EPA hits oil and gas industry with new methane emissions regs

The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled plans Tuesday to slash methane emissions from oil and gas production almost in half, the latest in a series of administration regulations aimed at curbing global warming. 

The proposal, though, looked set to face stiff opposition from energy groups and Republicans lawmakers, who accused the administration of pandering to “the fantasies of the environmental Left.”
The target to cut methane by 40 to 45 percent by 2025 (compared against 2012 levels) was accompanied by proposed regulations cutting emissions from new natural gas wells, along with standards for drilling to reduce leakage on public lands.
The regulations would require energy producers to find and repair leaks at oil and gas wells and capture gas that escapes from wells that use fracking. The administration said the rules would apply only to emissions from new or modified natural gas wells, meaning thousands of existing wells would not have to comply.
"Today, through our cost-effective proposed standards, we are underscoring our commitment to reducing the pollution fueling climate change and protecting public health while supporting responsible energy development, transparency and accountability," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement.
EPA officials estimated the regulations would cost industry between $320 million and $420 million in 2025, with reduced health care costs and other benefits totaling about $460 million to $550 million.
In a conference call Tuesday, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator Janet McCabe said the new regulations would result in methane reductions of 20-30 percent by 2025. However, McCabe repeatedly refused to be specific about where the remaining reductions would come from, despite being pressed on the matter multiple times by reporters.
“What I am saying is that as we move forward, additional opportunities will be identified in order to get to the goal,” McCabe said. “It doesn’t mean we have every last one of them identified at this moment.”
Republican lawmakers and energy groups were swift in their condemnation of the new proposals, with many arguing methane emissions have been falling in recent years.
“The EPA’s plan to limit emissions flies in the face of technological reality. The truth is that while the oil and natural gas industry has greatly increased production on state and private lands, methane emissions have actually fallen,” House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said in a statement. “The Obama Administration continues to prioritize the fantasies of the environmental Left over American energy security and economic growth.”
“The oil and gas industry is leading the charge in reducing methane,” American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard said. “The last thing we need is more duplicative and costly regulation that could increase the cost of energy for Americans.”
Others expressed doubt about handing the EPA more power in the light of the recent toxic Colorado river spill, caused by EPA workers.
“If recent events are any indicator, giving more power to EPA doesn't necessarily yield positive results. Just ask the citizens who live near and depend on the Animas River,” Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, said in a statement.
The Obama administration is expected to finalize the rules next year after a public consultation period.
The latest regulations come just weeks after the Obama administration announced more regulations on carbon emissions from power plants, calling for a 32 percent emissions cut by 2030, as compared with 2005 levels. Republicans vowed to fight the changes and a number of states and power companies immediately filed legal challenges.
The administration has also proposed regulations targeting carbon pollution from planes, and has set new standards to reduce pollution from trucks and vans.
Environmentalists praised the new rules, but noted that the ambitious goals announced under the proposals would be difficult to meet without targeting existing wells.
David Doniger, climate policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council called the new regulations "a good start,” adding that the EPA “needs to follow up by setting methane leakage standards for existing oil and gas operations nationwide."

Obama administration objects as Russia moves ahead with Iran missile sale

Thank you Obama.

Despite a ban on arms shipments to Iran under international sanctions, Russia appears willing to proceed with the sale of advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles to the country -- in a development triggering objections from the Obama administration.  

“We have long expressed our concerns over reports of the possible sale of this missile system to the Iranians,” Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told Fox News.
Russia, along with the U.S. and others, was a party to the recently struck Iran nuclear agreement, which keeps the arms embargo in place for five more years. A State Department official told Fox News this specific S-300 missile system is not technically prohibited under United Nations sanctions or the nuclear deal. But the department does not want the sale to proceed.
“We certainly object to it,” department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Reuters first reported that Iran plans to sign the contract for four of the S-300 Russian missiles as soon as next week.
"The text of the contract is ready and our friends will go to Russia next week to sign the contract," Iran Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan reportedly said.
When asked to characterize the capability of Russia’s S-300 air defense system, a U.S. defense official with knowledge of Russia’s weapons systems told Fox News, “This is a very capable weapons system that can bring down U.S. or Israeli jet aircraft.”
The Obama administration has made its objections known before. When Russia first announced its plans to proceed with the sale in April, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, “The United States has previously made known our objections to that sale, and I understand that Secretary Kerry had an opportunity to raise these concerns once again in a recent conversation with his Russian counterpart.”
The announcement comes at a time when Russia and Iran appear to have grown their diplomatic and military ties in the weeks following the comprehensive nuclear accord struck July 14 in Vienna.
Fox News first reported a clandestine visit by Iran’s shadowy Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani on July 24, just 10 days following the nuclear agreement. Senior military officers and U.S. lawmakers hold Soleimani and his proxy forces responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq.
The Quds Force is the special operations wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for supporting terrorist groups and proxy forces in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Like Russia, it supports the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. According to local reports, Russia also delivered six MiG 31 fighter jets to Syria on Sunday.
Soleimani’s visit to Russia involved meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his defense minister and appears to have kicked off a series of other bilateral engagements between Iran and Russia.
Last week, Russia and Iran held joint naval exercises in the Caspian Sea, which separates the two countries.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosted his Iranian counterpart Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who was Iran’s point man in the nuclear negotiations.
“We are confident that the Vienna agreement will have an enormous impact on developing ties between our two countries,” Zarif said at a Moscow presser Monday, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
A last-minute provision added to the comprehensive nuclear agreement in Vienna prohibits the sale of arms for five more years with Iran.
Page 7 of the White House fact sheet explaining the comprehensive July 14 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers reads:
“While some of our P5 partners wanted these restrictions lifted immediately, we pushed back and were successful in keeping them for 5 and 8 more years or until the IAEA reaches its broader conclusion.”
Russia is among the “P5” partners.

Trump puts Americans first, not illegals

What I'm about to tell you is politically incorrect, but it needs to be said.

There's a reason why Donald Trump is smoking his Republican competition: He wants to put Americans first -- not the illegals.

Trump understands a fundamental truth: The United States of America has been invaded by millions of illegals from Mexico and parts due south.

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The illegals are pillaging and plundering our economy. Some are raping and murdering our fellow countrymen. They have been given accommodation at the expense of the American taxpayer.

And yet our elected leaders in Congress and the White House have chosen to stand down as the sovereignty of our great nation has been violated.

So while the politicians and pundits have scampered away from the issue – Trump stepped up to the plate and offered a concise plan that would secure our border and restore our sovereignty.

The plan, which you can read here, calls for defunding sanctuary cities, building a border wall, ending the catch and release program, and the mandatory deportation of all criminal aliens.

Trump’s plan was heralded by none other than Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., the lone voice crying out in the political wilderness on this issue of national importance.

“This is exactly the plan America needs,” Sessions said. “Polling shows this plan will appeal broadly to all segments of the electorate; prioritizing the just demands of loyal, everyday Americans who have been shunned by a governing elite.”

Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina raised doubts about Mr. Trump's political affiliation.

"It's not clear to me that Donald Trump is a Republican, first of all, based upon his willingness to run a third-party bid, and some of the positions that he's taken," Fiorina told ABC's This Week.

With all due respect to Ms. Fiorina, the fact that Trump may not be beholden to a political party very well may be the point.

Voters are disgusted with the political incompetence of both Republicans and Democrats.

And should Donald Trump pull off a historic upset and win the White House, I suspect illegals won't be the only folks running back across the border.

Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is "God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values." Follow Todd on Twitter@ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.

Trump Cartoon

Iowa fairgrounds become deep-fried 2016 battlefield

Six months out from the 2016 horserace getting serious in the frozen tundra of Iowa, the Republican presidential race is as hot as corn-on-the-cob and deep-fried Twinkies -- with virtually the entire field passing and clashing through the Iowa State Fair. 

