Latest news with #Federal
The Star
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Johor MB calls for urgent action over prolonged autogate disruption
JOHOR BARU: Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has voiced his disappointment regarding a system disruption involving the autogates that lasted over 24 hours, causing congestion at checkpoints. He noted that the disruption affected the smooth flow of in and out transactions. "I have extended this matter directly to relevant parties at the Federal level. I urge immediate steps to be taken to ensure that this issue does not repeat," he said after making a surprise visit to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (BSI) here. Onn emphasized the need for an efficient, consistent operating system capable of functioning optimally at all times. "As I have stated before, despite some improvements in crowd management, it is not adequate. Operations at the country's border gates have not yet reached the level of efficiency we expected," he remarked, adding that such incidents not only inconvenience the public but also affect the state and country's image. Since Friday noon, foreigners have been unable to use all autogates nationwide, though those with Malaysian passports remain unaffected. As of press time, some autogates have begun resuming services in stages nationwide since 4.30pm. More to come
San Francisco Chronicle
10 hours ago
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
EPA launches probe into ‘thick, poisonous smoke' in Northern California
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched an investigation into the illegal pesticides crisis plaguing Siskiyou County after the board of supervisors declared a local state of emergency and requested Gov. Gavin Newsom's support earlier this month. 'I take this very seriously; I have directed Region 9 EPA law enforcement to investigate these issues immediately,' said EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Josh F.W. Cook in a statement Thursday. 'We will be working with other County, State and Federal agencies to ensure Californians are protected and our environmental laws are upheld.' The county's board of supervisors voted 5-0 to declare the emergency on July 1 due to the 'escalating threat posed by the illegal use of highly toxic pesticides associated with illicit cannabis cultivation and processing operations,' officials said. The county warned in its declaration order that unpermitted grows in the county 'are increasingly using illegal, highly toxic pesticides unlawfully as fumigants by igniting sawdust-like materials infused with a cocktail of insecticides … fungicides, and herbicides in aluminum cans placed throughout enclosed grows structures, creating thick, poisonous smoke.' The emergency proclamation identified findings from county investigations and laboratory analyses, including identification of more than 27 pesticides, foreign pesticide products imported outside of legal regulatory channels and increasing exposure risks to first responders due to unsafe conditions at contaminated sites, officials said. Some of the pesticides discovered were classified as carcinogens (substances that can cause cancer), nerve agents (chemicals that affect the nervous system) and groundwater pollutants, officials said. The county requested that Newsom issue a state of emergency proclamation to bolster local mitigation and enforcement efforts. The governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the situation.
E&E News
11 hours ago
- Business
- E&E News
Probationary Interior employees can bring class-action lawsuit over firings
Probationary employees at the Interior Department who were targeted for mass firings earlier this year can now bring a class-action lawsuit challenging their treatment, a federal board ruled. The Merit Systems Protection Board, an independent, quasi-judicial executive branch agency, ruled Friday that 1,700 federal workers qualify as a class and can collectively challenge the Trump administration's mass firings in early February. 'This is a critical milestone for the nearly 2,000 employees who were illegally fired from DOI,' said Danny Rosenthal, a partner at the firm James and Hoffman. The Interior employees are also represented by attorneys with Brown Goldstein Levy; Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll; and Gilbert Employment Law. Advertisement That group includes National Park Service employees and other agencies within Interior. It remains unclear how many of the fired workers have returned to their jobs in the wake of the various court rulings that ordered the rehiring of those probationary workers as well as corrections to their employment records.
