Link source: https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=38642&culture=en-us
VIETNAM – Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) director Derek Sandison signed an agreement with Vietnam’s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Hoang Trung on Monday, April 8 in Vietnam. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) marks an agreement between Vietnam and WSDA to work together to strengthen agricultural development and the promotion of agricultural trade.
The signing of the MOU was the kickoff to the trade mission where Director Sandison was part of nearly five dozen traveling as delegates of a trade mission to Vietnam.
The delegation includes Commerce Director Michael Fong, Agriculture Director Derek Sandison, Office of Financial Management Director David Schumacher, state senators Joe Nguyễn and June Robinson, and state representatives My-Linh Thai and Steve Tharinger.
The Agriculture delegation is focused on expanding business connections, promoting Washington food agricultural products, and learning more about opportunities in the Vietnamese market. Delegates represent products including wheat and wheat flour, apples, wine, cherries, and hay.
Vietnam is among the fastest-growing economies in Asia with several advanced manufacturing sectors setting up shop in the country. Washington companies with a presence in Vietnam include Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Brooks and SSA Marine. In 2023, Vietnam was Washington state’s 5th largest export market when including agriculture such as apples, wheat and dairy. Last year Washington apple exports alone reached $57 million.
Trade mission activities include meetings with Vietnamese leaders, visits to various manufacturing facilities and innovation centers, meetings with cultural and higher education leaders, as well as business networking and product promotion events. Much of the itinerary is focused on strengthening trade and collaboration opportunities in advanced technology sectors such as agriculture, clean energy and artificial intelligence.
IN OTHER STATE NEWS HEADLINES:
AG Ferguson announces DNA collection from more than 2,600 serious offenders.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that more than 2,600 serious criminal offenders provided their DNA to law enforcement after previously failing to do so as required by law. As a result of Ferguson’s lawfully owed DNA project, these samples are now in a national DNA database critical to identifying perpetrators of unsolved rapes, murders and other violent crimes./WAAG
AG Ferguson’s statement on today’s ruling in Washington v. Gator’s Custom Guns.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following statement after a Cowlitz County Superior Court judge presiding over an enforcement action against Gator’s Custom Guns ruled that Washington’s ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines is unconstitutional./WAAG
Food packaging laws seek to reduce litter and PFAS contamination
Current and upcoming requirements for Washington food service providers/DOE
Check Cashers and Small Loan Endorsement Annual Assessment Report Due Monday, April 15.
All Washington State Check Cashers and Small Loan Endorsements Annual Assessments are due by April 15, 2024./DFI
Washington salmon fishing seasons tentatively set for 2024-2025.
SEATTLE – Anglers in Washington can expect similar salmon fishing opportunities in 2024-2025 compared to last season, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fishery managers announced today./WDFW
2) NEWS FROM OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION
KILMER ANNOUNCES MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT TO RECONNECT WAPATO CREEK WITH PUGET SOUND
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) announced that the Northwest Seaport Alliance will receive $24.5 million in federal funding from the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Fiscal Year 2022 and 2023 Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant Program to replace the failing Wapato Creek Culvert, which currently presents a significant barrier to aquatic connectivity between Puget Sound and Wapato Creek./From a press release issued 4/9/24
KILMER LEGISLATION TO SPUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR PUYALLUP TRIBE HEADS TO PRESIDENT BIDEN’S DESK
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06); U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (WA) and Patty Murray (WA); and U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) celebrated the House passage of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Act. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk for signature./From a press release issued 4/11/24
Committee Chairs Cantwell, McMorris Rodgers Unveil Historic Draft Comprehensive Data Privacy Legislation
The American Privacy Rights Act gives Americans fundamental, enforceable data privacy rights, puts people in control of their own data and eliminates the patchwork of state laws/ from a press release issued 4/9/24
Cantwell, Risch, and Colleagues Call on Biden to Help Finally Open Japanese Market to $100B U.S. Potato Industry
Bipartisan Senate leaders send letter to Biden on day of Japanese PM Kishida address to Congress./from a press release issued 4/11/24
At Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing on Women Veterans Health Care, Murray Raises Importance of Mammography Services for WA State Veterans, IVF Care/ from a press release issued 4/10/24
Senator Murray Asks DHS Secretary to Commit to Independent Investigation of Conditions at Tacoma ICE Facility, Presses Mayorkas on Overuse of Solitary Confinement at ICE Facilities/ from a press release issued 4/10/24
3) WORLD< NATION< BUSINESS:
WORLD:
Amid Spectre of Nuclear Conflict in Korean Peninsula, Veto in Security Council Blocking Sanctions Monitoring Tool Sets Dangerous Precedent, Speakers Tell General Assembly
In a meeting triggered by a veto cast by the Russian Federation on 28 March to reject the adoption of a Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of the sanctions panel monitoring the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear weapon and missile programmes, speakers warned the General Assembly that the veto sets a dangerous precedent and could have a cascading effect on other Council sanctions./UN PRESS RELEASE
World Must ‘Focus on What Matters Most - Putting Education Front and Centre’, Says Deputy Secretary-General, at European Union Global Gateway Event/UN PRESS RELEASE
‘No Region of Ukraine Spared’ by Moscow’s War on Ukraine, Senior Official Tells Security Council, Reporting of Widespread Destruction, Civilian Deaths
Alarmed by the Russian Federation’s intensified attacks across Ukraine, including on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on 7 April and Kyiv’s largest power plant today, speakers at a Security Council meeting once again voiced concern about the rising death toll and deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country and demanded Moscow to cease its strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure, as UN senior officials urged respect for international humanitarian law and an immediate end to the war./UN PRESS RELEASE
Remarks at a UN Security Council Meeting Called by Russia on Threats to International Peace and Security/USUN
Secretary Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, and Philippine National Security Advisor Eduardo M. Año Before Their Meeting/US STATE DEPT.
