Latest news with #Dakotas
E&E News
28-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Tribe appeals ruling on Dakota Access pipeline
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is launching the latest round of its legal fight to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline for continuing to operate without a valid easement. On Tuesday, the tribe told a federal judge it was appealing his ruling that their lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was premature. The agency has been in the process of conducting a supplemental environmental review of the oil conduit, which passes beneath Lake Oahe in the Dakotas, after a federal appeals court tossed out the existing National Environmental Policy Act analysis as inadequate. Advertisement In the meantime, the Army Corps has allowed the pipeline to continue to carry oil beneath the lake, which is located close to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, provided pipeline operator Energy Transfer complies with set safety requirements.
The Onion
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Onion
U.S. Military Bans Men With Girl Names From Combat
WASHINGTON—In a move that significantly restricts the eligibility of thousands of American troops to fight for their country on the front lines, senior U.S. military officials announced Wednesday that all men with girl names would now be forbidden from serving in combat roles. The ban, which goes into effect immediately, prohibits male personnel with clearly feminine names like Jamie, Sandy, and Alexis from serving in all artillery, infantry, and armored units. According to a Defense Department memo, the military is less effective as a fighting force when it deploys men named Francis, Sloan, Carol, or Loren in active conflict zones. 'For too long, we've sacrificed combat readiness in the name of inclusivity, ignoring the fact that there are innate differences between a Hank and a male Tracy,' said Gen. Doug H. Sandoval, who is a longtime opponent of men with girl names in the military and who worked with top appointed officials at the Pentagon to devise the new ban. 'All these Shelleys and Dakotas are a liability. Imagine you're in a heavy firefight, and your commander tells you to lay down cover fire for Casey. Your brain takes an extra moment to realize Casey is a man even though that's a lady's name, and in that plit second of hesitation, your entire squad is overrun by the enemy.' 'Or suppose your special forces team is parachuting into hostile territory,' he continued. 'Can you really order someone named Ashley to jump out of a plane? It defies common sense.' The Pentagon confirmed that servicemen with girl names would be reassigned to noncombat roles and that their pay would be lower as a result, an outcome officials justified by arguing that men named Allison should not be the primary breadwinners in their household anyway. Some hardliners have suggested these men should not be in the armed forces at all, and should instead stay home to father the Johns and Harolds needed to fight America's wars. Some exceptions will reportedly be made on the basis of spelling, with men named Nicky, for example, being eligible for combat deployment so long as their name ends with a y instead of an i . A military spokesperson told reporters tabs will be kept on once-masculine names that are starting to become girly, the way Charlie and Riley seem to have lately. 'America must project strength to keep our adversaries in check, and we can't do that with men named Taylor on the battlefield,' said Navy Vice Adm. Scott Rigby, observing that the soft consonants of unisex names like Sasha and Avery never sat right with him. 'China will never take us seriously so long as we're sending Leslies to enforce our interests abroad. And if Russia ever learned we let men named Dana pilot our fighter jets? Forget it. When it comes to soldiers, we need big, strong Chets, Mikes, and Jakes out there, full stop.' President Trump signaled his personal approval of the ban in a post on Truth Social, writing: 'Bye bye, Bailey. He's got to leave the fighting to GUS!!!' The ban has been met with fierce condemnation from many effeminately named male veterans, including Aubrey Hart of the advocacy group Man Enough to Fight, which plans to mount a legal challenge on behalf of 24-year-old Army sniper Mandy Wright. 'Just because a man is named Stacy or Carey doesn't mean he can't fight like a Brock or an Axel,' Hart said. 'Back when I served, there may have been a few snickers the first time I introduced myself, but once I set my fellow soldiers straight about Aubrey being a perfectly normal thing for a boy to be called, my name was never a distraction. To suggest otherwise is an insult to me and all the male Aubreys who have bled and died for their nation.' While congressional Republicans appear to have fallen in line behind the Trump administration's support for the ban, one GOP lawmaker was willing to speak on the record against it. 'This is the most egregiously unfair, bigoted, and discriminatory policy I have ever encountered,' said the senator and Air Force veteran Lindsey Graham. 'I won't stand for it.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
We're Entering The Hottest Months Of The Year, And It's Expected To Be Hotter Than Normal For Many
It may not be summer yet, but things are heating up across the country. Parts of the Dakotas are expected to hit the 90s this weekend for the first time this year, passing that significant hot weather benchmark before parts of the Deep South – Atlanta, for example, has only gotten as hot as 87 degrees. (MORE: Here's When The First 90s Of The Year Usually Happen) And while this weekend is far from a normal forecast for cities in the Upper Midwest (highs are going to be 30 degrees above average), it is a sign that consistently hot days are on the horizon. What to expect from 2025: 2025 is already off to a warm start and is on track to potentially become Earth's second hottest year on record. The next few months are expected to trend above average as well for the majority of the country (with the exception of the Upper Midwest), according to the Climate Prediction Center. (192-hours: Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.) Extreme heat can also drive threats like wildfires and drought conditions, which are also expected to be above average this year. The National Interagency Fire Center is warning of above average wildland fire potential across multiple regions for the next several months (May through August) this year, including the Southeast, Southern Plains, West Coast and northern Rockies. Even though hot weather happens every year, it can pose a major threat that should not be ignored. Extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer and causes hundreds of deaths in the U.S. each year. Since Mother Nature is giving the signs that more and more hot weather is on the way, now is a good time to refresh yourself on how to stay safe during extreme heat, whether it's a heat wave or typical temperatures for the season. Set your body up for success by building good habits when it comes to hydration and nutrition. If you get into the habit of hydrating regularly now, it makes it easier for you to continue once the temperatures get consistently hot later in the year. (MORE: Preparing For The Upcoming Heat Wave: What You Need To Know) Also make sure that you are paying attention to the forecast and heeding warnings of incoming excessive heat from local National Weather Service offices so that you can adjust plans or make short-term preparations if needed. There are also some steps you can take if you live in a region impacted by wildfires. Stock up on supplies (medications, food, etc.) in case the air in your area is hazardous due to wildfire smoke. Know how to get alerts for fires and air quality in advance, and have an evacuation plan in case of emergency. Sara Tonks is a content meteorologist with and has a bachelor's and a master's degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences along with a master's degree from Unity Environmental University in Marine Science.
