Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Wednesday, 29 December 2021. You can receive this daily briefing by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
You can also watch each DailySA show here: https://youtube.com/forwardobserver
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- OSHA mandate in, Africa travel ban out
- SOUTHCOM joins space race
- EPA raises fuel-efficiency standards
- Hazards Warning
UPGRADE TO EARLY WARNING AND GET THESE BRIEFINGS:
- Russia-NATO SITREP: US NAVY SKIPS MIDEAST FOR EUROPEAN “REASSURANCE”
- Indo-Pacific SITREP: CHINA CONDEMNS SPACEX SATELLITE ACTIVITY, ISSUES WARNING OVER TAIWAN
- Domestic SITREP: MEAT PRICE INCREASES AND DOMESTIC HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION
- LIC Summary/ INTSUM
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
OSHA MANDATES IN, AFRICA TRAVEL BAN OUT: The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling, reinstating the vaccination mandate under the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Writing the majority 2-1 opinion, Judge Jane B. Stranch said, “Given OSHA’s clear and exercised authority to regulate viruses, OSHA necessarily has the authority to regulate infectious diseases that are not unique to the workplace.” Arkansas’ Attorney General said she would petition the Supreme Court for a final ban on the mandate. Separately, President Biden rescinded his Executive Order on eight African countries in response to the omicron pandemic variant. (Analyst Comment: A long-awaited Supreme Court decision could settle the numerous lawsuits against the federal government from dozens of states and businesses. It is highly unlikely another court issues an injunction before the 10 Jan implementation date, impacting an estimated 84 million U.S. workers. Supreme Court oral arguments are scheduled for 7 Jan, but four separate injunctions are still in place for federal contractors and employees from 21 states. – D.M.)
SOUTHCOM SPACE COMPETITION: The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced an expansion of space engagement in South America to support partner nations. The announcement specifically outlines providing these nations space support they do not receive from China or Russia. Lt General Andrew Croft, deputy commander of SOUTHCOM, said, “the Russians and the Chinese are competing with us in that realm…they have space observatories also in our AOR [area of responsibility]”. Providing space support for South American nations is intended to fill a capability gap found in most Western Hemisphere nations.
EPA REGULATIONS: THE EPA has announced new fuel-efficiency standards for passenger cars and light duty trucks focusing on greenhouse gas emissions. The new standards impact models as early as 2023 model vehicles with requirements for the fleetwide average to get 55 miles per gallon by 2026 models. Automakers emphasized limitations to implementing the new standards without significant increases in charging infrastructure and subsidies for electric vehicles. Monthly numbers this year reflect electric vehicles cost up to 24% more for purchasers than average internal combustion vehicles.
HAZARDS/WX:
Upgrade your Situational Awareness to Early Warning and continue the brief here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe