Aggregator

Coalition Unveils Plan To Dismantle Australia's Net Zero Goals

Zero Rss
2 weeks 1 day ago
Coalition Unveils Plan To Dismantle Australia's Net Zero Goals

Authored by Lucinda Garbutt-Young via The Epoch Times (AAP),

Almost every aspect of Australia's climate and energy policy would be ditched under a Coalition plan leaning heavily on fossil fuels.

Member for Wannon Dan Tehan speaks to the media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Sept. 9, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

The eight-point plan, released Sept. 23, includes removing four offshore wind zones, repealing the Climate Change Act to scrap net zero targets, and lifting prohibitions on nuclear energy.

An existing carbon emissions policy for vehicles would be canned and developers would be encouraged to invest in all energy types, including coal, gas and nuclear, rather than focusing on renewables.

A renewable energy code of conduct to ensure companies earn social license would also be introduced, but details are yet to be announced.

The sweeping changes would all be made within 30 days of the Coalition being elected to government, Opposition energy spokesperson Dan Tehan said in a statement.

"The last four and a half years, energy policy has been driven by ideology, political targets, and government picking winners rather than the basic realities of keeping the lights on and Australian businesses competitive," he said.

"Australia should have an energy system built around three non-negotiable principles: affordability, reliability and security."

The plan contrasts with Labor's existing push to power just over 80 percent of the national grid with renewables in the next four years.

The closure of several coal power plants will be needed to achieve that.

The Coalition has long argued over energy targets and abandoned its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 last November after intense internal disagreement.

The net zero fight led to the ousting of former leader Sussan Ley, who was rolled by Angus Taylor in February.

Taylor and his colleague, Nationals Leader Matt Canavan, are against most investment in new renewables, arguing that Australia has ample fossil fuels that should be used to reduce power costs.

Independent MP Monique Ryan slammed the Coalition's plan as "dumb, dangerous and desperate climate denial."

"Australians have embraced clean energy because it works," she said, saying the policy was an attempt to win over One Nation voters.

"We've spent years investing in rooftop solar, electric vehicles, household batteries, and home electrification because these technologies save money and reduce emissions."

Australia will lead negotiations at COP31, the largest annual government climate conference, being held in Turkey later in 2026.

Tehan will address the Australian Energy Nation Forum in Sydney on the afternoon of Sept. 23, during which he is expected to outline more details of the plan.

Tyler Durden Thu, 09/24/2026 - 22:35
Tyler Durden

10 Indicted In Philadelphia Cocaine Trafficking Case Tied To Mexican Cartel

Zero Rss
2 weeks 1 day ago
10 Indicted In Philadelphia Cocaine Trafficking Case Tied To Mexican Cartel

Ten members of an alleged drug trafficking organization were indicted, and $17 million of cocaine was seized along with multiple firearms, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Wednesday.

Blanche said the drug organization worked with a Mexican drug cartel to move more than 300 kilos of cocaine from Mexico to Philadelphia.

"Literal truckloads of cocaine have been seized as a result of this case and kept from flooding our city," said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf in a statement.

"Know that the investigation is ongoing and there will [be] more arrests to come. We, the FBI, and the Philadelphia Police Department are zeroing in on the drug traffickers and cartels poisoning our neighborhoods and communities."

As Tom Gantert reports for The Epoch Times, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, identified Gregory Jones of Philadelphia and Edward Basley of Wayne, Pennsylvania, as the leaders of the drug organization.

The indictment alleged that the drug organization was distributing between $5 million and $10 million worth of cocaine a month in the Philadelphia area. Five of the defendants were arrested on Tuesday, and the five other defendants were already in custody.

Jones and Basley were both charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Jones had been in prison, but his sentence was commuted by then-President Joe Biden in April 2022. Jones was sentenced to 18 years with a five-year term of supervised release in 2012. Biden commuted the sentence to end in April 2023.

Biden said at the time that his list of people who were pardoned and whose sentences were commuted were in prison for non-violent drug offenses. He said many of the people who had their sentences commuted would have had a lower sentence if they had been charged with the same offense in 2022 due to the First Step Act.

The First Step Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2018.

The investigation involved the FBI and the Philadelphia police department, and the case was part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative.

"This investigation is another example of what is possible when local and federal law enforcement work together with a shared mission," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel in a press release.

"Drug trafficking organizations operating at this scale fuel violence, destabilize neighborhoods and cause tremendous harm in our communities. I am especially proud of the Philadelphia Police Department members assigned to this task force, whose work alongside our federal partners helped bring this investigation to this point."

* * * Definitely not for cocaine...

Tyler Durden Thu, 09/24/2026 - 22:10
Tyler Durden

zero rss