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US Energy Department cancels funding of $7.6 billion for projects
The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Wednesday that it would cancel $7.56 Billion in financing for hundreds of projects, which it claimed wouldn't provide enough returns to the taxpayer. The announcement by the department came after White House Budget Director Russell Vought announced in a post to X that administration would cut nearly $8 billion of climate-related funding over 16 months. Democratic-led States California and New York are included. The freeze was part of an overall $26 billion funding cut that President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday. Follow through on a Threat Use the shutdown of the federal government to advance Democratic goals In a late-Wednesday statement, the DOE announced that it would cancel financial awards for 223 projects. The DOE did not name the projects but stated that the grants were issued by six agencies responsible for clean energy and efficiency, grid deployments, advanced research, manufacturing, and fossil fuels. In a press release, Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that "President Trump pledged to protect taxpayers' dollars and increase America's supply affordable, reliable and secure energy". The cancellations of today are a result of that commitment. The Energy Department will continue to review awards in order to make sure that every dollar is working for the American people. Bloomberg had reported earlier that funding was being planned for hydrogen hubs proposed in California and Pacific Northwest. California Governor Gavin Newsom (a Democrat) criticized the Administration for canceling their $1.2 billion commitment towards funding his state's hydrogen center. Newsom stated in a press release that "we'll continue to follow an all-of the-above strategy for clean energy, which powers our future and cleanses the air no matter what DC attempts to dictate." (Reporting and editing by Chris Reese, Thomas Derpinghaus and Nichola Gardner.
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Mexico's auto industry warns about complex future ahead of USMCA review
Mexico's automotive industry has warned of "complexity" in the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Executives cited concerns about tighter rules for origin and the scrutiny of Asian components. Heavy-vehicle makers expressed their concerns at the CIAN Automotive Conference about adapting to current rules while meeting USMCA requirements. To qualify for tariff-free entry, the agreement requires that a percentage of vehicle components originate in North America. Rogelio Garca, president of the National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Truck Manufacturers, (ANPACT), said that the current rule is not feasible, given the fact that components are often imported multiple times prior to final assembly. After Donald Trump announced last week that he would be imposing 25% tariffs on imports of heavy trucks, the industry is concerned. In 2026, the USMCA will be reviewed. It replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2020. Rogelio Garcia, the head of the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry, called for greater coordination between industry groups in North America. He stated, "it's the Same Industry." Analysts say that Mexico will also raise import tariffs to 50% on cars from China and other Asian nations, as part of a larger overhaul of import duties aimed at protecting American jobs and addressing U.S. concern. Francisco Gonzalez, the head of the national association of auto parts INA, highlighted that smaller local suppliers - Tier-2 and Tier-3 firms - should be developed faster to boost supply chains and capabilities in software and electronic. Leaders in the industry expressed cautious optimism despite the challenges. Garza stated that "the outlook is complex but we are prepared." (Reporting and editing by Jamie Freed; Natalia Siniawski)
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Air Canada offers free alcohol to economy passengers who balk at airline charges
Air Canada will offer free wine and beer at the rear of the plane, a senior executive announced on Wednesday. North American airlines are facing passenger resistance over charges for extra luggage or legroom. Scott O'Leary said that Air Canada, based in Montreal, is the only North American legacy airline to offer free alcohol on economy class flights. He said that "food and beverage tends to have more of an impact on our customers' satisfaction than any other attribute." After an outpouring on social media of anger from passengers, legislators in Canada and the United States criticised airlines, including Air Canada last year for charging additional fees on baggage and seat assignments in some economy classes. O'Leary stated that it is cheaper to waive the charges for beer and wines than reduce baggage fees, which offset handling costs. He said that the fees for baggage are not easily waived. "That would have to impact ticket prices," he added. O'Leary believes that the free drinks will help with the so-called "sixth freedom" flights, which take U.S. travelers to Europe and Asia via the airline's native country. He said that "our ability to offer a level of differentiation that sets ourselves apart from literally every airline that we compete with on these routes was very important for us." Canada's biggest carrier, which cites labor disruptions as the reason for its revised 2025 outlook, said it expected a C$375-million hit to its operating revenue in September. (Reporting and editing by Richard Chang in Montreal, Allison Lampert)
