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The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Michigan utility aided sabotage of Covid lockdown policies, documents reveal
Newly released court documents show power utility DTE Energy knowingly contributed $100,000 to a dark money non-profit that helped sabotage Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer's Covid lockdown policies. The documents contradict previous DTE statements that claimed the utility was not involved with the donation. In January 2023, the Guardian detailed how a DTE-affiliated dark money non-profit financially contributed to the successful repeal of Whitmer's emergency order powers. The campaign, coordinated with state Republican leadership, helped bring about an end to Covid lockdowns and policies. Peter Ternes, then a DTE Energy spokesperson, twice emphatically denied the company's involvement. In late 2022, he told a Guardian reporter, 'DTE unequivocally is not financially supporting' the campaign to kill Whitmer's emergency order powers, led by Unlock Michigan, and made an almost identical statement when asked in 2020. New emails, however, show a DTE employee coordinated the $100,000 contribution. The dark money non-profit and Unlock Michigan leadership referred to it as a 'DTE donation' and '$100,000 DTE check', emails show. The emails are part of a criminal case over alleged Unlock Michigan campaign finance violations and are not directly related to DTE. The 'revelatory' emails illuminate how DTE 'deploys dark money in Michigan', said Karlee Weinmann, research and communications manager with the utility industry watchdog Energy and Policy Institute. The group detailed the emails in a new report. 'The emails raise questions about the appropriateness of DTE's political spending and activity,' Weinmann added. Michigan was a global flashpoint in the cultural and political fight over how governments should handle Covid. Whitmer's lockdowns were effective at controlling the virus's spread, but rightwing opposition to the restrictions culminated with multiple demonstrations and armed protesters storming the state legislature in mid-2020. While the Covid restrictions are over, dark money groups remain powerful players in state and national politics, and the emails show how lax transparency laws shield them as they move funding for politicians or causes. Utilities generally opposed lockdowns in 2020, industry observers have said. During the first wave of Covid restrictions, many voluntarily stopped or were required to cease shutting off service to financially struggling customers. Sources initially alerted a Guardian reporter to the donation around the time it was made in late 2020, but no public record of it was available at the time. Internal Revenue Service records confirming the donation became public in late 2021. They show the funds went from a DTE-affiliated dark money group, Michigan Energy First (MEF), to another dark money non-profit called Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility (MCRF). The latter served as a primary funder of the Unlock Michigan campaign, donating about $1.8m in 2020. Though DTE lobbyists served on MEF's board, then DTE spokesperson Ternes had steadfastly insisted it was a separate entity and there was no coordination between the two. Ternes also said DTE did not give donations to MEF. In an email sent on Wednesday, DTE spokesperson Jill Wilmot conceded that the company gave money to MEF, representing a shift from its past statements. Still, DTE denied that it knew what MEF did with the donation. 'While DTE has contributed to Michigan Energy First (MEF) in the past, we can't speak on behalf of MEF or the contributions the organization makes,' the spokesperson said. However, the new emails show DTE did know how MEF would spend the money. The company's corporate and government affairs chief of staff, Pam Headley, in 2020 facilitated the $100,000 donation from MEF to MCFR, emails show. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion MEF's board president at the time was Renze Hoeksema, a now-retired DTE lobbyist. Headley was a DTE employee with no known role with MEF. Headley sent an email from her DTE email account during business hours to MCFR with the subject line 'RE: Contribution from Michigan Energy First'. The email shows how Headley coordinated the DTE donation: 'Renze asked me to let you know that today the Michigan Energy First Board approved a $100,000 contribution to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility.' She included a request for an invoice and closed out the email with her DTE email signature. The criminal filings also include emails between MCFR and Republican Senate leadership working with Unlock Michigan. They refer to the donation as being from DTE Energy. One email states, 'I think I'm getting the $100,000 tomorrow from DTE.' Another from the following day states, 'Unlock Michigan update: $100,000 DTE check arrived today.' In 2022, DTE's Ternes told the Guardian: 'DTE has worked hand-in-hand with the governor to protect our customers, employees and the public throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The actions taken by the state have slowed Covid transmission and death rates.' The utility industry widely uses dark money to influence policy across the country, and the donations have been at the center of recent scandals, including two in neighboring Ohio. MEF also donates millions each election cycle to a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including to Whitmer's affiliated Pac. The donations show DTE 'has power and wields influence over parts of people's lives that they don't want DTE to have influence over', said Eli Day, communications director for the We the People Action Fund, which has been involved in utility affordability campaigns. Donations like this are made through dark money channels because companies know their political donations would generate blowback, Day added. 'Ordinary people who are outraged can have a real impact and change their lives for the better, and DTE is terrified of that,' he said.
