Amazon closes NJ warehouse days before Christmas after rise in asymptomatic coronavirus cases

Amazon said it is closing a warehouse in New Jersey until Dec. 26 after an increase of asymptomatic coronavirus cases was detected through the company’s in-house testing program.

An Amazon spokesperson said workers will be paid for all shifts they miss and the company is not expecting any delivery delays as a result of the temporary closure at the warehouse known as the PNE5 facility.

“Through our in-house COVID-19 testing program, we detected an increase in the number of asymptomatic positive cases at our PNE5 facility in northern New Jersey and have proactively closed the site until December 26th out of an abundance of caution,” Amazon spokeswoman Leah Seay said in a statement Monday to The Hill.

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Seay did not respond to questions about how many Amazon workers tested positive at the warehouse or whether the company is planning to temporarily shutter any other facilities.

The online retail giant has come under scrutiny from worker advocates and warehouse employees in general over health and safety conditions during the pandemic. The company has defended its actions to protect workers, including providing protective equipment and enhancing cleaning protocols.

Amazon temporarily shut facilities in Queens, N.Y., as well as in Kentucky due to coronavirus cases among workers earlier this year.

Earlier this month, Amazon reportedly wrote a letter to the federal government asking to prioritize essential works at its warehouses, grocery stores and data centers to get the coronavirus vaccine.

Vaccine rollouts have begun across the country, starting with health care workers and residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel recommended Sunday that people age 75 or older, as well as certain front-line essential workers, be next in line for the vaccines.

Toxic fumes appear to leak into airplane cabins more often than reported: LA Times

While there are no official records of how often toxic vapors leak into airplane cabins, it appears to happen more often than previously thought, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis.

The newspaper studied NASA safety reports from between January 2018 and December 2019 and found 362 so-called fume events that required medical attention for almost 400 people. This included nearly 50 pilots who were left unable to perform the functions of their job.

Recent research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health suggests such statistics are likely the “tip of the iceberg” because they came from voluntary sources, according to the Times.

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A reliable count of how many such events occur is all but impossible currently, as no government agency keeps track of them.

Such events have continued even as most passengers have begun wearing cloth masks or N95 respirators amid the coronavirus pandemic, including a single week in August when JetBlue had fume events on two separate flights to Boston and Orlando.

Airlines have long asked Boeing to install air sensors on their planes, according to the Times, but the company has decided against it, fearing the data would be used in court, according to communications obtained by the newspaper.

“Flight attendant, pilot unions, and congressional supporters could use this effort as evidence that sensors are needed and … to drive their agenda forward to have bleed air sensors required on all aircraft,” Boeing said in a 2015 memo, according to the newspaper.

“The industry is concerned about liability, and the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] is protecting the industry,” Judith Anderson of the Association of Flight Attendants union told the Times.

The FAA has publicly said fume events are uncommon and that air on planes is higher quality than that on the ground, and recently said research indicates there are fewer than 33 events per 1 million flights. However, a 2015 Kansas State University funded by the agency found the rate at about 1 of every 5,000 flights, according to the Times.

Fighters scrambled after Russian, Chinese military aircraft enter South Korean defense zone

South Korea on Tuesday said it had scrambled fighter jets after nearly 20 Russian and Chinese military aircraft entered its air defense identification zone. 

According to Reuters, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that it identified four Chinese warplanes and 15 Russian aircraft entering its Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ). 

In response, the South Korean military dispatched fighter aircrafts, although the Chinese military eventually told South Korea that its planes were conducting routine training. 

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The JCS confirmed in a statement that the incident appeared to be “a joint military drill between China and Russia,” but added the event “requires further analysis,” Reuters reported. 

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the country’s foreign ministry told both China and Russia Tuesday that their planes should not again enter the KADIZ. 

This comes after the South Korean military announced in July of last year that it had fired hundreds of warning shots at a Russian military aircraft conducting a joint air patrol with China when it entered the KADIZ. 

Seoul’s defense agency said at the time that it was the first such incident by Russia’s military. 

Reuters reported that Russia’s Defense Ministry said it did not recognize South Korea’s defense zone over the island of Dokdo, which Japan also claims authority over and calls Takeshima. 

The Russian agency also reportedly said in a statement that South Korea did not fire any warning shots toward Russia’s two bombers. The statement did not mention the A-50 aircraft the Koreans claimed to have fired toward.

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The ministry accused the two South Korean F-16 fighter planes of carrying out “unprofessional maneuvers.”

“It was not the first time that South Korean pilots tried unsuccessfully to prevent Russian aircraft from flying over the neutral waters of the Sea of ​​Japan,” the Russian ministry reportedly said at the time.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the area was not territorial airspace and that all countries enjoyed freedom of movement in it, according to Reuters.