NATION:
Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan at Arrival Ceremony/WH
DOD Official: Defense Industrial Strategy Already Making Headway in Maritime Space/DOD
Two Doctors Sentenced for $4M Fraudulent Urine Drug Testing Scheme.
The owner and the medical director of a Kentucky pain clinic were sentenced yesterday for their respective roles in a scheme that defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance companies of over $4 million for medically unnecessary urine drug testing./DOJ
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Additional $7.4 Billion in Approved Student Debt Relief for 277,000 Borrowers
Biden-Harris Administration Has Now Approved $153 Billion in Relief for Nearly 4.3 Million Borrowers Across the Country/DEPT. of EDUCATION
HUD Announces Nearly $70 Million in Grants to Protect Families from Home Health and Safety Hazards
Funding helps vulnerable residents by fixing housing-related health and safety hazards, establishing sustainable local programs, and supporting key research to identify and mitigate these hazards./HUD
BUSINESS:
FTC Finalizes Order with X-Mode and Successor Outlogic Prohibiting it from Sharing or Selling Sensitive Location Data/FTC
USDA Forest Service Invests More Than $232M to Support Schools, Roads, Other Services as Part of Investing in America Agenda/USDA
IRS.gov offers last-minute filing tips, resources to help taxpayers who still need to file before April 15; special Saturday hours in 70 locations/IRS
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF $6M IN GRANTS TO ATTRACT, RETAIN WOMEN IN REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS, NONTRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS
WANTO grants address underrepresentation of women in high-growth, high-wage industries/DEPT. of LABOR
Delaware Woman Arrested for International Sextortion and Money Laundering Scheme/DOJ
IN FOCUS & LOCAL MEETINGS
IN FOCUS: Interior Department Finalizes Action to Ensure Fair Return to Taxpayers, Strengthen Accountability for Oil and Gas Operations on Public Lands
Final rule will improve responsible stewardship of America’s lands, better protect cultural and natural resources, and implement changes directed by Congress.
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced a final rule to revise the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) oil and gas leasing regulations, which will ensure a balanced approach to development, provide a fair return to taxpayers, and help keep drilling activities from conflicting with the protection of important wildlife habitat or cultural sites.
The Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule revises outdated fiscal terms of the onshore federal oil and gas leasing program – including for bonding requirements, royalty rates, and minimum bids – which will increase returns to the public and disincentivize speculators and irresponsible actors. The rule is the BLM’s first comprehensive update to the federal onshore oil and gas leasing framework since 1988, the first update to minimum bonding levels since 1960, and the first increase in royalty rates in more than 100 years.
The rule codifies fiscal provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act and implements recommendations from the Department’s Report on the Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
“These are the most significant reforms to the federal oil and gas leasing program in decades, and they will cut wasteful speculation, increase returns for the public, and protect taxpayers from being saddled with the costs of environmental cleanups,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Alongside the historic investments we are making through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells, these reforms will help safeguard the health of our public lands and nearby communities for generations to come.”
The rule will guide BLM efforts to focus oil and gas leasing in areas that are the most likely to be developed — areas with existing infrastructure and high oil and gas potential — lessening development pressure on areas that contain sensitive wildlife habitat, cultural resources, high recreational usage, or other special resources and values. This approach will provide transparency and clarity for industry, while better managing public lands for other important resources.
“This rule will give industry additional certainty about lease terms moving forward and give the public the certainty that their voices will be heard when the BLM is proposing areas for leasing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Dr. Steve Feldgus. “It also addresses a number of longstanding Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Inspector General recommendations, ensuring we have a modern oil and gas leasing program that protects the public’s interests.”
