#Oil and gas royalties Texas

[venergymomentum]

Website : https://venergymomentum.com/

Address : 3300 Bee Caves Rd Suite 650 #110, Austin, TX 78746

Phone : +1 630-463-7663

A private and progressive oil and gas firm serving land, mineral, royalty, and non-op working interest owners within the South Texas Eagle Ford Shale and Austin Chalk, Haynesville Shale, West Texas and New Mexico Permian Basin, Bakken Shale, Utica/Marcellus Shale, Niobrara Shale, Barnett Shale, and Woodford Shale. Venergy Momentum provides expert consulting and education to mineral and royalty owners, current and retrospective appraisals and valuations, help with inherited mineral rights, buying and selling mineral rights, and title and revenue discrepancies. We have over two dozen 5-star Google reviews and client testimonials and an A+ accreditation with the Better Business Bureau. Schedule a complimentary consultation with us today!

[royaltyseo]

Negotiating Success: Essential Tactics for Securing Favourable Oil and Gas Royalty Agreements

If you’re considering selling your oil royalties, it’s crucial to explore the best place to sell them and understand how to sell your oil royalties effectively. Similarly, if you’re looking to diversify your portfolio, you might explore opportunities to buy oil royalties or sell gas royalties online.

[debtcollectionsagencyhouston]

Struggling to Collect Debt in the Oil & Gas Industry? An Oil Services Debt Collections Company in Houston Can Help

The oil and gas industry is a boom-and-bust business, and even during boom times, collecting payments from clients can be a challenge. If you're an oil service company and find yourself chasing unpaid invoices, you're not alone. There are debt collection agencies that specialize in the unique challenges of the oil and gas industry, and a Houston-based company, GKD Debt Collections Agency Houston Texas, can be your solution.

Why Choose a Specialized Oil Services Debt Collections Company?

Standard debt collection agencies may not be familiar with the intricacies of the oil and gas industry. GKD Oil Services Debt Collections Company in Houston Texas understands the industry's cycles and the specific challenges oil service companies face when collecting payments. They have the experience and knowledge to navigate complex situations involving:

Joint ventures and operating agreements: Oil and gas projects often involve multiple companies working together through Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs) and Joint Interest Billings (JIBs). GKD understands the complexities of these agreements and can collect debts arising from them.

Working interest partners and royalty owners: Disputes can arise between working interest partners and royalty owners regarding payments. GKD has the expertise to sort through these issues and recover what's owed to you.

The ups and downs of the oil market: The oil and gas industry is subject to volatile price swings. GKD Oil Services Debt Collections Company in Houston understands how these fluctuations can impact payment cycles and has the experience to collect debts during challenging economic times.

Benefits of Using GKD Debt Collections Agency Houston Texas

GKD offers several advantages over traditional debt collectors:

No upfront fees and contingency-based services

Experience and knowledge of oil and gas collections

Focus on preserving client relationships

Competitive fees and transparent pricing

How GKD Debt Collections Agency Houston Texas Can Help Your Business

If you're an oil service company struggling to collect on outstanding invoices, GKD Debt Collections Agency Houston Texas can help.

Review your specific situation: GKD will work with you to understand the details of your outstanding debts and develop a customized collection strategy.

Communicate effectively with debtors: GKD will communicate with your debtors in a professional and assertive manner, but their goal is to resolve the issue amicably whenever possible.

Take legal action if necessary: If necessary, GKD can take legal action to recover your debt. However, they will always explore all other options first.

GKD Oil Services Debt Collections Company in Houston Texas is a Houston-based company specializing in collecting debt within the oil and gas industry. With their experience, knowledge, and focus on client relationships, they can be a valuable asset for oil service companies struggling to collect outstanding invoices. If you're facing this challenge, contact GKD Debt Collections Agency Houston Texas today and discuss how they can help your business.

[thealphareporter]

Mineral Royalties Group Of Dallas Texas Forges Strong Ties in the Oil and Gas Sector

http://dlvr.it/SwfXz3

[thesunshinereporter]

Mineral Royalties Group Of Dallas Texas Forges Strong Ties in the Oil and Gas Sector

http://dlvr.it/SwfXPc

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events early aug23

One man crime tsunami

DENVER (KDVR) — A man who escaped from a federal prison in Littleton, Colorado, in 2018 has been apprehended in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Authorities say they found him living a “flashy” assumed identity. Allen Todd May, 58, had been on the run since Dec. 21, 2018, when he escaped from the Englewood Federal Correctional Institution. May originally stole a Bureau of Prisons work truck and drove off the prison grounds without anyone noticing. *** a U.S. Marshals Service spokesman told NewsNation affiliate KDVR-TV the trail for May turned cold for years until an anonymous tipster surfaced a few months ago. He was seen in a photo taken at a high society fundraiser that was published in the Palm Beach Daily News in mid-May. The caption listed him as Jacob Turner. May was arrested Monday night at a Fort Lauderdale home less than 2 miles from the ocean. Investigators said the home is valued at nearly $1.5 million. When U.S. Marshals arrested him, they say May was wearing a Rolex watch and driving a Mercedes car that agents believe was worth about $125,000.*** When he escaped, May had nine years left on a 20-year prison sentence for securities fraud. He was convicted of stealing $6.8 million through a Ponzi scheme. But even when he was behind bars, investigators think he managed to steal another $700,000 through fraud. A scheme worth $700K — all from behind bars May was indicted in June 2022 on 17 counts of wire and mail fraud, plus one count of escape. From 2016-2018, when May was still behind bars, he allegedly set up fake energy companies, according to the indictment. Just about every state has an account for unclaimed property. Investigators say May set up sham companies in Texas through the secretary of state’s website and then found unclaimed oil and gas royalties that had never been paid out in Kansas, Louisiana, and North Dakota. May contacted those states and portrayed himself as a representative of those companies, according to the indictment. He claimed that “entities controlled by him were entitled to oil and gas royalties that had not yet been claimed by the true owners.”***

***

 Chad Stall is the proprietor of Arbor Pros Tree Service in the Tampa, Florida area. He drives a white Ford truck with the company logo on it. He crashed into a motorcycle on US Highway 301 on June 9 killing David Adams, 59, and badly injuring his girlfriend Tiffany Fletcher, 38. Police had no leads other than a video that appeared to show the Arbor P

Ismael Gonzalez saw the crash and chased the truck. He told Stall to return to the accident scene. Stall promised to do so, but never returned. Gonzalez then left Arbor Pros a 1-star google review, noting the crash and the broken promise. That led the Hillsborough County sheriff to Stall.

***

Not the T-Swizzle experience you want

A man was fatally stabbed on a Metro Green Line train in Hawthorne Wednesday evening, but not before shooting his alleged assailant in the chest. The unidentified victim, a man believed to be in his early to mid 20s, died at a local hospital after deputies found him “suffering from apparent stab wounds to the upper torso” on a train at the Crenshaw Station at about 7:20 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. The station at 11902 S. Crenshaw Blvd. is on one of Los Angeles Metro’s suggested public transit routes to Taylor Swift’s upcoming shows at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The victim’s assailant, a man in his mid to late 30s, was taken into custody and “transported to a local hospital for apparent gunshot wounds to the upper torso,” the release said.*** https://ktla.com/news/local-news/man-shoots-his-killer-during-stabbing-on-metro-train-in-hawthorne-lasd-says/

The 30 y/o man died too according to the NY Post.

***

Look at his mug and guess his favorite drug & prison

On 8/2/2023 around 7:30 p.m., Officers were called out to the Sonic at Tulsa Hills on 81st St in reference to a stabbing. When Officers arrived, they found the male victim with a flagpole through his head. The pole entered the victim's head beneath his jaw and exited the other side of his head near his right temple area. The American Flag was still attached the pole at the time. Multiple witnesses said they saw the suspect, identified as Clinton Collins, charge at the victim and stab him with the flagpole through his head. The witnesses said they also heard Collins say, "That's what he gets. He deserved it."*** Firefighters with the Tulsa Fire Department had to cut part of the flagpole in order to fit the victim into the ambulance. Miraculously, we're told the victim will survive his injuries, but will likely lose an eye. Clinton Collins was arrested for Maiming AFCF (After Former Conviction of a Felony).*** https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=661890179307277&set=a.215522740610692

***

Marinara sauce as a lethal weapon

*** The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office released its report for 78-year-old Sheila Wobbeking’s death on Tuesday. Wobbeking died at her Plymouth home on July 5 after a medical emergency. However, the medical examiner determined that the medical emergency that ended her life stemmed from injuries she suffered a week earlier. According to Maple Grove Police Commander Jon Wetternach, Wobbeking called police on the afternoon of June 27, saying her daughter, Nicole Wobbeking, had assaulted her. It allegedly happened at a home in the 11900 block of 71st Avenue in Maple Grove, where Nicole Wobbeking lived, although court documents state the home was owned by her mother and she was just the tenant. Sheila Wobbeking told police that she’d gone to the home to talk about some issues that neighbors had brought to her attention as well as unpaid rent. When she got to the home, her daughter didn’t answer so she went inside and continued calling for her daughter. That’s when Nicole allegedly came out of a room, started yelling obscenities at her mother and slapped her in the face, then pushed her down several stairs, according to court documents. She also allegedly hit her mother in the ribs and hips with a can of unopened pasta sauce. Sheila was able to get outside and wait for the police with her granddaughter. She was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a broken ankle before being released.*** https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/police-plymouth-woman-died-week-after-being-assaulted-by-daughter-death-ruled-homicide/

Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is considering homicide charges against Nicole.

***

***

You don't see enough nekkid people?

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigators have arrested a doctor who is accused of hiding a camera at Ochsner Medical Center to record staffers as they used the restroom at the hospital in Old Jefferson.  Andrew Matthews, 31, of Jefferson, was booked with 10 counts of video voyeurism after he was detained Wednesday morning at the hospital in the 1500 block of Jefferson Highway, said Capt. Jason Rivarde, a Sheriff's Office spokesperson. Detectives have identified at least 10 individual victims in the "dozens of videos" recorded inside the bathrooms, Rivarde said.*** An unnamed employee discovered the camera Wednesday morning while using the restroom and reported the device, according to Rivarde. *** The hospital contacted the Sheriff's Office about 11:30 a.m., Rivarde said. Security identified Matthews as a possible suspect and turned the camera over to detectives.  The single device appears to have been placed in "staff only" restrooms, which are unisex, according to authorities. The Sheriff's Office did not say how long they believe Matthews had been recording co-workers. *** https://www.nola.com/news/jefferson_parish/andrews-matthews-ochsner-bathroom-spy-camera-jpso/article_29252db0-3216-11ee-9eac-9f02126d0ca5.html

***

How loud?

CV NEWS FEED // A video of a young man who was arrested for reading the Bible at a pride event in Wisconsin went viral last weekend. In the video, Marcus Schroeder, 19, is arrested without warning or explanation. He had been reading a passage from the Bible into a microphone next to a “Pride in the Park” event in Watertown, Wisconsin. According to Schroeder, the event lasted from 10 am to 6 pm and was attended by 100-200 Christian protesters. Schroeder attended the event with a ministry group called “Warriors for Christ.” “We went out there and were preaching the Gospel, passing out tracts, holding some signs, and just kind of being a public witness against what was going on, talking to people at the event,” Schroeder said.  At around 3 pm, Schroeder said he began to use the group’s microphone and speaker to read Galatians 5, a passage about love, from the sidewalk outside the barrier that had been set up for the event.  “And as soon as I start reading from that passage, a bunch of officers come and surround me,” he said, noting that the officers gave him no warning and were hostile towards him.  “The officer in the video grabs my hand, grabs my arm and kind of twists it down, tries to pull the mic away from me, and then all of a sudden, an officer behind me grabs my other arm, and they handcuffed me, arrested me,” Schroeder said.  He was detained for about an hour and was given two citations—one for “unauthorized sound amplification,” and one for resisting arrest.  “When I asked the officer how I resisted the arrest, he essentially said it was because my muscles tensed up,” Schroeder recalled. *** https://catholicvote.org/young-man-arrested-for-reading-bible-outside-pride-event/

I suspect that the part of Galatians 5 he read was

13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

***

Expose yourself to nature doesn't mean indecently

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says a high-profile sexual predator was arrested Tuesday night. He is identified as Glenn Braden, 20, of Evergreen.   The arrest happened after the sheriff's office said the suspect exposed himself to two separate and solo female hikers at Stapleton Park near the Beaver Brook Trail just after 6 p.m. Tuesday. *** Investigators believe Braden is the same suspect wanted in a series of similar encounters targeting lone female hikers beginning on April 3 at Flying J Ranch Park in Conifer. Over the next few weeks, the suspect struck again on June 13 at Three Sisters/Alderfer Park, and on July 11, three times on July 18 and July 24 at Flying J Ranch Park. https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/glen-braden-arrested-colorado-hiking-trails-indecent-exposure-sexual-contact-cases/

+++

The suspect, later identified as William Tidwell, 50, of Northglenn, was arrested Monday, and investigators believe he may have assaulted for victims.

