The Daily Valet. - 6/2/21, Wednesday

✔️ A Wild Save?

Wednesday, June 2nd Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I want to be as motivated as Mike Posner.

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

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Today’s Big Story

Biden Ends Oil Leases in Arctic Refuge

The decision protects one of America’s largest tracts of undeveloped wilderness

The Biden administration on Tuesday suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reviving a political fight over a remote region that is home to polar bears and other wildlife—and a rich reserve of oil.

The decision marked a reversal of the Trump administration’s efforts to expand drilling in the region. President Biden previously placed a temporary hold on oil and gas activities within the refuge, citing potential “legal deficiencies” in a Trump-backed leasing program.

The remote, 19.6 million-acre refuge—home to polar bears, caribou, snowy owls and other wildlife, including migrating birds from six continents—has long been contested land. According to NBC News, former President Bill Clinton vetoed a GOP plan to allow drilling in the refuge in 1995, and the two parties have been fighting over the region ever since.

Tuesday’s order by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland follows a temporary moratorium on oil and gas lease activities imposed by Biden on his first day in office. Environmental groups have been pushing for permanent protections, which Biden called for during his campaign.

This is also, some are saying, a high-profile way for the president to solidify his environmental cred after coming under fire from activists angered by his recent quiet support for some fossil fuel projects.

Last month, the world’s leading energy agency warned that governments around the globe must stop approving fossil fuel projects now if they want to prevent the pollution they produce from driving average global temperatures above 2 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial levels. That’s the threshold beyond which scientists say the Earth will experience irreversible damage.

↦ Back & Forth: Policy experts noted that any moves by President Biden to block Arctic drilling could be undone by a future administration.

The First Vaxx Passport in the U.S.

Will New York’s Excelsior Pass catch on?

While many states have balked at the idea of so-called “vaccine passports,” New York has already rolled out a platform called the Excelsior Pass that's being used at big events, like Yankees and Knicks games.

So far, it's the only government-issued vaccine passport in the country, accessible, for now, only to people who have been vaccinated in the state. But officials are hoping they will be adopted more widely.

Nationally, several states including Georgia, Alabama, Arizona and Florida have already banned the use of vaccine passports, presenting the bans as measures to protect individual privacy and vaccination choice.

The New York Times reports that some businesses—especially those catering to adult audiences, like arts venues—are jumping into the world of verification. Aside from accepting the Excelsior Pass, many also use the CLEAR Health Pass as a way to verify health and vaccination status.

↦ FYI: The Washington Post put the Excelsior Pass to the test as the first “vaccine passport.” Here's what worked—and what didn't.

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Mike Posner Scaled Mount Everest

And here I thought I was productive during the pandemic ...

Singer, songwriter and record producer Mike Posner (you know, ‘I Took a Pill in Ibiza’) made the most of the past pandemic year.

After 18 months of training and weeks of hiking, he summited the world's highest mountain. Posner shared the news on Twitter Tuesday, writing that he reached the summit at 4:35 a.m. alongside his guides. “That's what I call a sunrise,” he tweeted, adding that they would continue descending into base camp Wednesday and were “not out of the woods.”

According to Vulture, he fundraised for the Detroit Justice Center during his acclimatization hikes over the past two months, raising over $223,000 in donations. Posner previously hiked across the continental United States in 2019, prompted in part by the death of his father—whose career as a criminal defense attorney in Detroit inspired him to do the fundraiser.

Apparently, he began training for the Everest climb just two weeks after finishing his cross-country hike.

↦ Dig Deeper: Posner spoke with Forbes about life, death, spirituality and chasing his artistic muse across America and Mt. Everest.

A New Toyota Land Cruiser Is Coming

The next iteration of Japan’s most legendary off-roader arrives June 9th

First, the good news ... Toyota has officially confirmed that it will unveil the all-new 300 Series Land Cruiser next Wednesday, June 9.

Quick refresher: The current 200 Series Land Cruiser has been on sale since 2007, virtually unchanged. And with it going out of production this year, many were worried it would not get a replacement.

But the bad news is that this new boxy beauty isn't expected to be sold in North America anytime soon. This hardly comes as a surprise since the outgoing model is extremely expensive and somewhat of a slow seller.

According to Motor1, the exterior design features an aluminum roof along with a more streamlined look without straying too far from the Land Cruiser formula. The interior, however, will be going through some major changes, including a serious infotainment system with a 14-speaker JBL audio system.

↦ Meanwhile: Paul Walker's 1994 Toyota Supra from The Fast And The Furious is up for grabs.

In Other News

↦ What the JBS Cyberattack Means for Your Meat Supply

↦ Yes, the SEC Noticed Elon Musk’s Tesla Stock Price Tweet

↦ Inside the ‘World’s Largest’ Video Game Cheating Empire

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

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BBQ chips

Why ‘quirky’ people are attractive

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