Car and Driver
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
North Dakota Becomes 9th State to Adopt an 80-MPH Speed Limit
North Dakota is raising the maximum speed limit on some multilane highways to 80 mph. At the same time, the state is also implementing higher speeding fines. The move aligns North Dakota with its neighboring states, except for Minnesota. Fines for speeding in North Dakota are not exactly draconian: driving 35 mph in a 25-mph zone will set you back $10. Recognizing that low fines aren't much of a deterrent, lawmakers are now simultaneously raising minimum speeding fines and also the state's maximum speed limit. With a 5-mph bump for certain stretches of multilane highways, North Dakota now becomes the ninth state to have a maximum speed limit of 80 mph or greater. For the most part, the change brings the law in line with the speeds most people were driving at anyway, and it also means that the laws in both of the Dakotas are now more in sync. Melissa Kopka | Car and Driver The other states with an 80-mph max speed limit are South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. Texas is the all-out max-legal-speed champion, with some sections of toll roads capped at 85 mph. It's also worth noting that Montana was the last state not to have any numerical maximum speed limit—just a directive that speeds be 'reasonable and prudent.' However, on an empty stretch of pool-table-flat Montana, something like a Challenger Hellcat might be too much temptation. A legal 80-mph cap is still plenty quick enough for crossing the broad distances of North Dakota, and data on South Dakota's adoption of this limit indicates that safety wasn't compromised. Again, it's the speed most people were already driving at. Further, the new law includes plans for installing variable-speed signs, which are capable of digitally dropping the posted speed limit due to poor weather or construction. North Dakota's new higher speeding fines are still pretty low. Drive five over the limit on one of these newly minted 80-mph stretches of multilane highways, and you can get written up for a $25 ticket. Fines are much higher in neighboring Minnesota, which has a maximum speed limit of 70 mph. If you're driving through Fargo, better remember to ease off the accelerator. Brendan McAleer Contributing Editor Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. Read full bio
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's energy chief to unleash Gulf drilling with major rule change
EXCLUSIVE: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Friday will update a Biden-era federal rule regarding energy development as a major cost-saving measure to private firms, one day after taking a visit to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on the Gulf Coast. A source familiar with the workings of the rule said it essentially will "massively deregulate" a rule passed between the two Trump administrations and should further bolster Gulf Coast oil and gas production by providing lower startup costs for energy firms. The rule outlines criteria that producers and grantholders must provide as financial assurance, with a 2024 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) estimate that $6.9 billion in new supplemental assurance would be required to protect against oil lessees' default. The Interior Department said that $6.9 billion added up to the $665 million in estimated additional insurance premiums for energy companies, which stifled how much they could spend to expand their operations and pursue what President Donald Trump has called "American energy dominance." Burgum Says Interior Department Completely Embracing Doge Effort Burgum told Fox News Digital that the rule revision will "enable our nation's energy producers to redirect their capital toward future leasing, exploration, and production all while financially protecting the American taxpayer. Read On The Fox News App "Cutting red tape will level the playing field and allow American companies to make investments that strengthen domestic energy security and benefit Gulf of America states and their communities," he said. Dakotas Primed For Newfound Political Prominence As Senate, Trump Administration Leaders Picked From Heartland Crop BOEM will continue to require lessees on the outer continental shelf to provide financial assurances, while the Trump administration writ large works toward more balanced regulations, the department said in an exclusive statement. During Burgum's visit to the Gulf, he met with energy workers at the LNG facility and discussed how the department under his leadership wants to better support the industry. The Gulf of America currently produces approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude oil daily and 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per article source: Trump's energy chief to unleash Gulf drilling with major rule change
