Latest news with #RDAP
West Australian
3 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
RDAP decision on workforce camp highlights need for land and planning inquiry, Liberal shadow minister says
RDAP decision on workforce camp highlights need for land and planning inquiry, Liberal shadow minister says
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Narrogin approves Battery Energy Storage System project and adopts temporary housing and carbon farm policies
The first of six renewable energy industries has been approved in Narrogin, starting the $17 billion combined project investment that will transform the Wheatbelt shire into a renewable energy hub. The proposed battery energy storage system application was accepted by the Regional Development Assessment Panel on May 21. Shire of Narrogin president Leigh Ballard served on the RDAP panel and was joined by shire chief executive Dale Stewart, executive manager development and regulatory services Azhar Awang, planning manager Kiralee Harris and Cr Graham Broad who appeared via Zoom to discuss the document. The approval followed the panel's May 15 decision to defer another project — a solar and battery hybrid proposal — after the Narrogin council, proponent ACE Power and consultancy Land Insights failed to agree on the project's conditions. The $400 million BESS development will be on Narrogin Valley Road, 2km south of the townsite, and is part of the billion-dollar Narrogin Renewable Energy Zone that will potentially have six projects built. Put forward by proponent South Energy, the BESS project will span 25ha and is expected to charge and discharge enough stored energy to power the equivalent of 70,000 households for a four-hour discharge. Construction is expected to start in 2026 and it will be fully operational by late 2027. Shire president Leigh Ballard said the council was excited the project was approved and it would mark 'a new era for the shire'. 'The Narrogin BESS represents a huge capital investment that promises to diversify our industry base and create employment, civil and trade opportunities,' he said. Despite the anticipated benefits, however, Cr Ballard said the council feared Narrogin could not withstand the sudden population increase and would reap no rewards without a State-level community benefit plan. 'We're equally extremely worried about the impact on firefighting, housing and labour supply, and the pressures on scarce resources like gravel and water,' he said. 'It's bitterly disappointing that there's currently no mechanism at the State level to ensure renewable industry developers provide fair and equitable community benefits. 'Our message is clear, the people of Narrogin welcome participation in the energy transition but demand to be included as equal partners, not passive hosts to infrastructure that primarily serves distant populations.' Following the project approval was the shire's adoption of the Temporary/Transient Workforce Accommodation Policy and the Tree Farm and Carbon Farming Policy, which were both unanimously voted for at the May 29 council meeting. The temporary accommodation policy was supported by a public submission which wrote that the policy was 'extremely well designed and most comprehensive' and 'supported with much pride'. The housing policy's six conditions encompass infrastructure and serving contributions, legacy and long-term housing and legal considerations, while the tree and carbon farming policy's conditions included bushfire management, environmental and water management and agricultural land retention. There are not yet proposals for tree or carbon farming in Narrogin, however, the council said it wanted to be prepared for future applications in light of the renewable boom.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Grand Forks man sentenced to 42 months for illegal firearm possession
May 30—GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks man was sentenced Wednesday, May 28, to 42 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon. Raymond Lee Graham Jr., 38, pleaded guilty to his sole felony charge in January. Graham was originally charged at the state level, where he faced five charges for drug, weapon and similar crimes. He was pulled over and fled from police, who found 1.2 pounds of marijuana, seven grams of marijuana coated in what appeared to be methamphetamine, empty baggies, fake urine and a box of 18 THC vape pens inside his vehicle, according to court documents. Police found a firearm on Graham when he was apprehended. The case, filed in June, 2024, was dismissed a month later after Graham was indicted in federal court. The federal charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon arose because he has a criminal background of attempted robbery, robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the indictment. The crime has a maximum 15-year prison sentence, but Graham was ordered to serve three and a half years. The judge ordered he be placed at a facility that is the lowest security level, as close as possible to North Dakota, and that the facility offers treatment for substance abuse — including the 500-hour Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program (RDAP). The criminal judgment also said Graham should be allowed to participate in any education or vocational opportunities, as well as any mental health treatments deemed appropriate by the Bureau of Prisons. After release from prison, Graham will be on supervised release for three years. Conditions of his release will include abstaining from alcohol and drug use, submitting to screening for substance use and allowing his property to be searched.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Grand Forks man sentenced to 42 months for illegal firearm possession
May 30—GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks man was sentenced Wednesday, May 28, to 42 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon. Raymond Lee Graham Jr., 38, pleaded guilty to his sole felony charge in January. Graham was originally charged at the state level, where he faced five charges for drug, weapon and similar crimes. He was pulled over and fled from police, who found 1.2 pounds of marijuana, seven grams of marijuana coated in what appeared to be methamphetamine, empty baggies, fake urine and a box of 18 THC vape pens inside his vehicle, according to court documents. Police found a firearm on Graham when he was apprehended. The case, filed in June, 2024, was dismissed a month later after Graham was indicted in federal court. The federal charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon arose because he has a criminal background of attempted robbery, robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the indictment. The crime has a maximum 15-year prison sentence, but Graham was ordered to serve three and a half years. The judge ordered he be placed at a facility that is the lowest security level, as close as possible to North Dakota, and that the facility offers treatment for substance abuse — including the 500-hour Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program (RDAP). The criminal judgment also said Graham should be allowed to participate in any education or vocational opportunities, as well as any mental health treatments deemed appropriate by the Bureau of Prisons. After release from prison, Graham will be on supervised release for three years. Conditions of his release will include abstaining from alcohol and drug use, submitting to screening for substance use and allowing his property to be searched.