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Government scientists predicted border wall construction could harm wildlife refuge | Haaland nomination generates excitement in Native American communities | Trump officials wrongly awarded Alaska grant in bid to open Tongass

TGIF! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Beitsch at rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccabeitsch.

Reach Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com or follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin.

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PUTTING UP A WALL: Construction of President TrumpDonald TrumpTrump signs bill to keep government open amid relief talks US to close two Russia consulates ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trends on social media following new Space Force name MORE’s border wall moved forward last year even after government scientists said it could harm a nearby wildlife refuge, according to an internal report obtained by The Hill.

The report, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, showed that the construction of the wall would pull water from the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge. 

The wall construction would have pumped water from an offsite Glenn Ranch Well, which the report said would cause water levels of wells at the San Bernardino refuge to be drawn down by as much as 13.7 feet. 

The report notes that refuge wells “support several endangered species” and raises concerns about potential impacts to the refuge, saying “it is reasonable to assume … that any ongoing withdrawals will have large impacts on the system as a whole.”

The technical report, put together by two Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) hydrologists, seeks to estimate the amount that water levels would decrease based on varied water pumping speeds and time periods. It noted that discussions with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and refuge leadership “have not identified exact figures for water use.”

The report does not detail the potential impact on specific species, but does note that “there is concern that … pumps do not have the capacity to pump adequate water to sustain fish if ground water levels were to lower.”

Advocates and critics say the report shows that there could have been harm to species that live at the refuge and that the administration knew of this possibility but continued with work on the wall, a top priority of the president’s.

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“There’s no way in the world that decision-makers working on the border wall didn’t get this information,” said Jacob Malcom, a former biologist at the refuge. “They got it and they were told ‘you are putting at risk of extinction a bunch of species that the U.S. government is responsible for.’ ”

“There had to have been a conscious decision to say ‘to heck with those species,’ ” said Malcom, who now directs the Center for Conservation Innovation at Defenders of Wildlife. 

Randy Serraglio, a Southwest conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, specifically singled out four species of fish that the refuge provides critical habitat for: Yaqui catfish, Yaqui chub, Yaqui topminnow and beautiful shiner.

“Those fish in particular are vulnerable because the minute that aquatic habitat dries up, then they’re toast,” Serraglio said.

Asked about the report and what steps were taken to mitigate the impacts of the construction, CPB and FWS pointed to the installation of higher-capacity pumps to reduce the harm. 

However, FWS spokesperson Beth Ullenberg said that these pumps were installed in fall 2020, while CBP spokesperson Matthew Dyman said that the pumping in question began in October 2019, around the same time the report was issued.

“San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge ponds remain intact and the refuge continues to manage for endangered fish and wildlife,” Ullenberg said in an email. 

Read more about the report here.

ALL IN FOR HAALAND: News of Rep. Deb HaalandDebra HaalandOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Government scientists predicted border wall construction could harm wildlife refuge | Haaland nomination generates excitement in Native American communities | Trump officials wrongly awarded Alaska grant in bid to open Tongass The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Mastercard – COVID-19 relief, omnibus talks go down to the wire Haaland nomination generates excitement in Native American communities MORE’s (D-N.M.) historic selection by President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenUS to close two Russia consulates On The Money: Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend | Federal Reserve fight imperils relief talks Leading legal experts urge aggressive immigration actions MORE as Interior secretary has generated an emotional response from Native Americans eager to see representation in government.

Biden on Thursday selected Haaland to head the department. 

If confirmed, Haaland will be the first Native American Cabinet secretary and the first Native American to helm the Department of the Interior, which has significant responsibilities to the nation’s 574 federally recognized tribes.

“I thought about my daughter and how this is a new normal for my daughter,” Nikki Pitre, executive director of the Center for Native American Youth and a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, told The Hill. “Seeing what it’s like to have an indigenous woman in the highest levels of government — it’s hard to put into words now that I’m seeing it and get to experience it. It just feels incredibly overwhelming in the absolute best way.” 

Haaland, a progressive, generated significant momentum for the position, backed by groups and lawmakers on the left as well as many tribes. 

“She’s going to make our ancestors so proud. I’m on the floor of my apartment crying with joy,” Julian Brave NoiseCat, vice president of policy and strategy with Data for Progress and vocal Haaland supporter, wrote on Twitter. “After four years of fossil fuel executives and lobbyists opening up Native lands and sacred sites to industry tycoons, the next Secretary of Interior will be a Laguna Pueblo woman who went to Standing Rock in 2016 and cooked for the people.”

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Haaland’s selection helps Biden fulfill his pledge to create a Cabinet that “looks like America.”

“Representation and visibility matters,” Pitre said. “Congresswoman Haaland continually told our native youth, ‘Call me auntie, you have an auntie in the House of Representatives.’ That means you have someone that cares about you and will have your back and will take care of you. She embodies that with young people who have so much pride to call her auntie.”