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Zelenskiy accused Russia of deliberately launching an attack that cut Chornobyl's power
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia on Wednesday of deliberately staging an attack to cut power to the decommissioned Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station. Zelenskiy said that Moscow is also doing nothing to fix a cut-off of external electricity to the Russian Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been in place for eight days, and that it was taking advantage the "weakness" of the International Atomic Energy Agency and its Director General Rafael Grossi. Ukraine's Energy Ministry said earlier that Russian strikes had cut power at the Chornobyl Station, including the containment unit built to minimise contamination after the 1986 world's largest nuclear accident. Officials from the Energy Ministry said that strikes had also cut power to 307,000 clients in the Chernihiv area. Zelenskiy stated that more than 20 Russian drones were deployed in the attack against the town of Slavutych, which cut the power to the nearby Chornobyl Plant for three hours. He wrote in the Telegram app that "the Russians couldn't have been unaware" that a strike against Slavutych facilities would have such serious consequences for Chornobyl. He added that there were still large amounts of spent fuel at those sites. According to preliminary assessments they used over 20 drones. These were Russian-Iranian shaheds." IAEA (the U.N. nuclear watchdog) issued a press release acknowledging the plant experienced "fluctuations", but also stating that alternate lines were initially used and that power was restored later. Russia has yet to comment on the incident. The statement of Ukraine's Energy Ministry did not mention any increased radioactive risk as a result the power being cut off to the now defunct Chornobyl Plant due to Russian attacks on Slavutych. The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources said that the power surges caused the safe confinement facility to lose power. This facility isolates the fourth power unit destroyed at the Chornobyl power station, preventing the release of radioactive material into the environment. Soviet engineers quickly built a "sarcophagus", or protective enclosure, around the fourth reactor of the Chornobyl power station after it exploded and released radioactivity across Europe in April 1986. In 2016, this was replaced with a new containment structure, while the other three reactors of the plant were slowly taken out. The plant was briefly taken over by Russian forces as part of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In February, a Russian drone penetrated the roof of the confinement structure. FIXING OF THE EXTERNAL POWER LINE IN ZAPORIZHZHIA Zelenskiy blamed the Russian military again for cutting off the external power line at the Zaporizhzhia Plant in southeast Ukraine last week. He said that the Russians were doing nothing to correct the situation, or to allow Ukrainian experts to restore external power to the plant. He said that Russia was "deliberately creating a risk of radiation incident, exploiting unfortunately the weak position IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi as well as dispersing world attention." Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesperson, told reporters that Russia is doing all it can to ensure Zaporizhzhia's plant safety. He claimed that Ukrainian forces had repeatedly fired on the plant. Both sides accuse each other of putting nuclear safety at risk. Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that the situation in the Zaporizhzhia factory was "critical". Grossi, the head of IAEA, said that there was no immediate threat from the power outage as emergency diesel generators are in operation. He added that external lines need to be repaired. Reporting by Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozoukhar and Jamie Freed; Editing Bill Berkrot & Jamie Freed
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US urges urgent action on Pennsylvania railcar fire risks
The National Transportation Safety Board urged Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority on Wednesday to take immediate action to eliminate the fire risk in its fleet Silverliner IV Railcars. The safety board stated that the design and maintenance practices of the agency and their railcars are outdated and pose "an immediate and unacceptable risk due to the severity and frequency of electrical fires which can spread into occupied compartments." The NTSB investigated five fires that occurred in SEPTA vehicles since February. SEPTA is the sixth largest public transit system in America. It provides service in five counties of the Greater Philadelphia Area and connects with transit systems in Delaware, New Jersey, and Delaware. The NTSB asked SEPTA for a suspension of operation of its Silverliner IV fleet until the transit agency determined the root causes of the fires. It also called on SEPTA "to develop and implement a plan addressing these causes, and identify and correct the organizational factors which have prevented effective risk reduction." SEPTA General Director Scott Sauer stated at a recent press conference that the railcars were safe and SEPTA had instituted more frequent inspections. SEPTA's regional rail fleet consists of 225 Silverliner IV railcars, which are about 50 years old. They represent around two-thirds but due to financial reasons they must