Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Pipeline Company Sentenced for Largest-Ever Inland Oil Spill | OPA | Department of Justice

The pipeline company responsible for the discharge of 29 million gallons of oil-contaminated “produced water” – a waste product of hydraulic fracturing – was sentenced to pay a $15 million criminal fine and serve a three year period of probation today by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel M. Traynor in Williston, North Dakota.

Summit Midstream Partners LLC pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it violated the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, by negligently causing the discharge into U.S. waters in 2014, and deliberately failing to immediately report the spill to federal authorities as required. More than 700,000 barrels were discharged thereby contaminating Blacktail Creek and nearby land and groundwater. By law, the federal fines in this case will go to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund used to respond and clean up future oil spills.

“Summit is being held criminally accountable for its crimes of negligently discharging more than 29 million gallons over more than 4 months and then knowingly failing to report the discharge,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.

Source: Pipeline Company Sentenced for Largest-Ever Inland Oil Spill | OPA | Department of Justice

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta Delivers Remarks Announcing Lawsuit Against the State of Texas to Challenge Statewide Redistricting Plan | OPA | Department of Justice

Our complaint today alleges that the redistricting plans approved by the Texas state legislature and signed into law by the Governor will deny Black and Latino voters an equal opportunity to participate in the voting process and to elect representatives of their choice, in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Our complaint also alleges that several of those districts were drawn with discriminatory intent.

Texas’ 2021 redistricting plans were enacted through a rushed process, with minimal opportunity for public comment, without any expert testimony, and with an overall disregard for the massive minority population growth in Texas over the last decade. Texas’ population grew by 4 million people from 2010 to 2020, and 95% of that growth came from minority populations. Despite this significant increase in the number and proportion of eligible Latino and Black voters in Texas, the newly enacted redistricting plans will not allow minority voters an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. Instead, our investigation determined that Texas’ redistricting plans will dilute the increased minority voting strength that should have developed from these significant demographic shifts.

For example, Texas will gain two new Congressional seats because of its population growth, almost all of which is due to growth in the state’s minority population. However, Texas has designed both of those new seats to have white voting majorities.

The congressional plan also deliberately reconfigured a West Texas district to eliminate the opportunity for Latino voters to elect a representative of their choice. This is the third time in three decades where Texas has eliminated a Latino electoral opportunity in this same district, despite previous court determinations that this violates the law.

And the State House plan eliminated Latino electoral opportunities by manipulating or eliminating districts where Latino communities previously had elected their preferred candidates.

These redistricting plans will diminish the opportunities for Latino and Black voters in Texas to elect their preferred representatives. And that is prohibited by federal law.

The complaint asks the court to prohibit Texas from conducting elections under the challenged plans and asks the court to order Texas to devise and implement new redistricting plans that comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The complaint also asks the court to establish interim plans pending a lawful state redistricting.

Source: Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta Delivers Remarks Announcing Lawsuit Against the State of Texas to Challenge Statewide Redistricting Plan | OPA | Department of Justice

Bored Rich Folk as Wrecking Balls

CRAIN'S COMMENTS

Marc Cendella has a remarkable column this morning, well worth reading. (Frankly, he usually is and you might consider subscribing.)

Nobody every said that all rich people are intelligent, nor that all large corporations are efficient. Far from it. However, they can make messes for everyone else — an interesting variant of the von Manstein typology of officers.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Midlife Crisis
New name, new look from the Facebook founder.
Marc Cenedella
Dec 6

The midlife crisis happens to people. After almost two decades, things begin to get predictable.  Successful, but also stale. Maybe a bit boring.So the time comes to spice it up.  If it were you, you might buy a fancy car, go crazy for a new designer, or take the leap with a bold startup (that writes professional resumes for free).

When you’re Mark Zuckerberg, running the world’s 7th most valuable company, you think on a…

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beauty doth reside in the heart… Published at MasticadoresUSA — Develop. Inspire. Transform.

I am so pleased to announce that my poem, beauty doth reside in the heart… is now available at MasticadoresUSA. A big thank you to, Gabriela Marie Milton, and the team at MasticadoresUSA for their continued support, and for publishing this piece. beauty doth reside in the heart… I sit atop a tree, taking in […]

beauty doth reside in the heart… Published at MasticadoresUSA — Develop. Inspire. Transform.

Michelin-starred chef serves mock lamb — Darcy Hitchcock

The supermarkets carry vegan ground beef patties and soy chorizo. But it’s quite something when famous chefs serve a large cut of vegan meat. Chef Marco Pierre White—known as the first British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars—just added whole-cut vegan lamb and beef to the menu of his 22 steakhouses in the United […]

Michelin-starred chef serves mock lamb — Darcy Hitchcock

Minbari Mondays, In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum, and Decisions — Inspiring Critical Thinking and Community via Books, Lessons, and Story

This week’s report, now that reports seem to have resumed from Epsilon 3,  is part of a letter, for an incident taking place on Sunday, 24 September  of our year 2259 CE, sent to us from our future by Ranger Mayann, writing to us from Minbar, where she is stationed: — Greetings, from Tuzanor: […]

Minbari Mondays, In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum, and Decisions — Inspiring Critical Thinking and Community via Books, Lessons, and Story

Zucchini Mayo Boat — Tanooki Homemade Cafe

Do you remember the movie called Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio? I still remember it when I first watched it for the first time and a lot of people still choose it as their lifetime favorite romance movie.  I was having relaxing weekend, and was watching it again, maybe 100th, no, 1,000 times already. A little […]

Zucchini Mayo Boat — Tanooki Homemade Cafe