“Our public lands are owned by all Americans, and the Bureau of Land Management remains committed to managing them in a balanced, responsible way,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “This rule will help protect critical wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and recreational values, and it will ensure a fair return for American taxpayers.”
The rule also updates minimum bonding amounts for federal oil and gas operations for the first time in over 60 years, helping to ensure that taxpayers are not left with the bill for cleaning up orphaned wells. The GAO noted that the BLM is responsible for managing thousands of idled wells that pose a risk of becoming orphaned. The increased bonds better reflect the actual costs of reclaiming wells and will mean those costs are borne by oil and gas companies rather than taxpayers. More about updates to bonding included in the rule here.
Key elements of the rule include:
Bonding Requirements: The rule increases the minimum lease bond amount to $150,000 and the minimum statewide bond to $500,000, and it eliminates nationwide and unit bonds. The previous lease bond amount of $10,000 -- established in 1960 -- no longer provided an adequate incentive for companies to meet their reclamation obligations, nor does it cover the potential costs to reclaim a well should this obligation not be met, leaving taxpayers at risk for the cost of cleanup. Bond amounts will be adjusted for inflation every ten years.
Protecting Wildlife and Cultural Resources: The rule helps steer oil and gas development away from important wildlife habitat and important cultural sites by establishing BLM's preference to offer lands for lease that are close to existing infrastructure or have high potential for oil and gas production.
Fiscal Terms: A number of fiscal terms are changed to reflect provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, including:
Royalty rates for leases are set at 16.67 percent until August 16, 2032—ten years after enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act—then 16.67 percent will become the minimum royalty rate. Previously, the minimum royalty rate was 12.5 percent.
Minimum bids: The minimum amount companies can bid at auctions for federal oil and gas leases increases to $10 per acre, up from $2 per acre. After August 16, 2032, that amount will be regularly adjusted for inflation.
Base, or minimum, rental rate: Leases will include a rental of $3 per acre per year during the first two-year period beginning upon lease issuance, then $5 per acre per year for the subsequent 6 years, and then $15 per acre per year thereafter. After August 16, 2032, those rental rates will become minimums and are subject to increase. Previously, companies paid $1.50/acre for each of the first five years of holding a lease, then $2/acre for the next five years.
Expressions of Interest: The Inflation Reduction Act established a new $5/acre fee for expressions of interest. The rule implements how the fee will be collected.
Today’s final rule follows a proposed rule issued by the BLM last year. Based on more than 130,000 public comments received from a wide range of stakeholders, the BLM has finalized these key provisions with some technical changes, including adding inflation adjustment mechanisms.
CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS:
Clallam County work session for 4/15/24
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04152024-1160
Clallam County Commission meeting for 4/16/24
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04162024-1161
Housing Authority Committee meeting for 4/17/24
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04172024-1157
City of Port Angeles Council meeting for 4/16/24
https://www.cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/14688/04022024-CC-Agenda-Packet
City of Sequim Council meeting ( Special meeting)
For 4/15/24
https://sequimwa.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=163
OMC BOARD MEETING for 4/17/24
JEFFERSON COUNTY MEETING
Jefferson County Commission meeting for 4/15/24
https://test.co.jefferson.wa.us/WeblinkExternal/0/edoc/5299817/041524A.pdf
PORT TOWNSEND AGENDA
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 540 WATER STREET 4/15/24
https://cityofpt.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=4&event_id=3846
Weekly devotional
BIBLE VERSE: Romans 3:23-24 (New International Version)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Weekly Bible Lesson:
How You Can Begin the Church in Your Village
Perhaps you live in a city or village where the church of Christ does not yet exist. There may be man-made churches in the area, but the church of the bible has not yet been established. What should you do? Should you become a member of a man-made church? Should you move to another where the church of Christ is found? These are important questions.---TFTW
https://truthfortheworld.org/how-you-can-begin-the-church-in-your-village
Free bible studies (WBS)
https://www.worldbibleschool.org/
Learn English using the bible as text (WEI)
http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/
(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)
1233 E Front St, Port Angeles, WA 98362
The Chosen: About the life of Christ
https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen
THIS WEEK'S VIDEOS:
How a $20 Minimum Wage Will Make Inflation MUCH WORSE
California’s new $20 minimum wage law for fast food restaurants is wrecking small towns. Glenn reviews the plight of the town of Lemoore, California, where business are laying people off, raising prices, or even closing due to the strain these government edicts have put on them. But how long until these progressive policies spread to other states?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPlf56SLr0Q
Sunday Worship 4/7/2024--FOUR LAKES C.of C
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grqaJhWu5VU
NIGHT OWL COMICS
https://pjrnightowlcomics.blogspot.com/
The Port Angeles Globe is a weekly Publication, every Saturday-- Publisher, Peter Ripley