continue using them. We have continued to run these trains well beyond the time when they should have retired. We are confident these trains are safe," Sauer added, noting that SEPTA uses the Silverliner IV much less often than the rest. He said that halting the use of these cars would mean a 2/3 cut in service, and cost $2 billion. However, SEPTA was in dire financial straits. Sauer stated that the cars were some of the oldest vehicles in the country. The agency has also developed a set of forty mitigation measures including notifications to staff, safety checks, and audible alerts for malfunction lights. Sauer stated, "We're confident we can continue to safely service the Silverliner IV Fleet." The NTSB reported fires that involved the Silverliner IV at Levittown in New Jersey and Paoli in Pennsylvania as well as incidents on September 23 in Fort Washington in Pennsylvania and September 25 in Philadelphia. The NTSB stated that the repeated fires - despite SEPTA’s attempts to fix them - show "organizational failures that prevent effective risk mitigation." (Reporting and editing by David Shepardson)
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Fired rail board member sues Trump over removal amid major merger decision
A Surface Transportation Board member who was fired by President Donald Trump last August has filed a lawsuit on Wednesday. He is challenging his dismissal as the Surface Transportation Board prepares to consider a major decision regarding combining railways. Robert Primus referred to his firing as an "illegal removal". He said that Trump had "failed to provide a single reason for the termination, much less one that satisfied the statutory requirements of inefficiency, negligence of duty or malfeasance at office." Primus asked a U.S. District Judge in Washington, D.C., to reinstate him. The U.S. Rail regulator is considering a proposed $85 billion merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, the largest U.S. railroad tie-up for decades. After meeting with Jim Vena, CEO of Union Pacific, in the Oval Office, Trump, who is a Republican, stated that the merger of the rail industry "sounds great to me". A major rail union SMART-TD said that Primus, before being fired, had "made it clear his opposition to the'merger,' which would have been a corporate takeover combining Union Pacific Railroad with Norfolk Southern Railroad." Primus was first nominated to fill a board vacancy by Trump in 2020. He was then nominated for a five-year term by Democratic President Joe Biden, and Biden designated him as chairman in 2024. This is just the latest in a long line of dismissals from independent agencies by the Trump administration. "President Trump removed Robert Primus legally from the Surface Transportation Board. "We look forward to the court affirming this simple fact," White House spokesperson Kush Desai stated. Trump has dismissed the two Democrats at the Federal Trade Commission as well as the vice-chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and members of National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board. He also tried to remove Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve Governor and the U.S. Postmaster General. The announcement in July of a merger between two major U.S. railroad operators shocked a market that was already very concentrated. Under the Biden administration's aggressive antitrust policies, such a proposal was unthinkable. Union Pacific is the dominant freight rail carrier in Western United States. Norfolk Southern, on the other hand, is the leading carrier in Eastern United States. Together, the two railroads form one of four major U.S. class I railroads along with BNSF Railway, CSX Corp and BNSF Railway. The White House announced last month that it would nominate Surface Transportation Board member Michelle Schultz to a second term, and Richard Kloster, the head of a private consulting firm in transportation, for an open seat within the agency. (Reporting and editing by Chris Sanders, Aurora Ellis, and David Shepardson)
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Alberta submits proposal for new oil pipeline
Alberta announced Wednesday that it would submit a fast-track application to the federal government by the spring of 2026 for a new pipeline carrying crude oil, even if a private firm is not involved in the construction. The main oil producing province in Canada said that it would act as the official proponent of the proposal. It will take the lead on early planning, engineering and design work to determine the route, cost and size of a pipe. Alberta's government has said that the proposed pipeline can transport up to 1,000,000 barrels of crude oil per day to British Columbia's Northwest Coast for export. It will spend C$14,000,000 ($10.04 million), to create a credible proposal that can be considered by the federal government. The company will also work with Canadian pipelines companies Enbridge, South Bow, and government-owned Trans Mountain Alberta has announced that. They have also agreed to provide technical assistance and advice. The companies have not committed to build the pipeline, nor have they invested in such a venture. Deputy Alberta Energy Minister Larry Kaumeyer said Wednesday that the government does not intend to own or construct a pipeline. Requests for comments were not immediately responded to by the companies. The goal of the Alberta government, according to Kaumeyer, is to get the project to the starting line. He added that despite the growing Canadian oil production no private company would be willing to risk a pipeline