the implementing agencies, and most importantly, marine mammals. It would prevent abuse of the law and facilitate greater geoscience investment and American energy independence.', concluded Burkholder. ### About EnerGeo Alliance Founded in 1971, EnerGeo Alliance is the global trade alliance for the energy geoscience industry, the intersection where earth science and energy meet. We represent the geoscience companies, innovators, and energy developers that use earth science to discover, develop, and deliver energy to our world. Together, we are Making Energy Possible .
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rather specific study-abroad wish of German exchange student comes true at Pennsylvania fire station
NEW HOLLAND, Pa. (WHTM) — For most foreign exchange students, just the opportunity to study abroad and make new friends, perhaps while learning a new language, is exciting enough. And indeed, 17-year-old Linus Weber — following in the footsteps of his mother, Anne Weber, who was a foreign exchange student back when she was his age — would have been happy with that. But if you have a dream, why not go for it? 'They ask you to put down your hobbies — your interests,' said Linus Weber, who is a volunteer firefighter back home in Lower Saxony, Germany. 'And that's why I put down that I'm heavily involved in the fire department.' Not a new interest: Weber has been involved in firefighting, in one way or another, since he was 6 years old and in a program for junior firefighters. Weber realized he had a rather specific wish. 'From the beginning, I'm like, that's really unrealistic,' he said. 'So I tried to not think about it. But the wish was there.' Wish granted, after the exchange student organization contacted Garden Spot Fire Rescue. 'Next thing I know, there's a German living in my house,' joked Collin Burkholder, 21, the stepson of Jared Nolt, who is the department's chief engineer. That was 10 months ago. Now Weber and Burkholder are like brothers, including that 'we fight like brothers,' Burkholder was sure to note — and sure enough, Weber gave Burkholder a hard time about how his hair was combed before they spoke Friday to a camera. Nolt and his wife/Burkholder's mom are like parents to Weber, who races Nolt to try to get into the fire engine first when it's time to run a call. 'It's beautiful,' said Anne Weber, in town with her husband and two other sons to help Linus pack and return home to Germany. 'He had a new family for 10 months.' Then there's the broader firefighting 'family' — just as true in Germany, Linus Weber says, as in America. And any good family concerns itself with raising the next generation. So remember how Linus got into this business when he was just 6 years old? Well he spent his last week working alongside other Garden Spot firefighters to help children build skills in a weeklong cadet camp at the fire station. 'It was a great time,' Weber said. 'But I have to say goodbye.' Time to fly back to Germany, where the Nolt/Burkholder family has a standing invitation. Will they go someday? Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices 'Absolutely,' Collin Burkholder said. 'I would leave tomorrow to go back with Linus if i could.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Family of Butler Eagle employee killed in DUI crash offers forgiveness to driver at plea hearing
The family of a man who was hit and killed by a drunk driver while leaving work at the Butler Eagle is getting justice. Channel 11 was the only TV station in court as the woman police say was behind the wheel faced a judge and accepted a plea deal. 'Jim was a Christian, and after two years, we forgive her. We wish her the best,' the victim's cousin, Mary Jo Burkholder, told Channel 11. On the day Kassandra Clyde pleaded guilty to driving drunk, and hitting and killing Jim Barge, his family wants her to know they forgive her. 'She does have a life ahead of her, and she can make good decisions. She has to start from here, and go on. And make much better decisions than she did before,' Burkholder said. Channel 11 was there as Clyde walked into the courtroom for her plea hearing, where she agreed to three to six years in prison. In May of 2023, Clyde's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit, yet she decided to drive and crossed the center line on 422 in Franklin Township. She crashed into Barge's car. He died two weeks before he was supposed to retire from the Butler Eagle. 'From a grieving perspective, we've done the grieving. We just needed it to close in the court system. We wished it would have been a little faster,' she said The family tells Channel 11 that the plea hearing was postponed almost a dozen times over the last two years. 'Very, very frustrating with the continuances. We would be ready to have this done, and we would learn of a continuance,' Burkholder said. A judge will officially sentence Clyde in August, and she will find out exactly how much time she will serve in prison. 'We all make mistakes, and sometimes we make really bad mistakes, and we can be forgiven for them,' she said. According to court records, Clyde was arrested for a DUI prior to the crash, but completed a program to get the charge expunged. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
