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The Diplomat
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Assessing Religious Freedoms in Central Asia, USCIRF Delegations Visit Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
In late June, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Vicky Hartzler led delegations to both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, joined by Vice Chair Asif Mahmood in the former and Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi in the latter, to assess the state of religious freedoms in the two countries. USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal body established by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), which monitors the status of freedom of religion abroad in order to make policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress. Each year, USCIRF releases an annual report covering the previous year's developments and making recommendations on the designation of 'countries of particular concern' (CPCs) where there is 'systematic, ongoing, and egregious' violations of religious freedoms. In its 2025 report, released in March, USCIRF recommended that Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, among others, be designated as CPCs and subject to sanctions, and Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan be listed on the special watch list (SWL), which entails no immediate punishments, but indicates concern. The Diplomat interviewed USCIRF Chair Hartzler about her recent visits to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the reasons USCIRF is concerned about religious freedoms in these countries, and the commission's encouraging the Trump administration to consider lifting the national security waiver typically paired with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan's CPC designations. You recently led a USCIRF delegation to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to assess religious freedoms in these states. Can you tell us about what kinds of people you meet with on these sorts of trips? Whose voices are you taking into consideration? We met with a wide range of stakeholders, including leaders and members of majority and minority religious communities, human rights activists, non-governmental organizations, and relevant government officials. To understand the religious freedom situation in any country, it is essential to speak with a wide range of individuals and, in particular, representatives of diverse religious communities. This is particularly true for Central Asian countries, where broad and vague laws restrict freedom of religion or belief. Officials enforce such legislation arbitrarily, resulting in some individuals being unable to freely practice their religion. In USCIRF's most recent annual report (2025), the Commission recommended that the U.S. State Department include Kyrgyzstan in the Special Watch List for 'engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.' USCIRF first recommended that Kyrgyzstan be included in the SWL in 2024. What changed in Kyrgyzstan that triggered its inclusion in USCIRF's recommendations? In its 2024 and 2025 Annual Reports, USCIRF recommended Kyrgyzstan's inclusion on the State Department's Special Watch List due to the government's ongoing and systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief. Over the past few years, the Kyrgyz government increasingly enforced long-existing restrictive legislation regulating religion. Authorities rigorously penalized religious practices, including online religious expression, collective religious worship and studies, and the possession of unauthorized religious materials, through raids, forced renunciations of faith, administrative fines, and prison sentences. In January 2025, a new religion law was passed, further restricting religious activities, including requiring religious groups to obtain registration from 500 people and places of worship to obtain registration, as well as continuing to ban the distribution of religious literature, among other things. Kazakhstan has also been recommended for the SWL for several years, though the State Department has never designated it as such. Can you discuss some of the conditions that led to USCIRF recommending Kazakhstan's inclusion in the SWL again? Since 2013, and most recently in our 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF has recommended Kazakhstan for inclusion on the State Department's Special Watch List due to the government's ongoing and systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief. The Kazakh government restricts the religious activities of all groups, including Muslims who deviate from the state's preferred interpretation of Hanafi Sunni Islam. For example, the government continues to target activities such as peaceful religious expression through observing religious holidays or gathering for religious services, and distributing religious materials with fines, detainments, and, in some cases, prison sentences. The 2011 religion law includes broad and vague provisions that authorities arbitrarily enforce. The law requires government approval to engage in virtually any religious activity and includes administrative burdens that allow officials ample opportunities to deny permission. This essentially permits the government to use the same law to approve the religious activities of those groups it finds favorable, while preventing or penalizing the activities of 'unfavorable' groups. How can vague or broadly applied definitions of 'extremist' harm religious communities? And do you think that this has an adverse effect on security as