After a weekend dominated at the fairgrounds by the two parties' respective front-runners, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, other key candidates -- with much on the line -- were rolling through Monday.
One, Scott Walker, is fighting to stay in the top tier after watching his numbers slip following the recent primary debate. Another, Carly Fiorina, wants to keep the momentum going after getting a boost from her standout performance on the same stage.
Standing on the Iowa stump in short sleeves, jeans and an unbuttoned periwinkle shirt, Walker on Monday sought to remind the first-in-the-nation caucus audience why he stands out in the crowded field.
"There's only one candidate that's ran who has fought and won and gotten results ... and did it without compromising on common-sense conservative principles," Walker said, referring to his successful election, recall election and re-election. "If you want someone who can win ... I'm the candidate."
His remarks were punctuated with applause and boos from the rowdy crowd. Some wore 'cheesehead' hats in solidarity with the Wisconsin governor; others shouted things like "you failed your state."

More on this...

• Gov. Scott Walker rates his presidential campaign

Walker said he was "unintimidated" by those opposing him.
Walker has seen his numbers dip, in both Iowa and nationally. In the most recent national Fox News Poll, released Sunday, Walker slipped to 6 percent, down 3 points and the lowest support he's received for more than a year. In the same post-debate poll, Trump held almost steady at the front of the field.
But Fiorina, who by most accounts won the "undercard" debate earlier this month on the Fox News/Facebook stage in Cleveland, more than doubled her support, clocking in at 5 percent.
Instead of delivering a speech on the Des Moines stage on Monday, the former HP exec just took questions from the audience. Asked about the minimum wage, she said it should be a "state decision and not a federal decision." Asked about oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, she said America must be the "global energy powerhouse of the 21st Century." On the Department of Veterans Affairs, she called their treatment of veterans a "stain on our nation's honor."
With 17 candidates in the Republican field, the Iowa State Fair is playing an even bigger role than in past elections in vetting the contenders -- in an offbeat forum where candidates are judged as much on their willingness to eat foodstuffs on a stick as they are on policy proposals.
Over the weekend, Trump made a grand entrance, landing his helicopter in athletic fields about a mile away and offering rides to children before he came onto the grounds. Almost immediately Trump was crushed by massive crowds seeking photos, handshakes and yelling encouragement. The pandemonium followed him around for roughly an hour -- and during a stop for a pork chop on a stick.
"This is beyond what I expected. This is amazing," Trump said. "It's been a day of love."
Both Trump and Clinton avoided getting up on The Des Moines Register's "soapbox," a place where candidates like Walker deliver remarks and take questions from fairgoers. A candidate can be cheered or jeered, depending on the mood of the crowd and whether supporters or opponents are on hand. In 2011 Republican candidate Mitt Romney declared from the soapbox that "corporations are people, my friend," a line that dogged the former private equity executive.
The state fair typically draws around 90,000 people daily during its 11-day run every summer, giving presidential candidates the perfect opportunity to meet potential supporters for Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is set to speak later Monday on the "soapbox." Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are scheduled for Tuesday.

Ex-officials prosecuted for mishandling gov’t info see ‘double standard’ in Clinton case

Ex-officials who were prosecuted and had their lives upended for allegedly mishandling sensitive records are accusing the Obama administration of a "double-standard" in its approach to the Hillary Clinton email scandal. 