On July 25, a woman was hiking near Caribou Road and Forest Service Road 505 outside Nederland when an unknown man driving what she described as a “search and rescue vehicle” wearing a green shirt styled to look like a search and rescue uniform contacted her, according to the Sheriff’s Office. https://www.denverpost.com/2023/08/10/boulder-county-sexual-assault-impersonating-official

***

Oakland  — After 60-year-old retiree David Schneider was shot and killed here while trimming a tree in his yard, his neighbor, Toni Bird, said she retreated indoors. “People aren’t feeling safe out of their house,” she said. “It makes sense that you would want to protect your house then, right? You would barricade it.” Amid a surge in crime in Oakland, police have advised residents to use air horns to alert neighbors to intruders and add security bars to their doors and windows.*** https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/08/air-horns-and-moving-trucks-how-oakland-residents-are-facing-a-surge-in-crime/ BB captured the moment-

***

The award for ugliest headline goes to

Former San Luis Valley DA sues his disbarred successor for $5 million over bogus felony charge

Then-DA Alonzo Payne filed unfounded embezzlement charge against predecessor Robert Willett last year

Former 12th Judicial District Attorney Robert Willett filed a $5 million federal lawsuit Tuesday against his successor and the district attorney’s office after he was wrongly prosecuted for embezzlement. Willett’s successor, the now-disbarred former district attorney Alonzo Payne, brought the felony charge against Willett in March 2022, days after Willett publicly called for Payne’s resignation. Willett claims in the lawsuit that the baseless charge was filed “as an act of sheer retaliation” for his public criticism of Payne. Payne resigned as district attorney for the 12th Judicial District in the San Luis Valley in July 2022 after an investigation by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office found he repeatedly violated crime victims’ rights. He also was facing a recall effort led by the city of Alamosa. Payne was disbarred in September in part because of his investigation into and prosecution of Willett, state records show. “…During a political campaign to recall Payne from office, Payne began an investigation and filed criminal charges against the previous district attorney, a political rival and critic of Payne,” a stipulation to discipline reads. “Despite this antagonistic relationship, Payne did not seek an outside law enforcement agency or special prosecutor to oversee the investigation or make charging decisions.” The embezzlement charge against Willett was dropped in September at the request of an independent prosecutor who was eventually appointed to the case. The judge at the time concluded the case lacked “any type of prosecutorial merit.”*** https://www.denverpost.com/2023/08/09/bob-willett-lawsuit-alonzo-payne-san-luis-valley-district-attorney/

***

Sort of an old video, but definitely worth a look for the lesson

***

Best response to a jury summons ever

Torrey Scow is the mother of triplets. When she rec'd a jury summons, she brought the curtain climbers to court.

The family's video is at https://youtu.be/abXQdNWmzjg. CNN video at

***

Fraud, Bureaucracy, & Illegality

*** Enter the plea deal granted to Charles McGonigal, the rogue senior agent whose last assignment before retiring in 2018 was serving as the counterintelligence boss of the bureau's powerful New York Field Office. In a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, the disgraced McGonigal pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired to violate international sanctions on a notorious Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, and committed money laundering. Although these are serious charges and McGonigal faces up to five years in prison, nobody expects his sentence, which will be handed down towards the end of this year, to be that severe since he reached a plea deal with the Department of Justice, admitting his guilt. Nevertheless, the bureau’s image is severely tarnished here. Part of McGonigal’s job as a counterspy boss with the FBI was investigating Kremlin-connected Russian oligarchs, including Oleg Deripaska! The fact that McGonigal was also involved, at least to a degree, with the FBI’s infamous investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in 2016, Operation CROSSFIRE HURRICANE, has led many Republicans to smell a rat. It looks like President Joe Biden’s Justice Department is giving McGonigal a pass to avoid unpleasant revelations about FBI dirty dealings which might emerge in any trial. The full story is even worse.*** The Balkan angle here is unpleasant and raises disturbing questions. As the New York Times put it gently this week, the accused "befriended the prime minister of Albania, Edi Rama, and used his position to drum up foreign business for his associates, according to the indictment filed against him in Washington. On one occasion, McGonigal opened an FBI investigation into a lobbyist for the Albanian prime minister’s main political rival." The truth, as The Examiner reported on multiple occasions , is considerably more troubling than that. In exchange for cash, McGonigal became the "heavy" for Rama and his Socialist government, threatening their political rivals and shaking down Albanian oligarchs for cash in exchange for protection from U.S. sanctions. This was a secret, mafia-like extortion ring run by a top FBI official, which netted tens of millions of dollars, according to multiple sources. Such underworld tactics are hardly unexpected since, during the decadelong rule of Rama and his Socialists, little Albania has become Europe’s epicenter for the global illegal narcotics trade, with the tacit support of the Biden State Department.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/bidens-justice-department-is-burying-its-big-fbi-corruption-scandal

***

In the nation's capital....

A pair of physical altercations in and around the campus of Howard University has prompted the Washington, D.C., school to issue new security protocols to protect students. The ramped-up security comes after a recent incident in which a group of Howard University students were assaulted by a roving group of teenagers who had been seen around different regions of the city engaging in illegal behavior. According to 7 News, at least one student was stabbed near the university dorms on Monday morning. The incident took place after another altercation near the campus that did not involve any students. During a town hall Tuesday, university president Wayne Frederick announced that the university would be implementing a strict ID check for residence halls and other buildings that are only open to students, faculty, and staff. The school also announced there would be an increased security presence on campus.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/dc-crime-howard-university-tightens-security-mob-attack

Howard is in NW Washington. It's one of the more safe areas of DC.

***

BB crushing it

Funny meme, but it's based on a mob robbing a Nordstrom in Canoga Park on Saturday, 12aug23. This particular store had also been robbed by a mob in 2021. https://ktla.com/news/local-news/video-captures-mob-of-robbers-swarming-nordstrom-in-topanga-mall/

With crime now legal in California, a man robbed a 75-year-old woman in Hacienda Heights "around 11 a.m. Monday at a Bank of America." The man dragged the woman across asphalt for about 10 feet and escaped with her purse. https://www.kktv.com/2023/08/17/video-purse-snatcher-drags-75-year-old-victim-across-parking-lot/

Let's not forget SFran

*** a walking tour aims to bring attention to the “squalor” on San Francisco streets. Set to take place on Aug. 26, the tour plans to lead participants from City Hall to SoMa, the organizer, SF Anonymous Insider, said on Eventbrite. There is a charge of $30 for general admission to the tour. “The tour will start at City Hall, and continue through Mid-Market, the Tenderloin, and Union Square,” the webpage for the event says. “We will view the open-air drug markets, the abandoned tech offices, the outposts of the non-profit industrial complex, and the deserted department stores.”*** According to the Eventbrite page, the total walking distance expected on the tour is 1.5 miles, and sneakers are advised. https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/08/san-francisco-doom-loop-tour-set-for-later-this-month/

If you go, plan on throwing away your poo caked sneakers.

***

In Robert H. Biden news....