Daily Express
27-04-2025
- General
- Daily Express
Tradition stokes pollution at ‘slash and burn' festival
Published on: Sunday, April 27, 2025 Published on: Sun, Apr 27, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Smoke rising from burning paddy stubble during a 'slash and burn' farming festival at Hseebu in Pekon township, Myanmar. MYANMAR: A charred hillside is wreathed by flames, spewing ochre smoke that smothers out sunlight in an apocalyptic scene. But the villagers who set it ablaze dance below in a ceremony celebrating the inferno as a moment of regeneration and hope. 'It's a tradition from our ancestors,' said Joseph, a youth leader from Tha Yu village in Myanmar's eastern Shan state. 'It's the only way we survive,' added Joseph, who goes by only one name. Every year between January and April, South-East Asia is plagued by smog from farmers lighting fires to clear land, emitting microscopic PM 2.5 pollution that lines the lungs and enters the bloodstream. Myanmar residents lose 2.3 years of life expectancy as a result of pollution from farming fires and other sources, according to analysis of 2022 data by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Since a 2021 coup, the country has been riven by a civil war between the military and a patchwork of anti-coup partisans and ethnic minority armed groups, leaving the toll from pollution largely ignored. But in Tha Yu village, there are additional tensions – between the old ways of agriculture and new knowledge about environmental risks. 'We don't have any other work or opportunities in our region,' said Joseph, 27, as haze swallowed the hills behind him, scorched to make way for paddy rice, chilli and corn. 'So, we are forced into this tradition every year.' Most agricultural burn-off happens when farmers incinerate the stubble of old harvests in their fields to make room for the new, and to fertilise the soil. But the smoke billowing around Tha Yu village is from 'slash and burn' agriculture – a method also called shifting cultivation, in which patches of wild vegetation are burnt for similar purposes, with crops planted for only a few growing cycles. 'If possible, we want to try other agricultural methods but we don't have any technology and no one has taught us,' said Joseph. Environmentalists generally say slash and burn farming can be twice as harmful because it lays waste to tracts of existing plant life which would otherwise absorb carbon dioxide emissions. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Malay Mail
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Myanmar villagers embrace slash-and-burn farming in Shan state as lifeline amid smog and conflict
PEKON, April 26 — A charred Myanmar hillside is wreathed by flames, spewing ochre smoke that smothers out sunlight in an apocalyptic scene. But the villagers who set it ablaze dance below in a ceremony celebrating the inferno as a moment of regeneration and hope. 'It's a tradition from our ancestors,' said Joseph, a youth leader from Tha Yu village in Myanmar's eastern Shan state. 'It's the only way we survive,' added Joseph, who goes by only one name. Every year between January and April, Southeast Asia is plagued by smog from farmers lighting fires to clear land, emitting microscopic PM 2.5 pollution that lines the lungs and enters the bloodstream. Myanmar residents lose 2.3 years of life expectancy as a result of pollution from farming fires and other sources, according to analysis of 2022 data by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Since a 2021 coup, the country has been riven by a civil war between the military and a patchwork of anti-coup partisans and ethnic minority armed groups, leaving the toll from pollution largely ignored. But in Tha Yu village there are additional tensions—between the old ways of agriculture and new knowledge about environmental risks. 'We don't have any other work or opportunities in our region,' said Joseph, 27, as haze swallowed the hills behind him, scorched to make way for paddy rice, chilli and corn. 'So we are forced into this tradition every year.' 'Not getting rich' Most agricultural burn-off happens when farmers incinerate the stubble of old harvests in their fields to make room for the new, and to fertilise the soil. But the smoke billowing around Tha Yu village is from 'slash and burn' agriculture—a method also called shifting cultivation, in which patches of wild vegetation are burnt for similar purposes, with crops planted for only a few growing cycles. 'If possible, we want to try other agricultural methods but we don't have any technology and no one has taught us,' said Joseph. Environmentalists generally say slash and burn farming can be twice as harmful because it lays waste to tracts of existing plant life which would otherwise absorb carbon dioxide emissions. But a 2023 study in Belize suggested Indigenous 'slash and burn' farming done in intermediate size patches of land could have a positive effect on forest diversity by opening up space for new growth. In the Tha Yu ceremony, villagers in white headbands dance on stage before lighting a symbolic bundle of brush, swaying and clapping their hands in rhythmic celebration. Dark tendrils of smoke creep into the sky. 