proposal. The Canadian oil pipeline industry has faced regulatory delays and legal challenges for years. This has led to the cancellation of some projects, and increased costs for others. Trans Mountain expansion The first one was opened in 2008. Canada, which exports 90% of oil to the U.S., is trying to diversify its oil exports partly to protect its economy from tariffs. The Canadian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney, aims to speed up construction on natural resource projects. In August, a new organization was created. Federal office Designed to expedite the review and approval process for projects like mines and pipelines. Kaumeyer explained that if a pipeline project were approved for fast-tracking then a partner from the private sector would be likely to step up and take the project over from the Alberta government. He said: "We're confident that private capital will come to build this pipe." Pipeline companies say they have been urging significant changes to federal legislation, including the lifting of the federal cap on emissions in the oil and gas industry as well as removing the ban on oil tankers near B.C. Before a private entity will consider a new pipeline, it must first be approved by the government. Kaumeyer stated that the federal government was aware of the Alberta pipeline proposal, and that Alberta and Canada were in "ongoing talks" regarding the issue. Carney's office didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. (1 Canadian dollar = 1.3940 dollars) (Reporting from Amanda Stephenson, Calgary; and Devika Nair, Bengaluru. Editing by Margueritachoy and Cynthia Osterman).
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Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is cut off by Russian bombardment
Ukraine's Energy Ministry announced on Wednesday that Russian air strikes had cut power to decommissioned Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. This included a new containment system erected to minimize contamination from the largest nuclear accident in history. Officials from the energy sector also confirmed that the shelling caused a mass outage of power in Chernihiv, affecting 307,000 customers close to Ukraine's border with Russia. The Chernihiv governor stated that generators have been installed at key sites, such as hospitals. Emergency crews are working to restore the power grid. The Energy Ministry's statement did not mention any increased risk of radioactive releases as a result the cutoff of power to the now defunct Chernobyl plant. It said that emergency crews are working to restore power. A statement from the ministry said that "as a result of Russian shelling energy infrastructure in Kyiv's region, in the city Slavutych," an emergency situation had arisen at Chernobyl nuclear power plant facilities. The new safe confinement unit, which isolates the destroyed fourth power module of the Chernobyl plant and prevents radioactive materials from being released into the environment due to power surges, was left with no power supply. In the statement, it was stated that teams of experts are working to restore power to this facility. Soviet engineers quickly built a "sarcophagus", or protective enclosure, around the Chernobyl Station's fourth nuclear reactor after it exploded and caused radioactivity to spread throughout Europe in April 1986. In 2016, this was replaced with a new containment structure, while the other three reactors of the plant were slowly taken out. The plant was briefly taken over by Russian forces as part of their invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In February, a Russian drone penetrated the roof of the confinement structure. Bill Berkrot edited the report by Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozoukhar and Bill Popeski.
China rail trips record high on the first day of National Holiday
China's National Railway recorded 23,13 million trips during the first day the eight-day National Day Holiday on Wednesday. This is up almost 8% over a year ago and a record for a single day, according to state media CCTV.
CCTV reported that more than 19 million trips would be made Thursday on the rail network. According to CCTV, the Yangtze River Delta Railway was expected to handle 4 million passengers. This is a 10% increase over last year.
After the official end of the holiday on October 8, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will release total travel data.
On October 1, 2024, 21,45 million trips on the national railway network were made. This was a record at the time. In 2019, this number was 17.13 millions.
The National Day holiday has been increased from one week to 8 days this year, coinciding with the tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Trip.com Group forecasted before the holiday season that 2025 would be the busiest period in recent history for travel.
The Chinese authorities hope that the holiday season can boost domestic spending in spite of a sluggish economy. Smaller, less-known cities are becoming popular holiday destinations for China's budget-conscious tourists.
Deng Xin (51 years old) from Beijing said, "I am taking my family to a small village in Chizhou, Anhui." There are mountains and rivers but there is no crowds and the cost is much cheaper than hotels in large cities.
Users on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu share tips for saving money while travelling. One tip is to take evening trains instead of staying in hotels. (Reporting and editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Jacqueline Wong and Jessie Pang.
(source: Reuters)