Hunter Biden’s leading attorney has asked to withdraw from the case because he could be called in as a witness in future litigation involving the collapsed plea deal he brokered with prosecutors. Lawyer Christopher Clark filed a motion with the Delaware judge who has presided over the case since the plea deal was announced. “Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,” Hunter Biden’s lawyers said in the filing, obtained by CBS News. “Under the ‘witness-advocate’ rule, it is inadvisable for Mr. Clark to continue as counsel in this case.”*** https://www.nationalreview.com/news/hunter-bidens-top-attorney-asks-to-withdraw-from-case

***

Surprised he got away with it so long

The Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as “ChiefsAholic” was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for allegedly robbing a string of banks in the Midwest and allegedly laundering the stolen cash through casinos, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of Missouri. Xaviar Babudar, the man behind the popular social media handle, was arrested last month for an alleged robbery in Iowa last year. FBI investigators used bank records, casino transaction records and other "sensitive" financial information before discovering his cell phone was placed in cities where previously unsolved robberies took place, according to the statement.*** He was allegedly responsible for six robberies and two attempted robberies during a nine-month stretch between March and Dec. 2022. Authorities allege he stole more than $800,000 in total. He also allegedly purchased and redeemed more than $1 million in chips from various casinos in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois between April and December 2022. Babudar gained fame by attending most Chiefs games dressed in a gray, masked wolf suit. Authorities allege he was able to finance his travel and attendance for these games through crime. In addition to the robberies, he allegedly gambled on the results of Chiefs games without reporting his winnings in Missouri or Kansas. He was initially arrested in Dec. 2022 in Bixby, Oklahoma, but later cut his ankle monitor and fled the state while out on bond after winning $100,000 on bets from an Illinois sportsbook, according to the statement.*** https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-superfan-chiefsaholic-indicted-on-19-charges-including-bank-robbery-money-laundering-162235146.html

***

Great way to promote misery & homelessness

Seattle is struggling with rampant drug use and deaths, but as of this week the City Council has effectively decriminalized the possession and public use of drugs. You can guess where this will lead.*** In June the City Council voted 5-4 against a bill that would list known possession and public drug use as a gross misdemeanor, and a stopgap measure for handling the drug crimes expired on Aug. 15 as the new law took effect. The City Council’s failure to act now makes Seattle “the only municipality in the State of Washington where it is legal to use hard drugs in public,” Ms. Davison said.*** This is progressive fantasy land. Last year there were 589 overdose deaths in Seattle, a 72% increase over 2021. Most involved fentanyl or meth. King County emergency medical services had responded to some 4,918 opioid overdoses by Aug. 13 this year, compared to fewer than 3,700 in all of 2021.*** https://www.wsj.com/articles/seattle-city-council-decriminalizes-drugs-ann-davison-kshama-sawant-4086777a

***

Good essay about Sackler family, Purdue Pharma, and Oxy deaths.

*** The area serviced by Purdue’s leading [sales rep] was Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and when I got back to the Times, I did some research. It turned out that the DEA had just shut down one pill mill there operating as a pain clinic. When I went to Purdue’s headquarters, its three top executives all claimed to me in an interview they didn’t know anything unusual was happening in Myrtle Beach. But thanks to my source, I knew that wasn’t true. I spent several months doing more reporting and traveled to Myrtle Beach. There, shop owners in the same strip mall as the pain clinic described how hundreds of cars regularly waited in the parking lot for its doors to open. I interviewed patients at the clinic, including some now cut off from medication, and found that five people prescribed OxyContin there had died by overdose. Local pharmacists also told me how they repeatedly warned Purdue officials about what was happening and how those complaints were ignored. In late 2001, after that trip, I confronted Purdue executives with what I had found and asked them why they hadn’t responded to the situation in Myrtle Beach when their own sales data was flashing red. The company downplayed the chaos and a Purdue spokesman claimed, providing no evidence, that the huge demand for OxyContin in Myrtle Beach was coming from local retirees dealing with arthritis pain. ***

***

If you come to San Fran cisco,

be sure to wear

syringes in your hair

[Sorry - old 60s song.]

It’s getting so lawless in San Francisco that government agencies are telling their employees to work from home. The Bay Area’s reputation for and encouragement of open-air drug use has turned this once pristine region of the Golden State into a distinct shade of brown. Literally. We are certainly witnessing the rapid disintegration of San Francisco, a city with enormous advantages in wealth and geography, but a serious disadvantage in the realm of common sense. Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told employees working at—and you just can’t make this up—the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building on 7th Street and Mission to steer clear of the building for “the foreseeable future” because street conditions were so deplorable. *** https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/08/18/san-francisco-swirls-drain-federal-agency-tells-employees-to-stay-safe-at-home/

Quality video of people shooting up in front of Pelosi building at https://twitter.com/abc7newsbayarea/status/169158561791704284.

Doesn't anybody comment on this destruction of health and denial of human services at H&HS?

***

Good - use democracy

When the Colorado Supreme Court ruled the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act unconstitutional in June, lawmakers decided it was time to change the constitution. In the court’s June unanimous opinion, the justices ruled the act violated the Colorado Constitution’s prohibition on retrospective legislation. If the in-progress amendment passes both the state House and Senate with a two-thirds majority, the question would be put to voters on the November 2024 ballot. Exactly where Ray Desser wants it. Desser said he was molested as a 13-year-old in Colorado in the 1970s. By the time he decided to come forward, at 50 years old, the statute of limitations on his case had expired. When the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act was introduced in 2021, Desser said he was in the Capitol building every day https://www.denverpost.com/2023/08/20/colorados-recently-struck-child-sex-abuse-law-to-receive-second-chance-through-proposed-constitutional-amendment

***

Need more evidence than a skull fracture?

On Tuesday, after a seven-day trial, the jury in Andy Ngo v. Rose City Antifa, et al. found two defendants not liable for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress for their alleged attack on independent journalist Andy Ngo. The verdict sends a dangerous message to violent extremist groups: no one will stop you from your violent and wrongful activities. While this verdict is disappointing, Ngo won a settlement with one of the other defendants in the case and obtained default of three defendants who failed to show up for court. This is not the end of Ngo’s battle for justice after years of suffering at the hands of Antifa members, and it’s certainly not the end of Ngo’s brave reporting on the activities of this violent, extremist movement. This trial was riddled with intimidation by individuals believed to be associated with Antifa. Court proceedings were delayed and halted on multiple days due to threats of violence, and the jurors’ identities had to be sealed over serious concerns about external efforts to identify them. In fact, the defense’s attorney even declared she would “remember each one of their faces” shortly after declaring she was Antifa—in our opinion, an unambiguous threat to the jurors.**** https://libertycenter.org/andy-ngo-trial-update/

ANDY NGO: Well, it's actually before it was in her closing statements, she mentioned that resistance is not peaceful and that she was going to be getting a shirt that declares "I am Antifa" and that she is retiring and will remember all of the faces of the jurors. It was a very tense week with a near media blackout because of security incidents that kept happening. The jurors expressed to the court, who then expressed to the parties that they were really afraid for their safety because of repeated incidents that were happening both in and outside of the courtroom, courthouse. Before the deliberations, the court ordered that the identities of the jurors would be sealed because of apparent attempts to identify the identity of the jurors. So this was the context of the trial for the sudden days.*** ERIC SELL:*** the court did inform both parties of the day of deliberations that the jury was concerned that they were being threatened or potentially doxxed or there was going to be some kind of repercussions if the verdict did not come out the right way here. And we all know what that means. The right way is finding that both of these defendants were not liable, despite the extensive evidence here that they were involved in this attack against Andy, the jury still found that they weren't liable. So we can really see what's going on here with the interruptions of the trial, with all of the concerns that the jurors expressed to the court that this is not how our legal system is supposed to work. And there are some serious concerns about what happened in this particular proceeding.