This administration has charged more people under the Espionage Act, a World War I-era law once used to go after major breaches, than any other in history. While the FBI is looking into Clinton's server amid revelations of state secrets potentially passing through it, some critics -- including those charged under that act -- doubt the Democratic presidential candidate will get the same treatment.
"It's a double standard," said John Kiriakou, a former CIA counter-terrorism operative who spent two years in federal prison and three additional months under house arrest this year for leaking the name of a covert CIA official involved in "enhanced interrogation techniques."
Clinton is not accused of leaking. But the common thread in these cases is the handling of classified material. And the slow-moving arc of the email scandal -- marked by a trickle of revelations along with a web of evolving explanations -- stands in stark contrast to past cases where leakers and whistleblowers were punished aggressively.
Kiriakou, one of those defendants, sees different treatment for the Democratic powerhouse who led the State Department.
"The FBI is going to investigate [Hillary Clinton], but it is not up to them," he told FoxNews.com.
"If they [the FBI] want to charge Hillary Clinton with a crime, they can certainly find a crime with which to charge her," he added. "But there is no way the Obama administration is going to prosecute her. No way."
Thomas Drake, a former NSA official who after 9/11 went to Congress to sound the alarms about what he called unconstitutional surveillance, also says there is a double standard when it comes to applying classification law.
"I got hammered good," Drake told FoxNews.com.
Though the government's Espionage Act case against him fell apart in 2011, Drake practically lost everything and faced a mountain of legal bills. He pleaded to a single misdemeanor for "exceeding authorized use of a government computer," a violation he compares to "spitting on the NSA sidewalk."
"I think [Clinton] is vulnerable, but whether she enjoys what I call 'elite immunity,' we don't know," he said. "For much lesser violations people have lost their jobs. But when you get to the higher ranks, it's like another set of rules."
Since Obama took office in 2009, seven people have been charged under the Espionage Act -- all for leaking classified or sensitive information. Five -- Kiriakou, Shamai Leibowitz, Chelsea (previously Bradley) Manning, Jeffrey Sterling, and former State Department official Stephen Kim -- got jail time.
Kim pleaded guilty in 2014 to disclosing a classified report on North Korea to Fox News reporter James Rosen. His lawyer said the information at issue "was less sensitive or surprising than much of what we read in the newspaper every day." He did 13 months in prison. Sterling was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in May for revealing classified information about the CIA's effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear program to journalist James Risen. Edward Snowden, who leaked hundreds of thousands of documents on government surveillance, has been charged in absentia but has asylum in Russia.
Whether Clinton will get "hammered" is another question. According to reports, the FBI took possession of Clinton's private server last week. The IG for the intelligence community told members of Congress that at least two emails that traversed the device while she was secretary of state contained information that warranted a "top secret" label.
Clinton and her staff have been adamant that no email marked classified at the time was ever circulated through her email address or server. "She viewed classified materials in hard copy in her office or via other secure means while traveling, not on email," campaign Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri said in an email to supporters.
In his case, Kiriakou was charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, two counts of espionage, and making false statements to the CIA Publications Review Board when writing his book, "The Reluctant Spy." All but the first charge were dropped. He pleaded guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence. But his wife, a top CIA officer, was pushed out of her job. With three children at home, the family went on welfare while Kiriakou was in prison, and fundraisers helped pay the mortgage on their Arlington, Va., home.
To this day, his lawyer, Jesselyn Radack, insists the name of the agent was already well known among the media and human rights community and was never published. Radack told FoxNews.com the Clinton case is "certainly indicative of the hypocritical double standard in Espionage Act prosecutions brought against low-level employee versus politically-connected people." She also lamented "over-classification" and called the Espionage Act an "ill-fitting tool" in these cases.
According to The Washington Post, the Clinton investigation is now being overseen by at least one prosecutor in the case of former Gen. David Petraeus. Petraeus was charged with keeping classified information at home in the form of secret "black books." He was given a two-year probation and a $100,000 fine, and today, reportedly is consulting with the White House on ISIS and Iraq and is the chairman of the KKR Global Institute.
Drake, on the other hand, now works at an Apple Store.
"They aren't going to treat [Clinton] the same way I was treated for sure," he said.

Trump benched for a day, reports for jury duty in Manhattan

NEW YORK CITY –  There are very few who can order Donald Trump to stay put. But on Monday it took a Manhattan court to do just that, putting the billionaire Republican presidential candidate's campaign on ice for a day so he could do his civic duty.