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Forbes
Federal Inmates Being Scammed With Halfway House Promises
Family members of prisoners are receiving unsolicited calls requesting money to get their loved one ... More out of prison. Last week, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) issued a deeply disappointing directive that significantly restricts prerelease custody under the Second Chance Act. The new policy, effective April 21, caps halfway house placement at just 60 days for most inmates and 125 days for those completing the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). The sudden change has upended the plans of incarcerated individuals and their families, with many seeing their previously approved release dates rescinded. For some, it means staying in prison until February 2026 instead of going home in March 2025. As word spread, family members and legal advocates quickly mobilized, reaching out to the BOP's Residential Reentry Managers in hopes of salvaging community placement plans. But the chaos opened the door for another, more sinister development. A new scam has emerged preying on families desperate for relief. Calls from a Washington D.C. area code (202) claim that their loved one is now "eligible for immediate compassionate release"—for a fee. The caller says $1,700 is required to cover the cost of an ankle bracelet and electronic monitoring equipment. Curious to understand how the scheme worked, I called the number myself. An automated message answered, identifying the line as 'The Federal Bureau of Prisons Reentry Division Services'—a name designed to sound official. I was then transferred to a man who refused to provide his name but pressed me for details about an inmate. When I gave him a real name, he rattled off information such as the inmate's register number and projected release date—data readily available on As I continued asking questions, he grew suspicious. Abruptly, he declared, 'Your person doesn't qualify for the program,' and hung up. I called back several times, but the line went dead. No one answered again. When a loved one is incarcerated, families are often overwhelmed, emotionally and financially stretched, and susceptible to false hope. One family contacted me in distress, asking whether the call they received was legitimate. They were scrambling to gather the requested funds, desperate for any chance to bring their relative home sooner. I had to give them the difficult truth: the BOP never asks families for money to secure monitoring devices. Compassionate release is granted only by a U.S. District Judge, and only after the inmate formally submits a request to the BOP, which must either approve or deny the motion before it reaches the court. There are no shortcuts—and certainly no legitimate services that require payment in exchange for early release. This latest policy change on halfway house placement is already sowing confusion and disappointment. With nearly 160,000 inmates currently in federal custody—most of whom will eventually return home—the human impact of these decisions is significant. For many families, that return home now feels further away than ever. I contacted the BOP to report details of my conversation with the scammer. The agency acknowledged a similar scam had circulated in 2023, near the end of the CARES Act, when fraudsters also sought money in exchange for promised home confinement due to an alleged shortage of ankle bracelets. In response to the current scam, the BOP issued a renewed statement: 'The FBOP will not contact individuals to request personal information or money.' They encourage anyone who receives such calls to immediately report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission online or by phone at 1-877-382-4357, between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The timing of the scam—right as hope is being stripped away by BOP policy shifts—makes it all the more damaging. In a moment of deep uncertainty, families should be leaning on facts and verified information, not falling prey to false promises peddled by predators exploiting the cracks in a strained system. There are always opportunities to try to scam someone when they do not have information or promises are made that solve the problem they have. Right now, the BOP has been vocal about the limited capacity issues faced by the Agency and it may take years to correct those problems. There is no short-term fix and the BOP is currently having a difficult time with no real leadership since Director Colette Peters was let go just as Donald Trump was taking office. There are numerous consultants who have information and certainly social media has no shortage of rumors. However, particularly now since the BOP is such turmoil amid the new administration directives, information is scarce. This has created an opportunity for people to take advantage of both the BOP and the families of those incarcerated. It is also difficult when the facts of the current situation do not help those who want their loved ones to be home. It takes very little effort and no sophisticated equipment for a scam like this, just a cell phone, to take hard earned money from a family based on a promise. If anyone has received such a scam, please use the BOP's memorandum as guidance.