Read more on the excitement for Haaland here

A LITTLE TWEAK: The Trump administration wrongly tweaked a grant process when forwarding $2 million in funds to the state of Alaska as officials pushed to open the state’s Tongass National Forest up to more logging, a government watchdog found.

In September of last year, the U.S. Forest Service gave $2 million to Alaska to help it prepare an environmental analysis of proposed logging in one of the nation’s largest old-growth forests.

The problem, Democratic lawmakers argued, is that pot of money was designed to help communities prevent and suppress wildfires. 

A new report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that reviewed Forest Service actions found the process “used to award the $2 million grant to Alaska did not comply with federal laws and regulations.”

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The Forest Service “should not issue funding to Alaska under the August 2018 grant agreement,” the report concluded.

Since the grant was approved, the Trump administration has since finalized a plan to reverse the long standing Roadless Rule, which blocked building additional roads on 9.4 million acres on Tongass land in an effort to limit logging.

“According to this nonpartisan report, the Trump Forest Service violated the law in a rush to build the case for rolling back critical protections for our largest National Forest,” Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Debbie StabenowDeborah (Debbie) Ann StabenowOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Government scientists predicted border wall construction could harm wildlife refuge | Haaland nomination generates excitement in Native American communities | Trump officials wrongly awarded Alaska grant in bid to open Tongass Trump officials wrongly awarded Alaska grant in bid to open Tongass forest to logging: watchdog Power struggle sparks tensions among Senate Democrats MORE (D-Mich.), who requested the review, said in the statement. 

Read more on Tongass here

CLOSED FOR CLEANING: The Washington Monument has temporarily closed after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who gave appointees a tour of the monument, tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Interior spokesperson Nicholas Goodwin confirmed to The Hill that Bernhardt gave a “small group of appointees” a tour of the monument this week. 

“As we do in all circumstances when an employee attests to having COVID-19, we work with our public health officials to ensure all guidance from the CDC is followed,” Goodwin said in an email. “Out of an abundance of caution, a couple of employees have quarantined resulting in a temporary workforce reduction at the monument and its temporary closure.”

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The Washington Monument closure began on Friday and Goodwin said it will reopen on Monday. It was first reported on Wednesday that Bernhardt had tested positive for the coronavirus.

A post on the National Park Service’s website said that it is “working to staff the Washington Monument at the appropriate levels to maintain the safety of its operations” and the monument has had a “comprehensive safety program” since it reopened in October. 

Read more on the monument’s closure here

 

WHAT WE’RE READING:

COVID-19 cases add up in grim Interior tally, E&E News reports

The Federal Government Spends More on Fire Prevention in Rich, White Neighborhoods, Earther reports

JPMorgan says Lee Raymond to leave board, Reuters reports

Minnesota pushing forward with proposed clean car rule, The Duluth News Tribune reports

 

ICYMI: Stories from Friday (and Thursday night)…

Five states sue EPA over rule limiting pesticide safety enforcement

Washington Monument closes after Interior secretary tests positive for COVID-19

Haaland nomination generates excitement in Native American communities

Government scientists predicted border wall construction could harm wildlife refuge

Rice selected over Ocasio-Cortez for spot on Energy & Commerce panel

Australian cattle feed invention equal to taking ‘100 million cars off the road’ wins international prize

WWE & TNA Weekend Live Events Schedule

WWE Live Event Schedule:

– Friday in Raleigh, N.C. at PNC Arena: John Cena, Cody Rhodes, and Goldust vs. The Wyatt Family, Daniel Bryan vs. Kane, Big E vs. The Miz, Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Emma vs. Fandango and Summer Rae, Kofi Kingston vs. Damien Sandow, R-Truth and Xavier Woods vs. The Real Americans, The Bella Twins and Eva Marie vs. Alicia Fox, Aksana, and Layla.

– Saturday in Charlottesville, N.C.: No matches are advertised, but most likely a similar card to Friday night.

– Sunday in Norfolk, VA at the Norfolk Scope Arena: John Cena, Cody Rhodes, and Goldust vs. The Wyatt Family, and Daniel Bryan vs. Kane.

TNA Live Event Schedule:

– Friday in Lincoln, NE at the Pershing Cente

– Saturday in Sioux City, IA at the Tyson Event Center

– Sunday in Spencer, IA at the Clay County Regional Events Center

The following matches are advertised for this weekend’s TNA shows:

* TNA champ Magnus vs. Samoa Joe
* TNA Tag Team champs The Bromans vs. The Wolves
* TNA Knockouts champion Madison Rayne vs. Gail Kim
* James Storm vs. Gunner
* Mr. Anderson vs. Samuel Shaw
* Pre-Show party with Rockstar Spud and DJ Zema Ion at 6 PM.

* Why THE SHIELD As Babyfaces Is “Best For Business” (Editorial)