Trump, like dozens of other everyday New Yorkers, reported for jury duty at the New York Supreme Court building in downtown Manhattan. Of course, the similarities ended there. His mere presence turned the building into a media scrum for much of the day as Trump moved in and out of court, surrounded by a police escort.
And it was a court date to remember for Trump's fellow jury prospects.
“I thought, ‘wow is that really him?’" one prospective female juror told FoxNews.com during the lunch break. "But he’s a nice-looking guy.”
Trump seemed mostly unfazed by the circus. While he was caught dozing off at the beginning of the day, the candidate seemed to be enjoying himself later on as he kissed babies, signed autographs and took selfies with fans after returning from the lunch break -- during which he tweeted that he had been listening to conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
In the end, Trump was not chosen for a jury and was released. He cannot be called back for six years.
The Republican frontrunner told FoxNews.com he enjoyed the experience, though.
“I’ve found it very professionally done, I’ve met some fantastic people and it’s been a really good experience,” Trump said after taking a selfie with an admirer.
“It’s been interesting, but I really have met some very talented people … like him,” Trump said with a smile, pointing toward one of the court police officers accompanying him who laughed and nodded his head.
In the jury room, Trump sat and talked freely to media surrounding him about everything from Jeb Bush’s fluctuating poll numbers to New England quarterback Tom Brady (“a nice guy”).
Jury assembly supervisor Irene Laracuenta told the possible jurors that their commitment would be either one day or one civil trial, depending on whether they were selected.
"No one — no one — gets special treatment," Laracuenta said in an apparent reference to Trump.
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Other prospective jurors found the experience brightened up an otherwise dull day.
“Living in New York you always expect to see a celebrity, but I was pretty surprised when he walked in,” Kate Swed, a prospective juror from Harlem, told FoxNews.com.
“It’s something to text – ‘Donald Trump is in the room with us,’” Swed said, adding that she wasn’t a fan of him politically, but was a big fan of "The Apprentice."
One Trump supporter even made the journey through bustling Manhattan in 90-degree heat to try and get a glimpse of the candidate.
“I think he’s doing things a lot different from a number of other politicians,” said Daniel Fry, chairman of a local Young Republican Club in Kansas City. “I would say what he’s doing hasn’t been done before and it’s kinda needed in this whole politically correct society – which I think is one of the things that is really dampening and ruining our country from the inside.”
Fry managed to get more than a glimpse, landing a selfie and a quick chat with the obliging Trump, and could barely hide his delight afterwards.
“It was great, it was really really good,” Fry said, his hands shaking as he admired his souvenir from the day.
After being released from jury duty, Trump joked that he was going to go home and sleep.
Asked if he believes in luck after being dismissed, Trump said, "oh I do," before heading out again into the media throng.

White House reportedly pushing for deal allowing flights to Cuba by year's end

The Obama administration reportedly is working to reach a deal with Cuba that would allow regularly scheduled commercial flights between the two countries by the end of this year.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a possible agreement would allow airlines to establish service between the U.S. and Cuba as soon as this December. Administration officials tell the Journal that one aim of completing an agreement would be to make Obama's thaw toward Cuba so much an extent of U.S. policy that it would be impossible for his successor to reverse.
If agreed to, the deal would constitute the most prominent exception to the five-decade-old congressional ban on Americans traveling to Cuba. Only Congress can fully repeal the travel and trade embargoes levied against Cuba in the 1960s after Fidel Castro took power. However, the president can make exceptions to them. Late last year, for example, President Obama allowed Americans to use credit and debit cards in Cuba, which would have previously violated a rule against unlicensed monetary transactions in Cuba.
Currently, American citizens are only allowed to visit Cuba for specific purposes, such as business trips, family visits, or so-called "people-to-people" cultural exchanges, the last of which requires traveling as part of a tour group. Americans who are authorized to visit the island take charter flights. The Journal reports that Washington and Havana are working toward an arrangement that would allow authorized travelers to book through airline or travel websites.
Obama's move to normalize relations with the communist country has been heavily criticized by the contenders for the Republican nomination, most notably Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose parents are from Cuba.
"In the eyes of Barack Obama ... the Cuban people are suffering because not enough American tourists visit the country, when the truth is the Cuban people are suffering because they live in a tyrannical dictatorship," Rubio told an audience in New York last week as the U.S. reopened its embassy in Cuba 54 years after diplomatic relations were severed.