well? Each Central Asia government applies a broad and vague definition of 'extremism' under its extremism law. Within such legislation, 'extremist' acts are not limited to those that involve violence or calls to violence. This gives authorities broad discretion to investigate and prosecute individuals for a range of peaceful religious activities. There are several individuals imprisoned under 'extremism' charges for peaceful religious activities. In Kazakhstan, there are at least three Muslim men who are imprisoned related to their peaceful, online religious activities: Anatoli Zernichenko, Beket Mynbasov, and Ernar Samatov. In Kyrgyzstan, USCIRF monitors two religious prisoners of conscience, a Muslim man named Asadullo Madraimov, who criticized an official religious policy, and a Christian man named Pavel Schreider. The outgoing Biden administration did not make Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) or SWL designations by the end of 2024, leaving in place the 2023 designations. Do you expect the Trump administration to make designations? Have you had any productive interactions with the Trump administration on religious freedom issues? USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency tasked under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) to monitor freedom of religion or belief globally and make policy recommendations to the U.S. government, including the president. Since its creation, USCIRF has consistently held meetings with the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. We look forward to working with the next Ambassador-at-Large once confirmed. Currently, former Congressman Mark Walker has been nominated and is waiting for Senate confirmation. Under IRFA, the President is required to make designations 90 days after the State Department submits its annual International Religious Report. However, Secretary Blinken failed to make the required designations before the change in administration. In January 2025, USCIRF welcomed Marco Rubio's confirmation as Secretary of State and called for him to review USCIRF's recommendations for designations, most recently updated in the 2025 Annual Report. To reiterate USCIRF's recommendations in Central Asia, USCIRF recommends Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan for inclusion on the Special Watch List, recommendations that the State Department has not traditionally implemented. In addition, USCIRF recommended that Turkmenistan and Tajikistan be designated as CPCs. While we applaud the State Department for implementing these recommendations, USCIRF encourages the Trump administration to lift the national security waiver paired with these CPC designations not only to reinforce that religious freedom is a priority for U.S. foreign policy, but also to emphasize the severity of religious freedom violations in these countries. Under IRFA, the administration may waive any presidential action typically paired with a CPC designation if it furthers U.S. policy on religious freedom or if it is in the important national interest of the United States.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ethanol industry calls for carbon capture support following economic study
A recent report shows the economic contribution of biofuels to Iowa's economy. Pictured is Elite Octane in Atlantic, which U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins toured on a recent trip to Iowa. (Photo by Cecilia Lynch/USDA) The economic impact of the renewable fuels industry in Iowa was $800 million less in 2024 than it was in 2023, according to a recent study released by Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. The industry association said 'stagnant corn demand' has impacted biofuels' impact on Iowa's economy, and said the best way to increase demand is entry to the ultra-low carbon ethanol markets. 'That is the most cost-effective and impactful tool we can provide our farmers and producers,' Monte Shaw, IRFA executive director, said in a statement. IRFA holds that the direct impacts of biofuels 'remain strong' in the state, with another 'record for fuel production.' Overall, the report found the renewable fuel industry accounted for 2% of Iowa's 2024 gross domestic product, or $5.7 billion. The industry also created more than 34,000 direct and indirect jobs across the state, which is down from 52,000 jobs in 2023. Shaw said some of the change comes from completed construction projects and a closed facility, but the majority of that figure is from the indirect impacts of the stalled market. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'The bigger thing is those multiplier effects,' he said. 'When you're buying corn at $7, that income goes over in the economy and supports jobs and other aspects of Iowa's economy … When farmers don't have money, they're not out buying new equipment, they're gonna make stuff last another year, and so that is where those job losses have happened.' Shaw said if the numbers are to increase across the economy, the overall demand for ethanol needs to increase. Right now, he said the supply outweighs demand for corn and soybean commodities, which has led to decreasing corn prices over the past two years. The trend is projected to follow suit for the 2024-2025 crop year. 'Our farmers are very productive, very competitive … they're producing more corn with fewer inputs on the same acres,' Shaw said. 'But we have not been able to build demand fast enough.' Ryan Sauer, vice president of market development for Iowa Corn Growers Association, said if the current trends continue and Iowa doesn't branch into new markets to utilize corn, there could be 'a bit of a repeat' of the farm crisis from the 1980s. 