NOTABLE
BREAKING, from U.S. Atty Press Release: Jury Finds Local Businessman Keith Forney guilty of fraud related to his obtaining small business preferences for his company, Forney Enterprises, Inc., in bidding for D.C. government contracts. Background:
Breaking: Nunes Sends Criminal Referral Notification to Barr–“Potential Violations” in Russia Probe
Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) has sent a criminal referral notification to Attorney General William Barr claiming “potential violations” in the FBI’s handling of the Trump-Russia probe, according to Fox News.
“As part of that investigation, Committee Republicans identified several potential violations of law,” Nunes wrote in a brief letter to Barr today.
Nunes and Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) are prepared to brief the attorney general on their “eight criminal referrals.”
According to Fox, “The letter did not provide further details on what the referrals will allege but the congressman previously told Fox News the referrals include two for conspiracy, as well as for ‘global leaks’ and for lying, misleading or obstructing congressional investigators.”
Yesterday, Attorney General Barr testified before a Senate committee that he believed “spying” on the Trump campaign did occur.
“I think spying did occur,” he said. “The question is whether it was adequately predicated. … I think it’s my obligation. Congress is usually very concerned with intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies staying in their proper lane.”
Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC) recently suggested more criminal referrals are in the works.
Responding to a tweet on Monday about Nunes’ referrals, Meadows wrote, “More criminal referrals to come. And certainly more deserved. Overwhelming evidence shows multiple FBI + DOJ executives abused their power to undermine a duly elected President Trump. They will be held accountable.”
https://bongino.com/breaking-nunes-sends-criminal-referral-notification-to-barr-potential-violations-in-russia-probe/
U.S. EPA revives provision that may name refiners applying for biofuel waivers
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday took the first step to revive part of a rule that could, if finalized, reveal the names of oil refineries which applied for exemptions from the nation’s biofuel laws.
The move is seen as a win for the corn industry, which has criticized the waiver program due to its lack of transparency. The EPA only in 2017 first began releasing the number of waiver petitions it has received and granted but the names have been kept confidential so far.
Under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, refiners are required to blend biofuels into the nation’s gasoline pool, but small operations can apply for exemptions. The Trump administration made extensive use of such waivers in the last two years, saving refiners money but angering the corn lobby, particularly after major companies like Exxon Mobil Corp received exemptions for certain facilities.
The issue is a battlefield between the rival oil and corn industries. The ethanol industry claims the exemptions have been overused, threatening demand for corn-based ethanol at a time when farmers are already struggling.
The oil companies have long complained that speculation in the biofuels credit market has inflated prices and complying with cost them hundreds of millions of dollars – one of a long list of complaints by the industry about U.S. biofuel policy.
On Friday, the EPA signed a Federal Register notice saying it is reopening the comment period for a provision in a rule related to the small refinery exemption program that was first introduced in 2016.
That provision from 2016 proposed to establish a determination that basic information related to EPA actions on petitions for RFS small refinery and small refiner exemptions may not be claimed as confidential business information, according to a document on the provision on EPA’s website.
“With respect to each decision on a small refinery/refiner exemption request, we would release to the public the petitioner’s name, the name and location of the facility for which relief was requested, the general nature of the relief requested, the time period for which relief was requested, and the extent to which EPA granted or denied the requested relief,” the document said.
While ethanol groups mostly hailed the move, oil industry representatives were largely critical. Fuelling American Jobs Coalition said the proposal, if finalized, would do more harm than good.
“The data underlying Small Refinery Exemption requests reflects the underlying financial health of facilities in the highly competitive refining sector. Such information can affect access to capital for marginal refineries and can make them attractive targets of acquisition, literally moving markets,” it said in a statement.
To obtain a waiver, refineries with a capacity of less than 75,000 barrels per day (bpd) have to prove that compliance with RFS would cause them significant financial strain. They submit information about the company’s financial health while doing that, although the EPA’s provision does not include revealing that.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, hinted there could be fewer exemptions under his leadership due to the lower price of biofuel credits that have reduced economic hardship, which is one of the conditions for the exemption.
https://stockawiki.com/u-s-epa-revives-provision-that-may-name-refiners-applying-for-biofuel-waivers/
Just now CuckNN:
re: Mueller is a white hat.
Made me recall this old video from PM (yes, I used to read his threads) https://youtu.be/LOPayQiU-2U FAKE & FALSE Narrative.
Think BLOCKADE Without a BLOCKADE (shield), they are left vulnerable (exposed).
Q.3190 Re_read Mueller re: 'designed to' drops.
Disinformation push re: Mueller is a white hat.
[MUELLER] designed to demonstrate to foreign players that OLD GUARD still pulls strings.
so did Q use Praying Medic as bait to reveal all of this? 🤔
Disinformation is necessary. Q.158
BAKER NOTABLE
Congratulations to #NSA’s National Cryptologic School Commandant Diane Janosek who received the Cyber Warrior Woman of the Year Award from the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland.
https://twitter.com/NSAGov/status/1116774531195183104
BREAKING: Trump attorney Jay Sekulow CONFIRMS SpyGate coup told “NO” THREE times at the FISA Court.
I believe this is the FIRST TIME we’ve had WH-level confirmation of this. It’s QUICK but it’s THERE.