'I can surely say we are not getting rich from shifting cultivation,' said Khun Be Sai, a member of the local area's cultural committee. 'We do it just to get by day to day.' Shifting mindset Air quality monitoring is neither practical nor a priority in war-torn Myanmar, where more than half the population lives in poverty and 3.5 million people are displaced. But the toll from air pollution only adds to those woes. 'Clean air is very important for your health,' said Thailand's Kasetsart University environmental economist Witsanu Attavanich. 'It's kind of a basic thing.' 'If you don't have it you have less healthy people, a lower quality of human capital. How can the country improve without good health?' Tha Yu is in an area controlled by the Kayan New Land Party, an ethnic minority armed group. Khun Be Sai says hundreds of villages in the region still practise slash and burn farming, but Tha Yu is the only place that marks it with a formal ceremony. But he sees little to celebrate in the landscape altered by climate change around the village. 'We are experiencing more natural disasters. The forests are thinning and water retention is decreasing. We are experiencing soil erosion due to heavy rains,' he said. While the ceremony lauds the practice that sustains their community, Khun Be Sai also sees a dwindling of their way of life. 'People are leaving and living in different places,' he said. 'Our identities, our origins, language and literature are disappearing and being swallowed by others.' — AFP
France 24
25-04-2025
- General
- France 24
Tradition stokes pollution at Myanmar 'slash and burn' festival
But the villagers who set it ablaze dance below in a ceremony celebrating the inferno as a moment of regeneration and hope. "It's a tradition from our ancestors," said Joseph, a youth leader from Tha Yu village in Myanmar's eastern Shan state. "It's the only way we survive," added Joseph, who goes by only one name. Every year between January and April, Southeast Asia is plagued by smog from farmers lighting fires to clear land, emitting microscopic PM 2.5 pollution that lines the lungs and enters the bloodstream. Myanmar residents lose 2.3 years of life expectancy as a result of pollution from farming fires and other sources, according to analysis of 2022 data by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Since a 2021 coup, the country has been riven by a civil war between the military and a patchwork of anti-coup partisans and ethnic minority armed groups, leaving the toll from pollution largely ignored. But in Tha Yu village there are additional tensions -- between the old ways of agriculture and new knowledge about environmental risks. "We don't have any other work or opportunities in our region," said Joseph, 27, as haze swallowed the hills behind him, scorched to make way for paddy rice, chilli and corn. "So we are forced into this tradition every year." - 'Not getting rich' - Most agricultural burn-off happens when farmers incinerate the stubble of old harvests in their fields to make room for the new, and to fertilise the soil. But the smoke billowing around Tha Yu village is from "slash and burn" agriculture -- a method also called shifting cultivation, in which patches of wild vegetation are burnt for similar purposes, with crops planted for only a few growing cycles. "If possible, we want to try other agricultural methods but we don't have any technology and no one has taught us," said Joseph. Environmentalists generally say slash and burn farming can be twice as harmful because it lays waste to tracts of existing plant life which would otherwise absorb carbon dioxide emissions. But a 2023 study in Belize suggested Indigenous "slash and burn" farming done in intermediate size patches of land could have a positive effect on forest diversity by opening up space for new growth. In the Tha Yu ceremony, villagers in white headbands dance on stage before lighting a symbolic bundle of brush, swaying and clapping their hands in rhythmic celebration. Dark tendrils of smoke creep into the sky. "I can surely say we are not getting rich from shifting cultivation," said Khun Be Sai, a member of the local area's cultural committee. "We do it just to get by day to day." - Shifting mindset - Air quality monitoring is neither practical nor a priority in war-torn Myanmar, where more than half the population lives in poverty and 3.5 million people are displaced. But the toll from air pollution only adds to those woes. "Clean air is very important for your health," said Thailand's Kasetsart University environmental economist Witsanu Attavanich. "It's kind of a basic thing." "If you don't have it you have less healthy people, a lower quality of human capital. How can the country improve without good health?" Tha Yu is in an area controlled by the Kayan New Land Party, an ethnic minority armed group. Khun Be Sai says hundreds of villages in the region still practise slash and burn farming, but Tha Yu is the only place that marks it with a formal ceremony. But he sees little to celebrate in the landscape altered by climate change around the village. "We are experiencing more natural disasters. The forests are thinning and water retention is decreasing. We are experiencing soil erosion due to heavy rains," he said. While the ceremony lauds the practice that sustains their community, Khun Be Sai also sees a dwindling of their way of life. "People are leaving and living in different places," he said. © 2025 AFP