In weekslong email exchange with state, fired Grand Forks jail administrator sought to fix 'misunderstanding'
Apr. 16—GRAND FORKS — Former Grand Forks County Correctional Center Administrator Bret Burkholder's recent termination was preceded by back-and-forth emails to and from the North Dakota attorney general's grant office about how a "Back the Blue" grant could be spent. The Grand Forks Herald obtained the emails between Burkholder and the grant office, sent between mid-February and March. They began on Feb. 18, when Burkholder asked if the grant's funds — set aside by the Legislature for recruitment and retention bonuses — could instead be used for employee incentive programs like personalized gift cards, and if so, how best to allocate funds within the framework of the grant. "We have purchased a number of items under the umbrella of 'retention' to make (staff members') life a bit better while working here, enhancing much of their breakroom with amenities they never had," Burkholder wrote in the Feb. 18 email. "Is this permissible under the grant? We sure hope so as we believe this idea is much better than simply purchasing them appreciation gifts now or providing a cash outlay to them and then have 20% leave within the year." On March 7, Grants and Contracts Officer Deanna Gierszewski replied to Burkholder saying that wasn't allowed, adding that the funds needed to be used by March 31 and within the 2023-2025 biennium. "What you are requesting to do with the funds does not match the purpose these funds were intended for," Gierszewski wrote. When Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider learned about the misapplied funds during his department's merger with the jail, he brought the issue to the Grand Forks County Commission on April 1 and explained measures he had taken to mitigate the issue. The roughly $38,000 that had already been spent from the $88,000 grant GFCCC received was to be covered out of other budgeted correctional center funds — such as office supply funds or general operations, depending on the expense — and the full $88,000 has now been given as a bonus to GFCCC employees, Schneider told commissioners at that time. However, the incident led the commission to recommend, in a 3-2 vote, that Schneider fire Burkholder. Schneider, who has sole authority to discipline and terminate in his department, terminated Burkholder's employment on April 8, saying that his service was no longer needed as GFCCC moves in a different direction. The "Back the Blue" grant was created by the Legislature in 2023 to aid the recruitment and retention of law enforcement and correctional officers. Funds were disbursed through the Attorney General's office to 106 law enforcement and correctional agencies across the state. The Grand Forks jail is the only recipient of the grant to use the funds incorrectly, according to Gierszewski. When grant agreements were signed in November 2023 to authorize the disbursement of the funds, Burkholder wrote in the grant acceptance letter that he intended to use the money for retention bonuses, length-of-service recognition garments, a recruitment bonus and other appreciation activities or materials. Later, that evolved into more of a focus on improving working conditions for employees at the correctional center, with the idea that those improvements would invest this grant into GFCCC and "make a perpetual impact," Burkholder wrote in his December 2024 update to the grant office. The philosophy, according to Burkholder, was this: Had the correctional center given out a flat monetary bonus, because of the department's high turnover, a quarter of the funds would have gone to people no longer employed by GFCCC. On March 18 — after Gierszewski informed him the jail's purchases did not match the grant's intent — Burkholder asked for clarification on how the grant could be used. "I apologize for the urgency of this request, but we are limited in time, and if this was a misunderstanding of uses of what the funds could be used for, I need to ensure that the cost of these things aren't applied to the grant and rather simply added to a one-time bonus," Burkholder wrote. Later that day, the Grand Forks County Commission voted to merge GFCCC into the sheriff's office and the sheriff became the head of the corrections center. Gierszewski replied on March 20 and said that an agreement had been signed and that an update would be needed to reflect how the grant funds were actually used. "After reviewing your application budget plan, I'd like to kindly remind you of the importance of adhering to the terms outlined in your original agreement," Gierszewski wrote. "While we understand that the funds may have been used differently than initially planned, the agreement itself remains unchanged." The bill and grant language does not explicitly define a bonus, but the attorney general's grant office said that the intent was for a monetary bonus given directly to employees. "When you go back and listen to the legislation that everyone was pushing for ... that is the route that they were intending to go down and that is what everyone in their (grant) statement said they were going to spend it," Gierszewski told the Herald.