ANDY NGO: Throughout the whole trial, my colleague was harassed and intimidated, both inside and outside of the courthouse. And I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what happened yesterday when the verdict was delivered. Reasons that are still unclear to me about really critical evidence regarding either the defendants destroying, hiding or at least not preserving communications with one another with other third parties during and around the time of the attacks, which the defendants admitted to during their depositions. But we couldn't present this to the jurors. And, you know, I always knew this would be a really uphill battle. These attacks happened in Portland through the criminal justice system. I didn't receive justice. And I really hoped it was through this that Portland jurors clearly could see. https://www.foxnews.com/media/andy-ngo-speaks-out-losing-civil-suit-against-rose-city-antifa-didnt-receive-justice

***

One way to get a great plea deal - threaten POTUS

It was Halloween of 2022, and Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Chris Clark, didn’t sound happy. Just three weeks earlier, news had leaked that federal agents believed they had enough evidence to charge his client with illegally buying a gun as a drug user. The leak was “illegal,” the lawyer wrote to the U.S. attorney overseeing the probe. The prosecution, he argued, would be seen as purely political, and it might even violate the Second Amendment. Then he issued a warning: If the Justice Department charged the president’s son, his lawyers would put the president on the witness stand. “President Biden now unquestionably would be a fact witness for the defense in any criminal trial,” Clark wrote in a 32-page letter reviewed by POLITICO. That letter, along with more than 300 pages of previously unreported emails and documents exchanged between Hunter Biden’s legal team and prosecutors, sheds new light on the fraught negotiations that nearly produced a broad plea deal. That deal would have resolved Biden’s most pressing legal issues — the gun purchase and his failure to pay taxes for several years — and it also could have helped insulate Biden from future prosecution by a Republican-led Justice Department.*** https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/19/hunter-biden-plea-deal-collapse-00111974

***

Tax you out of your rights

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) proposed a 1,000% excise tax on firearms earlier this month. If passed, the tax would affect the whole nation, but especially his district, which covers the cities of Arlington, Alexandria, and Falls Church, as well as parts of Fairfax County.*** Under Byer’s legislation, America’s most popular pistol — a Glock 19 with a 15-round magazine — would go up in cost from around $500 to over $5,000 dollars, just for the firearm itself. The bill also classifies anything with a magazine over 10 rounds as a high-capacity magazine, despite 15 rounds being the most common. Byer introduced a version of this bill last year*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/don-beyers-gun-tax-would-disarm-his-constituents-in-dangerous-times

***

Good!

CASS COUNTY, Mich. (WNDU) - The customer who shot the suspect in an attempted armed robbery at a gas station in Cassopolis last month will not be charged, according to prosecutors.*** The incident happened back on the night of July 27 at the Stone Lake Marathon Gas Station in the 200 block of S. Broadway Street. When officers arrived, they found a male who had been shot several times and another male holding him at gun point. According to police, the man who had been shot tried to rob the store’s clerk but was shot by a customer who had a valid Michigan Concealed Pistol License and had previous experience working as a security guard. The suspect was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries and was charged the following day (details below). An investigation into the armed robbery and shooting was then launched by prosecutors and police, which officials say is protocol whenever someone is shot. After reviewing witness/victim statements, as well as in-store video, officer body cameras, photographs, and other physical evidence, the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office determined that the customer’s actions were lawful and justified in terms of self-defense and the defense of others. Therefore, no charges will be filed against him.*** https://www.wndu.com/2023/08/22/prosecutors-customer-who-shot-suspect-during-attempted-robbery-cassopolis-was-justified/

***

Hope that WalMart crap was worth someone's life

PARKER, Colo. — A man fleeing from a shoplifting incident Monday night in Parker ran a red light, fatally struck a pedestrian and then continued driving, according to the Parker Police Department.*** According to Parker Police, an officer attempted to pull over the suspect, who was in a 2005 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo, on Parker Road near Plaza Drive. The driver did not stop. At that time, the officer turned off their lights and sirens and made a U-turn at the next intersection, Parker Police said. Shortly after that attempted traffic stop, dispatch was notified of a crash at South Parker Road and Lincoln Avenue. Investigators determined that the shoplifting suspect had run the red light and hit the pedestrian who was in a designated crosswalk. The pedestrian died as a result of the crash, according to Parker Police. The driver continued north on South Parker Road and was last seen by a witness near Orchard Road. According to police, a man was driving the car and a woman was in the passenger seat. The car has Colorado license plate AWRS39. According to witnesses, the Monte Carlo has a cracked windshield as a result of the crash. The driver's side airbag may have deployed. Anyone with information about the car or those in it should contact Parker Police at 303-841-9800.*** https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/parker-hit-run-crash/73-c3dbc554-063e-4ef5-a7e4-cd545d4fe3ad

***

They want to give little kids a book that's too pr0n for adults?

A taxpayer was forcibly removed by security from a @FortWorthISD meeting [22aug23] after he read from the pornographic book “Flamer” which was available in the school library. Too graphic for a meeting of adults but cool for minor students! https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1694190913474396440

***

Next time you choose the face of your organization, check the registry first.

Charlotte Pride had announced:

CHAD TURNER 2023 Harvey Milk Award Recipient Given annually to an individual to honor exceptional leadership, service to the community, and those who champion LGBTQ causes that impact the Charlotte community and beyond.*** https://web.archive.org/web/20230805194403/https://charlottepride.org/champions/

Mr Turner was convicted in 2000 of molesting a 15 y/o old boy. Three boys had accused him. The victims were "members of New Harvest Church of God in Gaffney, where Sevearance was the music minister." https://web.archive.org/web/20160313221333/http://www.goupstate.com/article/20000720/NEWS/7200320?p=2&tc=pg&tc=ar

One should note that the Harvey Milk award was fitting - Milk himself had molested boys of about the same age as Turner. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/harvey-milk-stamp-matt-barber_n_4117311 & Randy Shilts's biography The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk tell the ugly truth. They're not even remotely conservative.

Fornicate tumblr - it won't let me make the last two URLs links. You can figure it out.

***

The depressing thing is the number of results when you google "pistol whipped Oakland"

The sad and scary thing is trying to find reporting on this specific incident.

