All posts tagged: NEA

Trump’s 2027 budget aims to shutter the NEA, NEH and IMLS

Trump’s 2027 budget aims to shutter the NEA, NEH and IMLS

Published by Sam Flores

Bombs are in and art is out as the Trump administration’s proposed 2027 budget requests $1.5 trillion in defense spending (up 44% from last year), while again attempting to snuff out the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The budget proposal released earlier this month calls for just enough money to permanently wind down the operations of each agency: $29 million for the NEA (down from $207 million); $38 million for the NEH (down from $207 million); and $6 million for the IMLS (down from $291.8 million). Congress has the final say about whether or not these cuts actually get made, and Sept. 30 is the deadline to pass next year’s budget. (Failure to do so could result in yet another government shutdown.) It’s worth remembering that Trump tried to defund these organizations last year and was thwarted by Congress. But the administration did successfully choke off funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which ceased operations in January. …

Commentary: Supermarket plastic bag charge – a case where policies work but expectations diverge

Commentary: Supermarket plastic bag charge – a case where policies work but expectations diverge

Published by Sam Flores

LESSONS FROM OVERSEAS Comparatively, other jurisdictions have taken different approaches. Take Hong Kong for example, where the initial charge of HK$0.50 (US$0.06) was introduced in 2009 and limited to some 3,000 supermarkets, convenience stores and health and beauty shops. Between 2009 to 2015, retailers were required to return the charge to the government for environmental proceeds. Due to public feedback on the limited scope of the scheme, this was revised in 2015 to cover all retail outlets and subsequently doubled to HK$1 in 2022. From 2015, the charge was kept by retailers, with authorities noting a lack of manpower to monitor and collect the fees. Retailers are encouraged to donate them to suitable environmental causes. In contrast, jurisdictions like Ireland treat the charge as a levy, with proceeds channelled into a central environmental fund. That structure provides clarity, but it also frames the charge explicitly as a form of taxation which is a move that may not be politically or contextually suitable everywhere. If Singapore were to look to other jurisdictions for lessons, one implication …

Hotspots detected in Bintan, but haze from Indonesian island unlikely to reach Singapore: NEA

Hotspots detected in Bintan, but haze from Indonesian island unlikely to reach Singapore: NEA

Published by Sam Flores

SINGAPORE: Several hotspots were identified in the Indonesian island of Bintan on Thursday (Jan 29) but the haze is unlikely to reach Singapore, said the National Environment Agency (NEA). “As these are downwind, any smoke haze is unlikely to have a direct impact on Singapore,” said the agency in an update on Facebook. A hotspot was also detected in Johor despite extensive cloud cover limiting satellite visibility of ground conditions. “With winds continuing to blow from the north and northeast, smoke haze may drift towards Singapore if the fires persist,” the agency said.   Source link

‘Noticeable’ burning smell could be from hotspots north of Singapore, says NEA

‘Noticeable’ burning smell could be from hotspots north of Singapore, says NEA

Published by Sam Flores

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday (Jan 26) that some smoke haze could be transported to Singapore as a result of hotspots from vegetation fires to its north.    This is due to prevailing winds blowing from the north or northeast, the agency said in a Facebook post. “While a burning smell may be noticeable, it does not always result in a significant change to air quality readings,” it added. At 10pm, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranged from 43 to 56 in the good to moderate range. An hour later, the readings ranged from 45 to 53. NEA said it is monitoring the situation closely. Netizens had taken to social media to complain of a burnt smell in some parts of Singapore over the past few days, with at least three new threads posted on Reddit on Monday.  Some said that the smell caused irritation to their noses and throats. The 24-hour PSI is computed based on six air pollutants – PM2.5, PM10, ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon …

New NEA grant of up to S,500 to help beverage producers with costs of container return scheme

New NEA grant of up to S$2,500 to help beverage producers with costs of container return scheme

Published by Sam Flores

For the cost of scheme stickers, producers can email BCRS Ltd to seek reimbursement. The consortium will process the claims and make the first payment by March. Companies which do not wish to receive the grant can opt out by writing to transition_grant [at] bcrs.sg, said NEA.  COSTS FOR PRODUCERS  Under the scheme, producers must ensure that their beverage containers have a deposit mark to help consumers identify their eligibility for the 10-cent deposit refund.  Producers are also encouraged to have a Singapore-specific barcode on their containers to avoid a situation of overclaiming deposits.  “When international barcodes are used, the same barcode may appear on containers sold outside Singapore, where the 10-cent deposit has not been paid into the scheme,” NEA explained. “This creates a risk that such containers could be returned to reverse vending machines in Singapore, triggering a deposit refund even though no deposit was paid. “International experience has shown that shared barcodes can lead to overclaiming of the deposits.” Importers who are not able to influence their packaging design to include the …