Straits Times
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Tradition stokes pollution at Myanmar ‘slash and burn' festival
A man standing near burning paddy stubble during a slash-and-burn farming festival at Hseebu area in Pekon township, Myanmar. PHOTO: AFP PEKON, Myanmar - A charred Myanmar hillside is wreathed by flames, spewing ochre smoke that smothers out sunlight in an apocalyptic scene. But the villagers who set it ablaze dance below in a ceremony celebrating the inferno as a moment of regeneration and hope. 'It's a tradition from our ancestors,' said Mr Joseph, a youth leader from Tha Yu village in Myanmar's eastern Shan state. 'It's the only way we survive,' added Mr Joseph, who goes by only one name. Every year between January and April, South-east Asia is plagued by smog from farmers lighting fires to clear land, emitting microscopic PM 2.5 pollution that lines the lungs and enters the bloodstream. Myanmar residents lose 2.3 years of life expectancy as a result of pollution from farming fires and other sources, according to analysis of 2022 data by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Since a 2021 coup, the country has been riven by a civil war between the military and a patchwork of anti-coup partisans and ethnic minority armed groups, leaving the toll from pollution largely ignored. But in Tha Yu village there are additional tensions – between the old ways of agriculture and new knowledge about environmental risks. 'We don't have any other work or opportunities in our region,' said Mr Joseph, 27, as haze swallowed the hills behind him, scorched to make way for paddy rice, chilli and corn. 'So we are forced into this tradition every year.' A charred Myanmar hillside is wreathed by flames, spewing ochre smoke that smothers out sunlight in an apocalyptic scene. PHOTO: AFP 'Not getting rich' Most agricultural burn-off happens when farmers incinerate the stubble of old harvests in their fields to make room for the new, and to fertilise the soil. But the smoke billowing around Tha Yu village is from 'slash and burn' agriculture – a method also called shifting cultivation, in which patches of wild vegetation are burnt for similar purposes, with crops planted for only a few growing cycles. 'If possible, we want to try other agricultural methods but we don't have any technology and no one has taught us,' said Mr Joseph. Environmentalists generally say slash and burn farming can be twice as harmful because it lays waste to tracts of existing plant life which would otherwise absorb carbon dioxide emissions. But a 2023 study in Belize suggested Indigenous 'slash and burn' farming done in intermediate size patches of land could have a positive effect on forest diversity by opening up space for new growth. In the Tha Yu ceremony, villagers in white headbands dance on stage before lighting a symbolic bundle of brush, swaying and clapping their hands in rhythmic celebration. Dark tendrils of smoke creep into the sky. 'I can surely say we are not getting rich from shifting cultivation,' said Mr Khun Be Sai, a member of the local area's cultural committee. 'We do it just to get by day to day.' Air quality monitoring is neither practical nor a priority in war-torn Myanmar, where more than half the population lives in poverty and 3.5 million people are displaced. But the toll from air pollution only adds to those woes. 'Clean air is very important for your health,' said Thailand's Kasetsart University environmental economist Witsanu Attavanich. 'It's kind of a basic thing.' 'If you don't have it you have less healthy people, a lower quality of human capital. How can the country improve without good health?' Tha Yu is in an area controlled by the Kayan New Land Party, an ethnic minority armed group. Mr Khun Be Sai says hundreds of villages in the region still practise slash and burn farming, but Tha Yu is the only place that marks it with a formal ceremony. But he sees little to celebrate in the landscape altered by climate change around the village. 'We are experiencing more natural disasters. The forests are thinning and water retention is decreasing. We are experiencing soil erosion due to heavy rains,' he said. While the ceremony lauds the practice that sustains their community, Mr Khun Be Sai also sees a dwindling of their way of life. 'People are leaving and living in different places,' he said. 'Our identities, our origins, language and literature are disappearing and being swallowed by others.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