***

I thought it stood for Female Body Inspectors?

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned an indictment today charging a former FBI contractor with sexual exploitation of children. According to court documents, Brett Janes, 26, of Arlington, Virginia, allegedly contacted roughly a dozen minor boys over Discord and Snapchat. He allegedly groomed the minors by telling them he worked for a U.S. intelligence agency before repeatedly threatening suicide if the minors did not continue to communicate with him. Janes allegedly enticed one victim, a 13-year-old boy whom he met through the first-person shooter game Valorant, to strip and masturbate over a live video Discord call by threatening to kill himself and by paying him money over CashApp. He allegedly enticed a 12-year-old boy to create and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over Discord through flattery and repeated begging. Janes allegedly received child sexual abuse material from these two minors, as well as two separate minor victims, and attempted to meet up with a minor. He also allegedly purchased hundreds of videos and images of child sexual abuse material from Telegram.*** An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Updated August 23, 2023

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-fbi-contractor-charged-child-exploitation-offenses why does tumblr hate links????

***

Also known as lynching

There have been more than 800 alleged human rights violations, including an excess of 200 extrajudicial killings, in Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power roughly two years ago, according to the United Nations. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found that at least 218 extrajudicial killings took place from the time they assumed power through the end of June 2023, among more than 800 alleged offenses, including arbitrary arrests and detention, torture and ill-treatment and enforced disappearances against former government officials and Afghan military members. The U.N.'s report was released on Tuesday.*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/taliban-afghanistan-extrajudicial-killings-united-nations

***

Can AI be a threat if it can't remember a defendant's release date?

A lawsuit with claims of unlawful arrests and detainments blamed on flaws in a new $100 million electronic court filing system is moving ahead as officials prepare to expand the program. Defendants in a class action lawsuit targeting the software company Tyler Technologies were served this week and now have 30 days to respond to allegations a pilot transition to the eCourts system in four counties is violating people’s constitutional rights. The latest development in the eCourts rollout comes as court officials prepare to add Mecklenburg County to the system in October. The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts launched the eCourts transition from paper to digital records in February in Harnett, Johnston, Lee and Wake counties. It immediately faced complaints of glitches in the system, outages, delays and limited access to court records. The issues, which have persisted for months, led to longer than necessary court appearances for routine requests, delayed protection orders and allegations of wrongful arrests, and delayed jail releases stemming from the complications, attorneys have told The Center Square.***

https://www.thecentersquare.com/north_carolina/article_0257cfbc-e077-11ed-b324-f3180a936668.htmlhttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/rollout-of-100m-ecourts-system-has-litigation-of-its-own

Again, why won't tumblr allow links?

***

Non Sequitur is funny

***

[college-girl199328]

A surprising production cut by OPEC+ countries sent crude prices skyrocketing on Monday, propelling Canadian energy stocks higher and fueling expectations that oil could be orbiting around US$100 a barrel later this year.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners announced Sunday they will reduce output by slightly more than one million barrels per day (bpd) beginning next month, with OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia throttling down production by 500,000 bpd.

The group called it a "precautionary measure aimed at supporting the stability of the oil market." The news sent prices for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil higher, closing Monday at $80.42 a barrel, an increase of almost $5. It also marks a quick recovery from last month’s price dip, when benchmark U.S. oil tumbled below $65 a barrel amid international banking turmoil and concerns about its effect on energy demand.

"This caught the market by surprise. It certainly wasn’t in anyone’s playbook," Al Salazar, vice president of intelligence at energy analytics firm Enverus, said Monday.

"With this cut, it almost just locks it in—that we’ll get $100 a barrel in the back half of the year." This is the second production cut by OPEC+ since last fall, as it announced a two million bpd reduction in output (starting in November) after prices fell from more than $120 a barrel last summer. As well, expected Russian oil production has been reduced by 500,000 barrels per day until the end of this year.

Analysts anticipate oil prices are headed higher this year as demand increases when the summer driving season arrives. Several years of underinvestment by the global industry have also limited the sector’s ability to quickly increase output.

"It’s a perfect example of the fact that you just can’t rely on the day-to-day prices of oil," Birchcliff Energy CEO Jeff Tonken said of Monday’s price hike. "For every producer, it’s positive because now you’re going to generate more revenue, which is good for the government of Canada and the province of Alberta because they’re going to generate more royalties and more taxes.

"So that’s a very positive question: how long will it last?" Consultancy Rystad Energy projects the voluntary output cut, if fully met, will propel Brent crude prices this summer to hover around US$110 per barrel.

"It really sets up for an interesting year (in 2024) because OPEC might have to actually increase production next year to keep prices from overheating." For Canadian petroleum producers, the unexpected decision by the cartel means higher commodity prices and stronger cash flow levels in 2023, if these conditions hold.

Shares in oilsands producers jumped on Monday’s news, with Cenovus Energy and MEG Energy both increasing by more than eight percent. Junior oil producer Gear Energy climbed 11.7 percent on the day, while Surge Energy saw its share price increase by almost six percent.

Surge CEO Paul Colborne said the production cut by OPEC countries should accelerate the expected tightening of supply levels and global oil demand this year, pushing prices toward $100 a barrel.

"There’s going to be massive draws on inventories during the driving season, and that’s the real story here," said Colborne, who expects WTI crude to average around $95 a barrel this year.

"It’s a juggernaut; there’s nothing to slow it down." For Surge, every $1-a-barrel change over the year increases its cash flow by about $8.7 million. "We will just keep paying our dividend, but we’re not going to race out and do a bunch more drilling," Colborne said.

Petroleum producers expected commodity prices to moderate this year after oil markets soared in early 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A survey last month of Canadian oil and gas executives by Raymond James asked respondents where they expected U.S. oil prices to be a year from now, and the average outlook was $85 a barrel.

Almost two-thirds of executives said they would use unexpected free cash flow this year to pay down debt, while 48 percent would increase capital expenditures.

However, with weak natural gas prices persisting in North America and increased volatility rippling through oil markets, Tonken expects Canadian producers to be cautious about changing their plans for 2023.

"I don’t think you’re going to see anyone start drilling oil wells just because the price of oil moved $5 overnight," he said. "The idea I think you’ll hear from all producers is to be conservative over the next 12 months and position themselves for growth—or for higher commodity prices—as we move into the future."

[digihindnews]

Clark Hunt Net Worth: Is He The Richest Businessman On Earth?

Clark Hunt is a name that resonates with football enthusiasts all over the world. As the Chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt has made a lasting impact on the NFL, leading his team to multiple Super Bowl appearances and a coveted championship title. But his legacy goes beyond the football field, with his philanthropic efforts and contributions to sports and entertainment making him a prominent figure in the business world. From his family's ownership of the Dallas Texans, which eventually became the Chiefs, to his current position as one of the most respected owners in the league, Clark Hunt's influence is felt far and wide.