'You've got commodity prices that are going to stay stagnant, you've got input prices that will remain high, and I mean, there's only so long that the banks can allow a farmer to do that,' Sauer said. One route for increased demand could come from the congressional approval of nationwide, year-round, E15, or a blend of ethanol fuel with 15% ethanol. According to studies from the National Corn Growers Association, a 5% increase in ethanol blends, which E15 would represent, equates to an increased demand of 2.3 billion bushels of corn annually. The IRFA study found that 62% of corn in Iowa is processed by the ethanol industry. Sauer said the E15 market would be especially important for Iowa farmers if tariffs upset corn export markets. 'If we're not going to be able to export it because of tariffs and all this, we need all the demand domestically we can get, and E15 will allow us to do that,' Sauer said. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has also been pushing for year-round E15, but Shaw called it a 'near-term market.' 'All the other market growth opportunities that we see on the horizon are low carbon, ultra-low carbon markets,' Shaw said. 'That's why we're fighting so hard … to make sure that our ethanol producers have the tools they need to produce ultra-low carbon ethanol.' Shaw said sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is one of the ultra-low carbon fuels the industry hopes to expand to, but there is also demand for fuels in the marine industry, trains and for some construction and tractor equipment. The study said ethanol producers would have to 'lower the carbon intensity' of ethanol production in order to open up the market for SAF. 'This is most easily achieved through environmentally friendly feedstock production practices and access to opportunities for carbon capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide from ethanol production,' the study said. The industries purchasing these fuels want them to be produced with lifetime greenhouse gas emissions below a certain level. Some iterations of guidance for sustainable aviation fuel, for example, required the fuel to be made from corn grown with carbon reducing farming practices. Shaw said being able to reduce carbon emissions via carbon capture and sequestration, like the controversial Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, would equate to 'tens of billions of gallons' of additional biofuel demand over the next 20 years. 'Do you want to be sitting here around $3.50 corn, and having a bad farm economy?' Shaw said. 'Or, do we want to access these new markets that will literally say, 'Give me every gallon you can?'' The Summit pipeline, and the now terminated Wolf Carbon Solutions pipeline, has drawn opposition from landowners, some politicians and environmental groups like the Sierra Club. Those opposed to the project believe carbon sequestration pipelines are dangerous for communities, often citing a rupture of a pipeline in Satartia, Mississippi. Landowners oppose the taking of easements in agricultural land for the pipeline, especially after the Summit project was conditionally granted the right of eminent domain in June. The issues have been a prominent topic of discussion at the Iowa Capitol this session. The House voted to ban the use of eminent domain on carbon sequestration pipelines, and more recently a group of senators vowed to stand their ground on budget negotiations until the pipeline issue is debated in the chamber. Emma Schmit, pipeline fighters director with Bold Alliance, said the 'unyielding commitment to carbon capture pipelines' is what's holding the biofuels industry back. 'To imply stagnation suddenly has the industry on death's door unless a risky carbon capture pipeline is allowed to destroy over 1,000 miles of prime Iowa farmland is a stretch,' Schmit said in an email. She referenced figures in the study showing another high year for ethanol production, and that corn utilization by the industry has remained consistent. 'If expanding markets via decarbonization is the goal, there are a multitude of options available that don't depend on the destruction of thousands of parcels or the misuse of eminent domain,' Schmit said. According to Summit Carbon Solutions, the project has already secured easement agreements for more than 75% of the route for the first phase of the pipeline. Construction on the pipeline cannot begin until the company has secured permit approval in South Dakota, a process which has been complicated by the state's recent ban on eminent domain for CO2 pipelines and subsequent denial of the permit application from Summit. The company has pledged to reapply with reduced scope in the state. The project could face a similar situation in Iowa if lawmakers advance the bill passed from the House, though substantial amendments to the bill have been proposed in the Senate. Shaw said without carbon sequestration capabilities, Iowa could lose its title as 'most cost-effective place to turn corn into ethanol,' in favor of nearby Nebraska, where a roughly 400-mile carbon dioxide sequestration pipeline through the state is set to be operational by the end of 2025. 'People are treating this like it's some sort of political board game, and they're ignoring the very real ramifications that are happening around us,' Shaw said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa House votes to ban eminent domain for CO2 pipelines
Iowans gathered at the Iowa State Capitol to rally against carbon dioxide pipeline projects March 18, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa House approved a bill Wednesday that would stop pipelines carrying liquified carbon dioxide from using eminent domain. Six other bills related to carbon sequestration pipelines, eminent domain and the Iowa Utilities Commission were combined into one bill, which also advanced. The bills were directed at an ongoing fight between landowners and the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which would stretch more than 1,000 miles in Iowa connecting to biofuel refineries and transporting the sequestered carbon dioxide to underground storage in North Dakota. House File 943 is similar to a law recently passed in South Dakota, another state crossed by the pipeline's proposed route. Summit recently asked South Dakota regulators to pause proceedings on its pipeline permit due to the new law. South Dakota governor signs eminent domain ban on carbon pipelines The Iowa bill would take effect in May and apply to any eminent domain filings made on or after that date. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, said businesses should 'expect the unexpected' if they plan to use eminent domain in Iowa. 'Expect that we're going to make changes when eminent domain is involved, and expect that we're going to make changes in favor of landowners,' Kaufmann said. Pipeline opponents advocated for the bill March 18 during a rally at the Capitol and again on Monday at a press conference with a group of Republican lawmakers opposed to the pipeline project. The bill passed 82-12. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw said in a press release the decision by the House was 'hardly surprising, but it is still disappointing.' 'IRFA members have been saying for three years that (carbon capture and sequestration) is the most important tool available to grow ethanol demand into new markets both here at home and around the world,' Shaw said in the statement. Shaw said he believes 'cooler heads will prevail in the Senate' and said the opposition to the project has been led by a 'small, though loud, minority.' 'IRFA calls on the Iowa Senate to stand with the majority of impacted landowners, farmers, ethanol producers, and Iowa's economic future to ensure the state has the tools it needs to meet the brewing economic disaster in the heartland,' Shaw said. House File 639 would increase the insurance requirements for liquid hazardous pipeline operators. The five amendments to the bill would also update the definition of a common carrier, require IUC commissioners to be present at all hearings, expand who is allowed to intervene in an IUC docket, limit the pipeline permits to one term not longer than 25 years and stop the IUC from imposing sanctions on intervenors. These were all bills that had already advanced from House committees, but Rep. Steven Holt combined into HF 639. Holt, R-Denison, said with all of the amendments, the bill should be called the 'no eminent domain for private gain' bill. The bill passed 85-10. A spokesperson for Summit said the company has signed easements with more than 1,320 Iowa landowners and has 'adjusted the route based on feedback from stakeholders and regulatory agencies.' 'Regulatory certainty is crucial for maintaining Iowa's competitive edge in business, fostering long-term opportunities for farmers, ethanol producers, and rural communities,' the spokesperson said in a statement. Some representatives voiced concern because of historic opposition in the Senate. Rep. Brian Meyer spoke in support of the bills but said he wondered if lawmakers were 'wasting our time here today.' 'We've done this now several years in a row, and the Senate has not acted,' Meyer, D-Des Moines, said. 'As far as I can tell, they have not even tried to negotiate … Do something. Do something about this important issue.' Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Charles City, said he appreciated the concerns about the Senate on the issue and said he believes the House will 'do the right thing without regard for what others may do.' Holt said the issue is not partisan and that in both the House and the Senate, the two parties disagree with one another on the issue. He disagreed with a claim that he and other lawmakers fighting for the issue are doing so performatively. 'We're doing it because it's the right thing to do,' Holt said. 'And regardless of whether the Senate is going to pass it or not, we're going to fight for it here because it's the right thing to do.' Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@
Times of Oman
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
USCIRF should be designated as entity of concern: India slams US panel's religious freedom report
New Delhi : The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) should be designated as an entity of concern and noted that the USCIRF 2025 Annual Report "once again continues its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments. In response to media queries regarding the 2025 Annual Report of USCIRF, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have seen the recently released 2025 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which once again continues its pattern of issuing biased and politically motivated assessments." "The USCIRF's persistent attempts to misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India's vibrant multicultural society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom," the MEA spokesperson said. Jaiswal noted that India has a population of 1.4 billion people who are adherents to all religions known to mankind and stressed that India has no expectation that USCIRF will "engage with the reality of India's pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities." Randhir Jaiswal said, "India is home to 1.4 billion people who are adherents to all religions known to mankind. However, we have no expectation that the USCIRF will engage with the reality of India's pluralistic framework or acknowledge the harmonious coexistence of its diverse communities." "Such efforts to undermine India's standing as a beacon of democracy and tolerance will not succeed. In fact, it is the USCIRF that should be designated as an entity of concern," he added. In the report, USCIRF urged the US government to designate India as a "country of particular concern" or CPC "for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations", as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). The report alleged that the religious freedom conditions in India in 2024 continued to deteriorate as attacks and discrimination against religious minorities continued to rise.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House votes to ban eminent domain for CO2 pipelines
Iowans gathered at the Iowa State Capitol to rally against carbon dioxide pipeline projects March 18, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa House approved a bill Wednesday that would stop pipelines carrying liquified carbon dioxide from using eminent domain. Six other bills related to carbon sequestration pipelines, eminent domain and the Iowa Utilities Commission were combined into one bill, which also advanced. The bills were directed at an ongoing fight between landowners and the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which would stretch more than 1,000 miles in Iowa connecting to biofuel refineries and transporting the sequestered carbon dioxide to underground storage in North Dakota. House File 943 is similar to a law recently passed in South Dakota, another state crossed by the pipeline's proposed route. Summit recently asked South Dakota regulators to pause proceedings on its pipeline permit due to the new law. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Iowa bill would take effect in May and apply to any eminent domain filings made on or after that date. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, said businesses should 'expect the unexpected' if they plan to use eminent domain in Iowa. 'Expect that we're going to make changes when eminent domain is involved, and expect that we're going to make changes in favor of landowners,' Kaufmann said. Pipeline opponents advocated for the bill March 18 during a rally at the Capitol and again on Monday at a press conference with a group of Republican lawmakers opposed to the pipeline project. The bill passed 82-12. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw said in a press release the decision by the House was 'hardly surprising, but it is still disappointing.' 'IRFA members have been saying for three years that (carbon capture and sequestration) is the most important tool available to grow ethanol demand into new markets both here at home and around the world,' Shaw said in the statement. Shaw said he believes 'cooler heads will prevail in the Senate' and said the opposition to the project has been led by a 'small, though loud, minority.' 'IRFA calls on the Iowa Senate to stand with the majority of impacted landowners, farmers, ethanol producers, and Iowa's economic future to ensure the state has the tools it needs to meet the brewing economic disaster in the heartland,' Shaw said. House File 639 would increase the insurance requirements for liquid hazardous pipeline operators. The five amendments to the bill would also update the definition of a common carrier, require IUC commissioners to be present at all hearings, expand who is allowed to intervene in an IUC docket, limit the pipeline permits to one term not longer than 25 years and stop the IUC from imposing sanctions on intervenors. These were all bills that had already advanced from House committees, but Rep. Steven Holt combined into HF 639. Holt, R-Denison, said with all of the amendments, the bill should be called the 'no eminent domain for private gain' bill. The bill passed 85-10. A spokesperson for Summit said the company has signed easements with more than 1,320 Iowa landowners and has 'adjusted the route based on feedback from stakeholders and regulatory agencies.' 'Regulatory certainty is crucial for maintaining Iowa's competitive edge in business, fostering long-term opportunities for farmers, ethanol producers, and rural communities,' the spokesperson said in a statement. Some representatives voiced concern because of historic opposition in the Senate. Rep. Brian Meyer spoke in support of the bills but said he wondered if lawmakers were 'wasting our time here today.' 'We've done this now several years in a row, and the Senate has not acted,' Meyer, D-Des Moines, said. 'As far as I can tell, they have not even tried to negotiate … Do something. Do something about this important issue.' Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Charles City, said he appreciated the concerns about the Senate on the issue and said he believes the House will 'do the right thing without regard for what others may do.' Holt said the issue is not partisan and that in both the House and the Senate, the two parties disagree with one another on the issue. He disagreed with a claim that he and other lawmakers fighting for the issue are doing so performatively. 'We're doing it because it's the right thing to do,' Holt said. 'And regardless of whether the Senate is going to pass it or not, we're going to fight for it here because it's the right thing to do.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
