WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document from Economics Daily: * * * 0.4 unemployed persons per job opening in the Dakotas, 1.7 in California, in December 2024 February 20, 2025 There were 7.6 million job openings in the United States in December 2024, a number not much different than the number of unemployed people, resulting in a ratio of 0.9 unemployed persons per job opening. North Dakota and South Dakota each   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- The U.S. Navy issued the following news release: * * * Chief of Naval Operations Visits New England Bases, Stresses Lethality and Readiness Previous KITTERY, Maine (Feb. 18, 2025) Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, center, is given a tour the Navy Exchange Micro Mart of Johnson Hall by NEX Manager Joseph Tempesta, left, and Capt. Jason Deichler, Commodore, Submarine Squadron Two, right, during a visit to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, Feb. 1  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication dated Feb. 14, 2025, from Clean Ocean Action, Sandy Hook, New Jersey: * * * To: Ms. Stacey Jensen Acting Director Oceans, Wetlands, and Communities Division Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20460 RE: LOC-NESS Wilkinson Basin Study Tentative Research Permit No. EPA-HQ-MPRSA2024-002 (Forme  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication dated Feb. 14, 2025, from Conservation Law Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts: * * * To: Stacey M. Jensen Director, Oceans, Wetlands, and Communities Division U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004 EPAmarineCDR@epa.gov Re: Comments on Updates to Tentative MPRSA Research Permit for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution LOC-NESS W  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication dated Feb. 12, 2025, from Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions: * * * RE: Docket ID EPA-HQ-OW-2024-0189 * * * To Whom it may concern, We are writing in support of the revised permit application for the Phase 2 of the LOC-NESS project. We have reached a point when to reduce the most severe impacts of climate change on humans and our environment, emissions reductions need to be accompani  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication on Feb. 17, 2025, from the Maine Lobstermen's Association, Kennebunk: * * * To: Ms. Stacey Jensen Acting Director, Oceans, Wetlands, and Communities Division U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460 * * * Dear Director Jensen, The Maine Lobstermen's Association (MLA) is writing to express opposition to the Proposed LOC-NESS Wilk  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication dated Feb. 14, 2025, from the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, Scituate: * * * To: Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20460 RE: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2024-0189 * * * The Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association (MLA) sends this letter of comment to you regarding the request from Woods Whole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) for two   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication dated Feb. 14, 2025, from the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association, South Portland, Maine: * * * Public Comment from the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association * * * Opposition to the Dumping of 17,000 Gallons of Sodium Hydroxide into the Gulf of Maine The New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association (NEFSA) stands in strong opposition to the proposed dumping  more

PORTLAND, Maine, Feb. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine issued the following news release: * * * Four Sentenced for Roles in Penobscot and Aroostook County Drug Trafficking Ring 17 of 21 individuals charged have now been sentenced BANGOR, Maine: Four individuals from Maine were sentenced today in separate hearings at the U.S. District Court in Bangor for their roles in a northern Maine drug trafficking ring. U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced the fo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * Gillibrand, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Increase Transparency Of Milk Pricing Legislation Would Require Mandatory Reporting Of Dairy Processing Costs Every 2 Years U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Fair Milk Pricing for Farmers Act. This bill would require manufacturers to report dairy processing costs every 2 years, which wo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Heinrich, Lujan Raise Alarm Over Trump Admin Pushing Illegal Funding Cuts to NIH & Derailing Lifesaving Research New Mexico receives $125 million in NIH funding that supports over 1,400 jobs and generates nearly $290 million in economic activity Heinrich and Lujan: "The administration's new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Heinrich, Schatz Lead Colleagues in Demanding Trump's DHS Immediately End Wrongful ICE Searches & Harassment of Tribal Members, Uphold U.S. Trust and Treaty Responsibility with Tribal Nations WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Vice Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, led 13 of their Democratic colleagues in demanding that the U.S. Depa  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Heinrich, Schatz Lead Colleagues In Demanding Trump's DHS Uphold Federal Trust And Treaty Responsibilities To Tribal Nations And Immediately End Wrongful Ice Searches And Harassment Of Tribal Members WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, led 13 of their Democrat  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has released the following public communication dated Feb. 12, 2025, from the Oceantic Network: * * * To: Lisa Gilbane Chief, Environmental Assessment Section Office of Environment Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 760 Paseo Camarillo, Suite 102 Camarillo, California 93010 Re: Notice of Availability of the California Offshore Wind Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) ([Docket   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following news release: * * * King, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Fast-Track Veterans' Access to VA Health Benefits WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) are introducing legislation to fast-track veteran's access to earned health care benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Servicemember to Veteran Health Care   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * Murphy, 21 Colleagues Urge Secretary Rubio to Replace Nuclear Arms Treaty With Russia WASHINGTON-- U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Wednesday joined 21 members of Congress in writing a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to replace the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), a nuclear arms ag  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released the following public communication dated Feb. 13, 2025, from Don't Cage Our Oceans: * * * To: Mr. Andrew J. Strelcheck Regional Administrator NMFS Southeast Regional Office 263 13th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Docket No. NOAA-NMFS-2024-0135 RE: Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in U.S. Federal  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released the following public communication dated Jan. 15, 2025, from the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and 86 collaborators: * * * To: Douglas Parker 200 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20210 * * * The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and the 86 undersigned organizations thank the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for proposing a ne  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released the following public communication dated Jan. 14, 2025, from Public Citizen: * * * To: The Honorable Doug Parker Assistant Secretary of Occupational Safety and Health U.S. Department of Labor Washington, DC 20210 Re: Comments on the proposed rulemaking -- Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings, Docket No. OSHA-2021-0009, RIN 1218-AD39 * * * Dear A  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, issued the following news release: * * * Ranking Member Pingree: Reckless, Indiscriminate Purge of Public Servants Will Have Lasting Harmful Effects In letters sent today to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the United States Forest Service, and Department of the Interior (DOI), which encompasses eleven bureaus, including the National Park Service, House Appropriations Int  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 20, 2025: * * * Ranking Member Pingree: Reckless, Indiscriminate Purge of Public Servants Will Have Lasting Harmful Effects WASHINGTON, D.C.--In letters sent today to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the United States Forest Service, and Department of the Interior (DOI),   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Ranking Members Pingree, Merkley Condemn Indian Affairs Hiring Freeze, Firings as Violation of Tribal Sovereignty WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the top Democrats on the subcommittees that oversee funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI), demanded the Trump Administration immediately reinstate terminated Indian Affairs employees, l  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, issued the following news release: * * * Ranking Members Pingree, Merkley Condemn Indian Affairs Hiring Freeze, Firings as Violation of Tribal Sovereignty Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the top Democrats on the subcommittees that oversee funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI), demanded the Trump Administration immediately reinstate terminated Indian Affairs employees, lift the hiring fr  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Ranking Members Pingree, Merkley Condemn Indian Affairs Hiring Freeze, Firings as Violation of Tribal Sovereignty WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the top Democrats on the subcommittees that oversee funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI), demanded the Trump Administratio  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, issued the following news release: * * * Senate Passes Resolution Recognizing the 80th Anniversary of Iwo Jima WASHINGTON - On the 80 th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the anniversary of the battle, which began on February 19, 1945, and lasted until March 26, 1945. U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) introduced the resolution earlier this month.  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, issued the following news release: * * * Senator Collins' Statement on Nomination of Kash Patel to Serve as FBI Director Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins issued the following statement on the nomination of Kash Patel to serve as Director of the FBI: "The nomination of Kash Patel to serve as Director of the FBI comes to the Senate against the backdrop of recent personnel actions at the Department of Justice, including the re  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, issued the following news release: * * * Sens. Moran, Coons Introduce Legislation to Provide Financing Options for New Energy Projects WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) reintroduced the Financing Our Energy Future Act, which expands certain financing tools to all types of energy resources and infrastructure projects. The legislation would allow renewable energy resources and infrastructure projects to fo  more