[Fox Business] Fishing industry reels over Biden’s destructive wind farm plan: It’s ‘coming at us from every direction’

Time is running out for fishermen and women in the Northeast who fear their industry is being put at risk by the Biden administration’s renewable energy agenda.

“Ground fishermen, lobstermen, whatever you are, you’re under the microscope right now, and it just seems to be something coming at us from every direction,” New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) COO Dustin Delano said on “The Big Money Show” Monday.

“And with this offshore wind agenda out there to attempt to fight climate change,” he continued, “it’s almost like environmentalists and different folks are willing to destroy the environment to protect the environment.”

Two weeks ago, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), an agency within the Department of Interior, announced the finalization of what is known as a wind energy area (WEA), which is an area of the ocean that would allot for construction of enough wind turbines to produce 32 gigawatts (GW) of energy.

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The agency boasted that, in support of the Biden administration’s goals for deploying 30 GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, the Gulf of Maine WEA surpasses the current state goals for offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine, which is 10 GW for Massachusetts and 3 GW for Maine.

But a coalition of 17 fishing associations – including Delano’s – say the move is “the culmination of a rushed development process that is poorly informed on economic, scientific, environmental and cultural issues of paramount importance.”

“The pace has really stepped up to try to get as much done as possible under the current administration,” Delano said. “And this massive area is used by hundreds of fishermen across the Gulf of Maine, whether you’re from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and even some of the states further south. So it’s incredibly problematic when you look at 2 million acres.”

Not only do the fishing associations claim that there are “serious questions” about the correlation between endangered whale deaths and wind farms, but the WEA’s project would permanently displace fleets in the prime groundfishing territory.

“They’re talking about these giant, 300-by-300-foot cement bases, with [a] 12, 13-hundred foot turbine that’s going to be on top of that with massive anchoring systems, with chains the size of a pickup bed,” Delano explained.

“So with every tide change and every wind change,” the COO added, “all of that chain is going to be scraping across the bottom and destroying everything in its path.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, BOEM said that the final WEA establishes the boundaries to inform BOEM’s initial environmental assessment under NEPA on potential site characterization and assessment activities.

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BOEM also noted that the WEA was finalized “after extensive engagement with lobster fishermen in fishing communities” and avoids certain restricted areas that the National Marine Fisheries Service identified.

“That’s part of why we formed the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, because there were so many things being thrown at us,” Delano reflected. “And as fishermen from different types of fisheries, we really wanted to bring everyone together because these issues that we’re facing are larger than just one industry.”

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Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.

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[Fox Business] Starbucks Rewards: Make the most of the program and earn free food and drinks

Founded and headquartered in Seattle, Starbucks is the world’s largest and most popular coffeehouse chain, with nearly 40,000 stores in 78 global markets. 

The company has tapped into its massive customer base with its Starbucks Rewards program — offering store credit for free menu items, exclusive promotions and more.

Customers can sign up for Starbucks Rewards on the company’s website, as well as on its app, which is available on both iOS and Android devices. Starbucks accounts are free to create.

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Starbucks’ primary reward system is its Stars program, which allows customers to accumulate store credit, or “Stars.”

One Star is earned with each dollar spent at a Starbucks location — though two Stars are earned per dollar when prepaid through the app.

“To save time and earn Stars twice as fast, add money to your digital Starbucks Card using any payment option,” the company’s site explains. “Scan and pay in one step or order ahead in the app.”

Stars can also be accrued faster through “Bonus Star” challenges, Double Star Days, and periodic, member-exclusive games offered through the app.

Starbucks starts offering rewards at 25 Stars, and pricier items are given out for free as more are racked up. 

Here’s what your Stars can get you under the chain’s tiered rewards system:

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Starbucks also teases other Rewards perks outside its Stars system. Other freebies offered to you as a member include a free item of choice on your birthday (an option to enter your DOB is given when creating your account), as well as free beverage refills. 

Members are also able to place orders in the Starbucks app, track their progress and pick them up in-store, curbside, or via drive-thru at participating locations.

Starbucks’ partnerships with Delta and Bank of America allow customers to maximize the benefits they reap from the companies’ loyalty programs.

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Delta offers one SkyMile per Star accumulated on a qualifying purchase when members of both companies’ loyalty programs link their accounts. Double Stars are offered if you make a Starbucks purchase on a day you’re also scheduled to fly Delta.

Bank of America, meanwhile, offers 2% cash back on qualifying purchases charged to credit and debit cards linked to Starbucks Rewards accounts. 

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Customers can also claim a bonus Star for every two dollars they spend through the Starbucks app on their linked, eligible cards.

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[Fox Business] Renting is a better bet in markets across the US

Renting has become the more affordable option in metros across the U.S. as mortgage rates and home prices remain elevated, according to a new report from Realtor.com.

The data showed that the monthly cost for a starter home in the largest 50 metros was roughly 60%, about $1,027, more than the monthly rent in those same markets on average.

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Realtor.com chief economist Danielle Hale noted that the falling cost of rent is also contributing to why it has become the more favorable option in all 50 metros tracked by the agency.

For instance, the U.S. median rent in February declined year over year for the seventh month in a row. Prices dipped 0.4% for studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom properties across the metros, which was similar to the 0.3% drop in January 2024. 

Still, prices are still significantly higher compared to pre-pandemic times. Even with the monthly declines, the U.S. median rent is only $50 less than its peak in August 2022. It is also still 17.3% higher, or $252 more, than the same period in 2020, according to Realtor.com’s most recent data. 

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The median rent for two bedrooms nationwide was $1,889. That is $65 lower than the peak seen in August 2022. 