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First Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
US Justice Department files motion to unseal grand jury transcripts in Epstein case
The move is expected to quell widespread discontent over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files, as the president's Maga base demanded the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's death and his alleged 'client list' read more A protest group called "Hot Mess" hold up signs of Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump in front of the Federal courthouse on July 8, 2019 in New York City. File Photo/AFP The US Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts in the Jeffrey Epstein case after US President Donald Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to 'produce any and all' testimony related to the case. 'The public's interest in the Epstein matter has remained. Given this longstanding and legitimate interest, the government now moves to unseal grand jury transcripts associated with Epstein,' the DOJ said in its filing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The move is expected to quell widespread discontent over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files, as the president's Maga base demanded the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's death and his alleged 'client list'. The department said that the recent review of the transcripts was to 'determine whether evidence existed that could predicate an investigation into uncharged third parties.' The president's orders on Thursday came hours after he slammed the Wall Street Journal and threatened to sue it for releasing "fake" letters that Trump allegedly sent to Epstein in 2003. The Journal story, which quickly reverberated around the US capital, says the note to Epstein bearing Trump's signature was part of a collection of notes for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. The newspaper says it reviewed the letter but did not print an image. When will the files be made public? While the first steps to unseal the transcripts have been set in motion, it is not yet clear when the files will be made public. Before deciding on the matter, the judge must first consult with the victims and any uncharged individuals mentioned in the testimony, as their identities are protected under federal law. Depending on the timeline established, this process could take weeks, months, or even longer to complete. According to a report by CNN, the grand jury testimony is only a small portion of the thousands of documents related to the Epstein investigation and criminal case, many of which are in the DOJ's custody. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump sues WSJ, Murdoch Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal on Friday over the publication of a bombshell report on his friendship with Epstein. The defamation lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, saw Trump trying to hit back at a scandal threatening to cause serious political damage. The 79-year-old Republican had vowed to sue 'the ass off' Murdoch and his newspaper after it reported that in 2003, the then-real estate magnate wrote a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein, illustrated with a naked woman and referring to their shared 'secret.' With inputs from agencies
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland fires back against EPA claims about its offshore wind permit
An Ørsted wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island. The company also has a lease off the Delmarva coast, but is not nearly as far along in the permit-approval process as US Wind. (Photo courtesy of Ørsted) The Maryland Department of the Environment is defending the permit it issued to a wind farm proposed off the coast of Ocean City, after a challenge from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Thursday letter from Maryland Secretary of the Environment Serena McIlwain also said the state would not be reissuing the permit, as the EPA requested, because the state had not made a mistake that needed correcting. The EPA had contended that when Maryland issued the permit to Baltimore-based company US Wind, it identified the wrong process for citizens to file appeals. Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey, EPA administrator for Region 3, which includes Maryland and other mid-Atlantic states, contended in a July 7 letter that any appeals challenging the air pollution permit issued to US Wind should be filed to the clerk of the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board. But Maryland argues that its permit would need to be appealed through the state courts, which would involve filing a challenge at the appropriate circuit court — in this case in Worcester County. Notably, the due date for a state court challenge has already passed. It was set for July 14 — about a month after MDE issued the permit, according to MDE's website. 'Long-settled procedure dictates that state-issued permits are appealed under State law, not Federal law,' McIlwain's letter says. Trump's EPA flags a problem with offshore wind permit issued by Maryland That letter also cites written decisions issued by the EPA's appeals board, including one that stated that the board 'lacked jurisdiction' to evaluate this type of permit. 'MDE will not re-issue the permit and will continue to follow the proper state procedures to consider appeals,' McIlwain concluded, near the end of the roughly two-page letter. A request for comment from the EPA was not immediately returned Friday. The MDE website for the US Wind project originally referenced both the state appeals procedure and the EPA process, but McIlwain said that information had been 'included at EPA's request. It has been removed, and language has been added clarifying that the Federal appeals process does not apply.' Authority to issue Clean Air Act permits like the one for US Wind is delegated to the state from the EPA — the basis of the federal agency's claim for jurisdiction for appeals. That authority, specifically for permits on the outer continental shelf, was re-certified in early 2024 under the Biden administration. The US Wind project, which is planned about 10 miles from Ocean City's shoreline, is the wind project that is closest to construction in this region. The company, which leased the area in 2014, received a key permit from President Joe Biden's (D) Department of the Interior at the end of 2024. Final buildout of the project is still years away, but it calls for construction of 121 wind turbines, up to four offshore substations and one meteorological tower, according to the state's website. When complete, the project could generate 2,200 megawatts of energy, enough to power up to 718,000 homes, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Practically since its inception, the project has faced fierce opposition from local officials in the resort town, who cite concerns that beachgoers would lose a pristine ocean view if the turbines were visible from shore. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Since President Donald Trump (R) took office for his second term, offshore wind projects have landed in his crosshairs. Earlier this week, Trump announced that wind and solar projects would undergo increased scrutiny under his administration. Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' also rescinds tax credits for renewable energy projects that do not begin construction by next July. In April, Trump appointed Blarcom-Lackey to lead the EPA's Mid-Atlantic office. She succeeded Marylander Adam Ortiz, who moved to a deputy secretary role at MDE. Two other companies have offshore leases in the vicinity of Ocean City and the Delaware beaches — Ørsted and Equinor. While Ørsted received its first lease area around the same time as US Wind, Equinor won its auction last year. Neither project have received its federal permits from the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
