Suxco Finally Moves To Protect Forests:
The Sussex County Council adopted a measure that protects trees from ongoing and widespread development, after months of discussion and debate. Prior to the council’s unanimous vote Tuesday, the county did not have a forest protection law written in its code.
The adopted law requires developers to preserve at least 30% of forests on properties in growth areas, or 50% in rural areas. The county’s Future Land Use Map designates growth and rural areas.
“Passing this ordinance was crucial to protecting one of the qualities that makes Sussex County such a special place,” County Council Vice President John L. Rieley said in a statement. “Trees are an essential part of our landscape, and quality of life. This vote is a bold step forward to preserve the natural beauty and character of Sussex County for generations to come.”
Sussex County has the most forestland in Delaware. However, it lost an estimated 43,000 acres of forests between 1998 and 2021 from development, according to the state forest service.
Not everything that preservationists wanted and, of course, decades too late. Still, an important step, IMO.
AI Heavyweight Weighs In For Kathy Jennings:
A recent ad blitz paid for by a new political entity linked to the artificial intelligence industry is escalating tensions in the Democratic primary race for Delaware attorney general, with incumbent Kathleen Jennings and progressive challenger Dwayne Bensing clashing over her record of regulating the tech industry.
Last month, the entity called The Statehouse Fund launched a $500,000 campaign to support Jennings that included social media ads highlighting lawsuits her office has joined with other states in filing against the Trump administration.
The ads do not appear to mention AI, even as the Statehouse Fund describes its purpose as promoting regulations on artificial intelligence, and is funded by an organization that has taken in millions from the AI company Anthropic.
On Tuesday, Bensing sent an email to supporters claiming the Statehouse Fund’s campaign shows Jennings “cozying up” to the companies she should be regulating.
In response, Jennings’ campaign manager dismissed the attacks as “cornball rhetoric.” He also described the Statehouse Fund as “a pro-regulation group.”
According to campaign finance records, the Statehouse Fund launched its half-million dollar campaign last month after receiving $525,000 from Public First Action, a national political organization that has supported a slate of moderate Democrats and Republicans, mostly running for seats in the U.S. Congress.
While Public First Action is not legally required to disclose its donors, Anthropic reported that it contributed $40 million to it since February.
In corporate filings submitted to the Delaware Department of State, Public First Action describes its mission as educating the public about “artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and other legislation, policies, and initiatives that support the public interest.”
I call bullshit. ‘Educating’ and dumping half a mill into someone’s campaign coffers are two different things.
US Diesel Prices Set New High. Mortgage Rates Soar. Have I mentioned lately that there’s a midterm election coming soon? However, at least Trump can look forward to:
The Trump administration plans to break ground on the president’s “triumphal arch” in the next two weeks, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on Thursday.
“We are pleased to announce that after a very long wait (over 125 years!), we are preparing to start, over the next two-week period, the excavation work necessary for the Great Triumphal Arch,” Burgum wrote on X.
The project is moving forward even though a pending lawsuit aims to stop it, critics say it needs congressional approval, it hasn’t gotten the greenlight from a DC planning commission, and an FAA review of potential impact on flights hasn’t been completed.
The familiar pattern under President Donald Trump – who has plowed ahead with various “beautification” projects in the nation’s capital despite opposition and without going through normal processes – has again prompted an outcry.
“The fact that they’re moving forward on this before any of the legal steps required is egregious,” Ed Stierli, of National Parks Conservation Association told CNN.
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, who represents a Northern Virginia district that includes Arlington National Cemetery, the historic grounds across the Potomac River from where the arch would be built, said: “This project is not even close to being ready for prime time.”
Plans to begin excavation are “plainly illegal without congressional authorization,” he added.
Nicolas Sansone, an attorney at the nonprofit Public Citizen, which is representing plaintiffs in the lawsuit, says it will act as quickly as possible to respond.
I find it troubling that Spotlight Delaware is accepting advertising from the so-called “Alliance to Protect Delaware’s Future,” which is a pro-business, pro-AI outfit that’s backing the Delaware Way Democrats.
Given their willingness to promote corporate whores, I will no longer be donating to Spotlight Delaware.