“Deciding whether to rent or buy often goes beyond a financial advantage though, and likely depends on a consumer’s circumstances,” Hale said. “Renters often prize flexibility while the biggest reasons homebuyers cite are that they want a place of their own and to be closer to family and friends.” 

The issue with renting being the more favorable option, though, is that “it does not bring the benefit of housing wealth gains over time that owning does,” Hale continued. She said that this is something people should consider when thinking about their long-term housing plans. 

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[Fox Business] Baltimore bridge collapse to bring trade and traffic chaos

The tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge along I-695 in Maryland into the Baltimore harbor following a “ship strike” early Tuesday morning is expected to cause major economic disruptions to the area and across the country. 

The port, a major route for shipping containers and cruise liners, is the deepest harbor in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, closer to the Midwest than other East Coast ports, with five public and 12 private terminals, according to the Maryland government website. 

The I-695 is also a critical link for trucking and motor vehicles linking Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York and the disaster comes ahead of the upcoming Easter Weekend.

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The port is the busiest in the U.S. for car shipments, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2023, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration. It is also the largest U.S. port by volume for handling farm and construction machinery, as well as agricultural products.

It handled a record amount of cargo last year, making it the 20th biggest port in the nation ranked by total tons, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Chloe Demrovsky, the executive in residence in global economy at New York University, tells Fox News Digital that the port has grown significantly over the last 25 years and the bridge collapse is going to have a devastating impact on the area. 

“Since the widening of deepening of the Panama Canal in 2016, it just became that much more important and capable of docking some of those really large container ships coming out of Asia that could now come through the Panama Canal and go to Baltimore,” Demrovsky said.

“And from there they can connect with the important trucking routes to service not just the whole country, but in particular the very busy eastern corridor. So it became a really strategically important area for moving a lot of units.”

The port is one of the smallest on the Northeastern seaboard, handling 265,000 containers in the fourth quarter of last year, Reuters reports. In comparison, the Port of New York and New Jersey handled around 2 million containers in that same period, and Norfolk Port in Virginia handled 850,000.

The cargo ship that hit the bridge was the Dali, a 95,000 GT Singapore-flagged container ship on its way to Sri Lanka, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore confirmed. It is stacked with dozens of cargo containers carrying Maersk customers’ cargo. There were 22 crew members onboard at the time of the incident, although Maersk said none of its crew and personnel were on the vessel.

It was not immediately clear what type of cargo is on the Dali.

The port is also popular with cruise liners, with operators including Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean all using the port for Caribbean, Canadian and other Atlantic destinations, Reuters reports. In 2023, cruises carrying more than 444,000 passengers departed from the port, the Maryland government website says.

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According to the ship tracking service Marine Traffic, there are currently eight bulk carriers and one vehicle carrier headed for Baltimore that are now waiting at anchor just off Ken Island, which is about 20 miles south of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

“It’s hard to know exactly how this is going to work out because you have the port issue and then you have the trucking issue. And with I695 down, that’s where a lot of these oversized trucks and hazardous materials were being routed along that whole corridor.”

“So as we go into the holiday weekend, we’re just going to see a snarl. And it’s going to take quite a while for it to shift until something can be done in that area.”

More than 40 ships remained inside Baltimore port, including small cargo ships, tug boats and pleasure craft, data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic shows.

Demrovsky says that some of the vessels could be rerouted to the West Coast, meaning cargo would have to be trucked back across the country which is much more expensive and time-consuming. Furthermore, several prominent companies have distribution warehouses or other facilities in an industrial park on the north end of the bridge including Amazon.com and FedEx.

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Demrovsky said we could also see price hikes to cover these costs, while insurance for vessels could also balloon.

“We are already seeing major insurance issues around some of the Red Sea issues and some of the other issues we’re seeing around shipping, there’s just been a lot of attention on the supply chain since Covid … and so it’s harder to get insurance for these major, shipping ships anyway.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., who sits on the trade subcommittee, also said the incident will impact commerce. 

“Of course it will affect trade. I’m worried about the families and all of the inconvenience that will occur because the bridge is gone. It was such a good link,” Miller told Fox News Tuesday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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[Fox Business] Taco Bell charging for sauce packets part of ‘new cantina chicken menu’

Taco Bell has a new sauce at their locations, but depending on what you order, it could cost you.

While packets of other condiments, like the chain’s mild, hot, fire and diablo sauces, are free of charge, the new avocado verde salsa sells for 20 cents per packet, unless a customer orders certain items.

“One packet of avocado verde salsa comes with every order off the cantina chicken menu,” the fast-food giant said in a press release earlier this month. 

Customers who order off the canina chicken menu – which includes items like cantina chicken soft taco, cantina chicken crispy taco, cantina chicken burrito, cantina chicken quesadilla and cantina chicken bowl – who want more than one packet will have to pay.

Visually, the green packets appear about twice the size as the chain’s mild, hot, fire and diablo sauces, coming in at .5 ounces. The avocado verde salsa packaging says “best chilled, shaken, sauced” and that they should be kept refrigerated. They offer the same quirky sayings, such as, “taking a break from my break,” as other sauce packets.  

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Select items from the cantina chicken menu were launched on March 14 for Taco Bell Rewards members, and the full menu was launched for all customers on March 21. 

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Taco Bell did not immediately respond to a Fox Business email asking if charging for sauce packets was a first for the company, and why they come at a cost compared to other free sauce packets. It is also not clear if the cantina chicken menu, including the avocado verde salsa, is a limited-time offering by the restaurants operated by Yum! Brands. 

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Taco Bell was started by a man named Glen Bell (thus the Bell in Taco Bell). Bell was a former Marine who served during World War II before being honorably discharged in 1946, according to the Taco Bell website.

Fox Business’ Ashlyn Messier contributed to this report. 

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