Net Worth Of Clark Hunt

The American businessman and sports team owner Clark Hunt is worth $2 billion. Clark Hunt is well-known in the sports world for his roles as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs. He also helped establish Major League Soccer and the FC Dallas franchise. Clark led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1969 in 2020. When 2023 rolled around, the Chiefs repeated as champions.

Early Life Of Clark Hunt

Clark Hunt was born into a family of football royalty. His father, Lamar Hunt, was one of the founding members of the American Football League and a pioneer in the sports and entertainment industry. Growing up in Dallas, Texas, Clark was exposed to the game of football from an early age, often accompanying his father to games and meetings. Despite his family's legacy in football, Clark was a standout athlete in his own right, excelling in soccer and tennis. He attended SMU, where he played soccer and earned a degree in business.

Clark Hunt After graduation, he worked for several years in the oil and gas industry before joining the family business and becoming actively involved in the management of the Kansas City Chiefs. With his passion for the game and business acumen, Clark has continued his father's legacy and cemented his own place in the world of football. If You Are Interested In This Post: - Pete Davidson Ex Girlfriend List: How Many Girls He Has Been With? - On Rakhi Sawant Mother Death, Jackie Shroff And Manyata Dutt Offer Consolation

Career Of Clark Hunt

Clark Hunt's career has been defined by his leadership in the world of sports and entertainment. After joining the family business, he became actively involved in the management of the Kansas City Chiefs, serving in various capacities including General Manager, President, and ultimately Chairman and CEO. Under Hunt's leadership, the Chiefs have achieved significant success, including multiple division championships and Super Bowl appearances. In 2020, the team won its first Super Bowl in 50 years, a historic moment for the organization and the city of Kansas City. Outside of football, Hunt has also made significant contributions to the sports and entertainment industry. He played a key role in the development of Major League Soccer (MLS), serving as a founding investor and helping to launch several MLS teams, including FC Dallas, which he currently owns. Additionally, he has been involved in the development of several major entertainment venues, including the American Airlines Center in Dallas and AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Hunt is also a committed philanthropist, serving on the boards of several charitable organizations and making significant donations to causes related to education, healthcare, and sports. His impact on the world of sports and entertainment is far-reaching, and he continues to be a respected and influential figure in the industry. Read Next(:> Damon Welch Net Worth 2023: How Far His Wealth Have Reached in 2023?

Personal Life Clark Hunt

Clark Hunt is the chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. He was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1965 and earned a degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University. Hunt is also the founder of FC Dallas, a Major League Soccer team, and is involved in the Hunt Sports Group. He is married to Tavia Hunt and they have three children together. Hunt and his family are known for their philanthropy, supporting education, health, and sports programs. Follow us on Twitter to check out our latest updates on our social media pages. Read the full article

[txoilfieldnews]

Eagle Ford: Texas Oil and Natural Gas Industry Paid Record $24.7 Billion in Taxes and State Royalties in Fiscal Year 2022, Shattering Previous High by 54%

AUSTIN – According to just-released data from the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA), the Texas oil and natural gas industry paid $24.7 billion in state and local taxes and state royalties—by far the highest total in Texas history—shattering the previous record of just over $16 billion set in 2019 by 54%. TXOGA President Todd Staples today hosted a media briefing to share the Association’s…

[newsforyou]

Sell My Mineral Rights 12/22

Mineral rights are an important part of the oil and gas industry. The term "mineral rights" refers to the right of ownership of any minerals below the owner's surface area. You can sell or rent mineral rights, which are frequently rather important. The mineral rights allow the owner to make use of the land's surface to gain access to minerals for expedition and production. If the miner breaks the surface area damage contract, which specifies what activities are permitted, they could be fined or have their mineral rights removed.

When you're managing the business of mineral rights or Oil and Gas Royalties, you need to make sure that you understand the deed to determine who owns the depth rights. This is particularly crucial in states like Texas, where surface and depth rights might be split up amongst multiple parties. Stop searching on "how to effectively Sell My Mineral Rights." At Blue Flame Minerals, we offer the very best worth when offering mineral or surface area rights. As expert Mineral Rights Buyers, we concentrate on assisting landowners make notified choices regarding their mineral interests.

We're one of the best Companies That Buy Mineral Rights and we help customers go through hard ownerships, mineral rights transfers, and handling traditions. We consider all factors that can affect the worth of mineral properties when assisting customers make informed choices on Selling Mineral Rights.

[reveal-the-news]

Surge Energy pours $7 billion into Texas economy

Surge Energy pours $7 billion into Texas economy

A record amount of oil and natural gas production taxes poured into Texas coffers in the 2022 fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31 – more than $10 billion. That doesn’t include severance taxes paid to operators for producing oil and natural gas — or the royalties, fees, property taxes and sales taxes they pay. Surge Energy US announced this week that as of November, it has contributed more than $7…

[royaltyseo]

Uncovering the Story of Oil in Texas - Royalty Purchaser

At Royalty Purchaser, you’re in control of your oil and gas royalties. We're here to listen, understand, and help you turn them into cash. Your choices matter, and we're here to make the process simple and beneficial for you. Choose us, and let's make your oil and gas assets work for you.

[antoine-roquentin]

America’s relations with the Taliban far predate Trump’s 2020 agreement with the group. In 1997, just one year after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, U.S. oil giant Unocal hosted a delegation of Taliban leaders, including former foreign minister Mullah Mohammad Gaus, at the company’s offices in Houston, Texas. The purpose of the delegation’s visit – in which they were given royal treatment, including a trip to Mount Rushmore – was to sign an agreement to build a gas pipeline that would run from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.

According to reports at the time, Unocal promised the Taliban between $50 million to $100 million a year in royalties for use of its territory and in exchange for securing the pipeline. Unocal also opened a special center in Kandahar via the University of Nebraska at Omaha to train Afghan professionals at an investment of about $900,000, which served as a base for recruiting workers for the project.

The pipeline deal fell through in the end partially due to the Afghan civil war and al-Qaeda attacks on American embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es-Salaam, but mainly because of U.S. public pressure against dealing with the Taliban. But dialogue with the Taliban continued when President George W. Bush negotiated with their leadership to extradite Osama bin Laden in exchange for recognition and financial assistance.

After the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the occupation leadership appointed Hamid Karzai as president, a position he held until 2014. According to some reports, which were denied, Karzai had briefly served as a consultant to Unocal. What could not be denied was his close relationship with the Taliban and his support for them.

Karzai is a member of the Popalzai tribe, the same tribe as Abdul Ghani Bradar, the presumptive president of Afghanistan under the Taliban, who was wanted by the United States, captured in 2010, released in 2018, and who later became a partner to the negotiations that the Americans held with the Taliban leadership. It’s almost impossible to draw the lines that separated Karzai’s corrupt government from the Taliban, but simultaneously those ties helped and may continue to help the United States find channels to the heart of the new Taliban administration.

Both sides have a common economic interest. Not only did the United States continue to advance the idea of a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan, it turned it into a flagship project in 2014 that may generate huge profits for Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and the American companies that were expected to build it.

Even more importantly, the project was slated to serve as a way to bypass Iran’s gas pipeline. The countries through which the pipeline is meant to run – Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India – signed an agreement to build the pipeline at an estimated cost of $7.5 billion. Construction began in 2015, and while the United States is not a partner in financing or building it, it sees its completion as a move that could help rehabilitate Afghanistan.

Could this pipeline be brought to fruition under Taliban rule? This week, after the Taliban took over the capital of Kabul, assessments hastened to bury the project. But the Taliban has an interest in building it as well as partners who can work on it. India, Russia and Turkmenistan are the immediate stakeholders that have already invested quite a bit of money in the project, and the Taliban have announced that they attach great importance to the pipeline and intend to continue building it; what’s more, they have not dismissed the possible involvement of American companies in the project. The question is whether Biden will permit American companies to participate or if he will impose sanctions on the new regime due to its takeover of the country and its anticipated undermining of human rights there.

[thealphareporter]

Mineral Royalties Group Of Dallas Texas Forges Strong Ties in the Oil and Gas Sector

http://dlvr.it/SwfXtT

[thesunshinereporter]

Mineral Royalties Group Of Dallas Texas Forges Strong Ties in the Oil and Gas Sector

http://dlvr.it/SwfXKs

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 29, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

Last week, Florida governor Ron DeSantis became the latest Republican governor to sign a bill making it harder for citizens to shift away from the fossil fuels that are changing the climate. The move came after Miami, which is in danger as sea levels rise, proposed cutting carbon emissions by banning natural gas infrastructure in new buildings. The bill was written by lawyers for utility companies, based on a pattern written by the American Gas Association. Lobbyists for the Florida Petroleum Association, the Florida Natural Gas Association and the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Home Builders Association, and the National Utility Contractors Association of Florida supported the bill.

Nine other Republican states have already passed similar legislation.

Republican-led states are defending the use of fossil fuels in other ways. News that President Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, was urging major U.S. banks to invest responsibly with an eye to the climate crisis, led the state treasurers of West Virginia, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and South Dakota to write to him expressing their “deep concern” that he, along with other members of the Biden administration, was pressuring banks “to refuse to lend to or invest in coal, oil, and natural gas companies, as a part of a misguided strategy to eliminate the fossil fuel industry in our country.” They accused the Biden administration of “picking economic winners and losers” according to “Biden’s own radical political preferences,” and thus depriving “the people” of agency.

Coal, oil, and natural gas are crucial to their states’ economies, they said, providing “jobs, health insurance, critical tax revenue, and quality of life.” They warned that they would withhold public funds from any banks that refused to lend to fossil fuel industries.

And yet, historically, the government has picked fossil fuels as a winner that outranks any other energy source. While Republicans tend to claim any spending for alternative energies is wasteful, a recent report by the Stockholm Environment Institute, a nonprofit think tank, says that U.S. subsidies to new oil and gas projects inflate their value by up to $20 billion per year. This would seem to fly in the face of Republican complaints about “socialism” in which the government picks winners and losers.

A recent Morning Consult poll shows that 50% of voters say climate change is a critical threat to America. Another 26% think it is important, but not critical. Among Democrats, 75% think climate change is crucial, while another 17% say it is important. Among Republicans, 21% say that climate change is crucial, while another 37% say it is important, but not crucial.

With this support for addressing climate change, why do Republicans appear to be dead set against dealing with it in a meaningful way and instead are propping up the fossil fuels that feed that change?

At the nomination hearing for now–Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who has promised to protect our lands, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told Haaland that his state collects more than a billion dollars a year in royalties and taxes from the oil, gas, and coal produced on federal lands in the state, and warned that the Biden administration is “taking a sledgehammer to Western states’ economies.”

Oil produces the most revenue for Texas, which earned $16.3 billion from oil in 2019, an amount that made up 7% of the state’s revenue. Oil revenues accounted for 70% of state revenues ($1.1 billion) in Alaska in 2019, 52% of state revenues ($2.2 billion) in Wyoming in 2017, and 45% of the revenues ($1.6 billion) in North Dakota in 2017.

But production declines in the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic have hurt these fossil fuel states. Wyoming expects to have 29% less money than it expected in 2021–2022. Alaska expects an estimated 18% budget deficit in fiscal 2021. Without money coming in from fossil fuels, people will have to make up the difference by paying taxes, an unpopular outcome, especially in Republican-dominated states, or by losing even more services.

Reducing dependence on fossil fuels will also cost current jobs, and one of the hallmarks of an economy developed around an extractive industry is that it tends to have little flexibility. The rural American West was developed around extractive economies, with a few wealthy men employing lots of workers, and its limited economy means that workers cannot transition easily into other fields.

Fossil fuel advocates also contribute mightily to Republican campaigns, adding financial interest to party members’ general dislike of regulation. In Florida, utility companies employ an average of one lobbyist for every two legislators. “It’s no secret we play an active role in public policy,” a spokesman for a Florida utility told Rolling Stone’s Tim Dickinson in 2016.

This week, in the Pacific Northwest, temperatures in Portland, Oregon, reached 115°F; Seattle hit 108°. Canada hit its highest temperature on record: 116°F in British Columbia. Roads are buckling and power cables melting. In the New York Times today, climate scientist Michael Mann and climate communicator Susan Joy Hassol warned that the conditions of our earth will only get worse unless we do something. But, they wrote, “A rapid transition to clean energy can stabilize the climate, improve our health, provide good-paying jobs, grow the economy and ensure our children’s future.”

—-

Notes:

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/919/BillText/er/PDF

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article249783273.html

https://www.npga.org/news-resources/florida-enacts-law-protecting-propane-and-natural-gas/

https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/local-florida-governments-cant-restrict-dirty-energy-usage-under-new-law-signed-by-desantis/

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20788734-state-treasurers-letter-to-john-kerry-on-fossil-fuel-lending-w-signatures

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/12/kerry-to-wall-street-put-your-money-behind-your-climate-pr-475565

https://newrepublic.com/article/162842/tax-breaks-fossil-fuel-companies-inflated-profits-oil-gas-drilling

https://morningconsult.com/2021/04/27/paris-agreement-climate-change-threat-poll/

https://trib.com/business/energy/rules-to-keep-coal-fired-power-plants-burning-in-wyoming-are-expected-soon/article_f6feb1f0-21c6-54b6-8de9-91cb98615263.html

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/07/massive-losses-should-be-a-warning-to-big-oil-that-its-bonanza-is-over

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/the-koch-brothers-dirty-war-on-solar-power-193325/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/29/opinion/heat-dome-climate-change.html

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON