Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/614502
ByLolitaC.Baldor The Associated Press WASHINGTON The men in the U.S. military's most dangerous jobs care little about political correctness or gender equality. And they have a message for their political leadership. When they are fighting in the shadows or bleeding on the battlefield, women have no place on their teams. In blunt and, at times, profanity-laced answers to a voluntary survey con- ducted by the Rand Corp., more than 7,600 of Amer- ica's special operations forces spoke with nearly one voice. Allowing women to serve in Navy SEAL, Army Delta or other com- mando units could hurt their effectiveness and lower the standards, and it may drive men away from the dangerous posts. An overwhelming ma- jority of those who agreed to respond to the RAND survey said they believe women don't have the physical strength or men- tal toughness to do the gru- eling jobs. Some of the broader con- clusions of the survey, taken from May through July 2014, were disclosed by The AssociatedPressearlierthis year,butthedetailedresults and comments written by respondents had not been released. The Pentagon released the summer survey and other documents when De- fense Secretary Ash Carter announced last week that he was opening all combat jobs to women. That deci- sion was based on recom- mendations by the military service secretaries and the leaders of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Special Op- erations Command. Only the Marine Corps asked to exempt women from cer- tain infantry and frontline positions, but Carter de- nied that request. Half the men who got the 46-question survey re- sponded to it, and Rand did not identify any of them. In some cases peo- ple who feel most strongly about an issue are more in- clined to answer surveys. Some 85 percent of the respondents said they op- pose opening the special operations jobs to women, and 70 percent oppose hav- ing women in their indi- vidual units. More than 80 percent said women aren't strong enough and can't handle the demands of the job. And 64 percent said they aren't mentally tough enough. "I weigh 225 pounds, and 280 pounds in full kit, as did most of the members of my ODA (a 12-man Army Green Beret unit)," one re- spondent said. "I expect ev- ery person on my team to be able to drag any mem- ber of my team out of a fire- fight. A 130 pound female could not do it, I don't care how much time she spends in the gym. Do we expect wounded men to bleed out because a female sol- dier could not drag him to cover?" Another said politicians don't win the covert wars. "Gender equality is not an option when the bullets are flying," he said. The deep challenges the survey revealed with inte- grating women into tight- knit commando teams are not lost on the Pentagon. Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, posted a memo and video online last week after Carter's announce- ment, explaining the deci- sion and vowing that the qualifying standards for special operations jobs will remain the same. He noted that women have already moved into some special operations jobs, including as helicop- ter pilots and crew, mem- bers of cultural support teams in Afghanistan and in civil affairs and informa- tion operations. BLUNT ANSWERS UScommandossaynotowomen in special operations jobs MARKHUMPHREY—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Female soldiers train on a firing range while wearing new body armor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. By Jennifer C. Kerr The Associated Press WASHINGTON Calling it a "Christmas miracle," Presi- dent Barack Obama signed a sweeping overhaul of the No Child Left Behind ed- ucation law on Thursday, ushering in a new approach to accountability, teacher evaluations and the way the most poorly perform- ing schools are pushed to improve. Joined by lawmakers, students and teachers in a White House auditorium, Obama praised the George W. Bush-era No Child Left Behind for having the right goals. He said that in prac- tice, it fell short or applied a cookie-cutter approach that failed to produce desired re- sults. Under the new law, the federal government will shift more decision-making powers back to states. "With this bill, we reaf- firm that fundamentally American ideal that every child— regardless of race, gender, background, zip code — deserves the chance to make out of their lives what they want," Obama said. "This is a big step in the right direction." The overhaul ends more than a decade of what crit- ics have derided as one-size- fits-all federal policies dic- tating accountability and improvement for the na- tion's 100,000 or so public schools. But one key fea- ture remains: Students will still take federally required statewide reading and math exams. Still, the new law en- courages states to limit the time students spend on test- ing and diminishes the high stakes for underperforming schools. The long-awaited bill to replace the 2002 law eas- ily passed the Senate on Wednesday and the House last week, in a rare ex- ample of the Republican- controlled Congress and Obama finding common ground on major legisla- tion. Obama held it up as an "example of how bipar- tisanship should work," noting that opposing sides had compromised to reach a deal. "That's something that you don't always see here in Washington," Obama said. "There wasn't a lot of grandstanding, a lot of pos- turing, just a lot of good, hard work." Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., who chairs the House's ed- ucation panel, said under the new approach, Ameri- can classrooms will no lon- ger be "micromanaged" by the Education Department in Washington. "Instead, parents, teach- ers, and state and local ed- ucation leaders will regain control of their schools," said Kline, part of the bi- partisan quartet that spear- headed the bill. Here's how the major stakeholders fare: Teachers The new law eliminates the federal mandate that teacher evaluations be tied to student performance on the statewide tests. Teach- ers' unions hated that idea, saying the high stakes as- sociated with the tests were creating a culture of over- testing and detracting from the learning environment. States and districts will still be able, but not required, to link scores or consider them as a factor in teacher per- formance reviews. Students Don't start applauding yet, kids. The nation's 50 million students in pub- lic schools will still have to take the federally man- dated statewide reading and math exams in grades three to eight and once in high school — so parents, teachers and others can see how they are doing against a common measuring stick. But the law also encourages states to set caps on the amount of time students spend on testing. More children from low- and moderate-income fam- ilies will have access to pre- school through a new grant program that is to use exist- ing funding to support state efforts. Schools No more Common Core — maybe. The law says the federal government may not man- date or give states incen- tives to adopt or maintain any particular set of aca- demic standards, such as Common Core. The college and career- ready curriculum guidelines were created by the states but became a flashpoint for thosecriticalofWashington's influence in schools. The ad- ministration offered grants through its Race to the Top program for states that ad- opted strong academic stan- dards for students. Already, some states have begun backing away from Common Core. Parents The law provides for more transparency about test scores, meaning par- ents and others in the com- munity will get a better look at how students in their states and in local schools are doing. It requires that test scores be broken down by race, family income and disability status. Parents also will be able to see how per-pupil fund- ing breaks down by state, district and school. States States and districts will now be responsible for com- ing up with their own goals for schools, designing their own measures of achieve- ment and progress, and de- ciding independently how to turn around struggling schools. Testing will be one factor considered, but grad- uation rates and education atmosphere could also be factored in. To make sure all children get a fair shot at a quality education, states will be re- quired to intervene in the lowest-performing 5 per- cent of schools, in high schools with high dropout rates and in schools with stubborn achievement gaps. Obama signs education law rewrite shi ing power to states NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND OVERHAUL EVAN VUCCI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama talks with student Sofia Rios, of Arlington, Virginia, right, as he signs the "Every Student Succeeds Act," a major education law setting U.S. public schools on a new course of accountability, on Thursday in Washington, D.C. By Erica Werner The Associated Press WASHINGTON With the holidays beckoning, nego- tiations intensified on Cap- itol Hill Thursday on a $1.1 trillion government-wide spending bill and a sprawl- ing tax package touching all sectors of the economy. Dozens of issues re- mained unresolved, mainly policy disputes over envi- ronmental and other issues that lawmakers of both par- ties were trying to attach to the must-pass spending legislation. Republicans sought to lift the oil export ban and roll back various Obama administration reg- ulations; Democrats were maneuvering to protect President Barack Obama's environmental rules and enact permanent tax cred- its for wind, solar and other renewable energy. "We're not going to get everything we want in ne- gotiations. The Democrats aren't going to get every- thing they want in negotia- tions," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, told re- porters. "But I believe that we will successfully com- plete these negotiations." Under current law, gov- ernment funding expires Friday at midnight, when the last short-term spend- ing bill expires. The Sen- ate agreed by voice vote and without debate Thurs- day to extend that dead- line through Wednesday Dec. 16 to allow more time for talks. The House was ex- pected to follow suit Friday, but Ryan allowed that even more time might be needed. "I'm not going to put a deadline on it," he said. "I want to make sure that these negotiations are done well and done right, and not by some arbitrary deadline." Earlier, Ryan assured lawmakers from Northeast- ern states that legislation extending health benefits and a compensation fund for 9/11 first responders would be made part of the spending bill. That legisla- tion, which funds the gov- ernment through the 2016 budget year, has become in- creasingly intertwined with the tax bill, which could de- liver a political victory for both sides. Uncertainty remained as to whether lawmakers would pull off a major tax bill with permanent exten- sions benefiting both sides, or simply opt for a two- year extension of existing tax breaks. With Congress' legislative year drawing to a close lawmakers were eager to finalize their work and head home for the holidays. "I'm pessimistic about ev- erything. That's why I'm not disappointed very much," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada re- marked as he headed into a mid-afternoon meeting with his Republican coun- terpart, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ken- tucky. The two-year budget and debt deal passed earlier this year set the overall spend- ing levels, but that left it up to the powerful Appropria- tions Committee to allo- cate the money ahead of the deadline for a partial gov- ernment shutdown. The fi- nal areas of contention are the so-called "riders," the policy issues that lawmak- ers like to lard up must-do bills with. $1.1 TRILLION Congress in final talks on budget, tax bills NOTICEOFPACIFICGASANDELECTRICCOMPANY'SREQUESTTO INCREASE RATES FOR THE 2014 ENERGY STORAGE REQUEST FOR OFFERS (RFO) COST RECOVERY APPLICATION (A.15-12-004) OnDecember1,2015,PacificGasandElectricCompany(PG&E)filedapplication15-12-004withthe California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requesting approval to increase rates for two contracts for new electric storage resources. The two contracts will include rate recovery for start-up costs, financing, and maintenance and operations charges through the end of 2020.The two new resources are referred to as the Old Kearney and Mendocino storage projects. The resources will be fully operational by April 2018 and will be owned and operated by PG&E. The CPUC will review the contracts in a public process and decide what is reasonable for customers to pay in rates. If this application is approved, the request will increase PG&E's revenue requirement by $0.936 million in 2018 and $1.2 million in 2019. Summary As part of the CPUC's Energy Storage Procurement Plan, Public Utilities Code Section 2836, PG&E will secure energy storage resources to meet the state's targets. The principles of this program are to reduce greenhouse gas, optimize electricity grid usage, and integrate renewable energy resources. The amount of energy storage sought will increase every two years to allow for additional storage resources. By the end of 2024, PG&E will have a total of 580 megawatts of operational storage. If approved, these contracts will count towards PG&E's 90-megawatt target for 2014–2015. This application requests cost recovery from all benefiting customers, including customers receiving energy through another energy service provider. The costs for the two energy storage resources will be included in utility charges for energy transmission and distribution services currently found on your energy statement. PG&E's cost recovery plan for the new storage resources would result in the collection of approximately $1.2 million in 2019,which is the highest single year recovery for the project. How will PG&E's application affect me? If the CPUC approves the request, PG&E estimates that the requested increase associated with the new resources would be collected in 2018 and 2019. The total request for recovery is less than 0.1 percent per year to rate payers. For an average bundled residential user the collection amount will be less than $0.01 per month. If the CPUC approves PG&E's request for an electric rate increase,the electric bill for a typical residential customer using 500 kilowatt hours per month would increase by $0.01 or 0.01 percent from $93.69 to $93.70. Individual customer bills may vary. Rates would become effective April 2018. How will PG&E's application affect non-bundled customers? Direct Access (DA) and Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) customers receive electric transmission and distribution service, but not their energy supply, from PG&E.The application addresses the storage cost responsibility of DA customers and CCA customers that purchase electricity from another provider but transport it through PG&E's electrical distribution system.The net impact of PG&E's application on DA and CCA customers is $0.1 million, or an average increase of 0.01 percent. How do I find out more about PG&E's proposals? If you have questions about PG&E's filing,please contact PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.ForTDD/TTY (speech- hearing impaired), call 1-800-652-4712. Para más detalles llame al 1-800-660-6789 • 詳情請致電 1-800-893-9555. If you would like a copy of PG&E's filing and exhibits, please write to PG&E at the address below: Pacific Gas and Electric Company 2014 Energy Storage RFO P.O. Box 7442 San Francisco, CA 94120 A copy of PG&E's filing and exhibits are also available for review at the CPUC's Central Files Office by appointment only. For more information contact aljcentralfilesid@cpuc.ca.gov or 415-703-2045. PG&E's application (without exhibits) is available on the CPUC's website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc. CPUC process This application will be assigned to an Administrative Law Judge (Judge) who will determine how to receive evidence and other related documents necessary for the CPUC to establish a record upon whi ch to ba se it s d ec isi on . F urt he r, ev ide nti ar y h ea rin gs ma y b e h el d w her e p ar ti es wi ll pr es ent th ei r testimony and may be subject to cross-examination by other parties. These evidentiary hearings are open to the public, but only those who are formal parties in the case can participate. After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the hearings, the assigned Judge will issue a proposed decision which may adopt PG&E's proposal, modify it or deny it. Any of the five CPUC Commissioners may sponsor an alternate decision. The proposed decision, and any alternate decisions, will be discussed and voted upon at a scheduled CPUC Voting Meeting. The Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA) may review this application. ORA is the independent consumer advocate within the CPUC with a legislative mandate to represent investor-owned utility customers to obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. ORA has a multi-disciplinary staff with expertise in economics, finance, accounting and engineering. For more information about ORA, please call 1-415-703-1584, email ora@cpuc.ca.gov or visit ORA's website at www.ora.ca.gov. Stay informed If you would like to follow this proceeding,or any other issue before the CPUC, you may use the CPUC's free subscription service. Sign up at: http://subscribecpuc.cpuc.ca.gov/. If you would like to learn how you can participate in the proceeding, or if you have informal comments about the application, or questions about the CPUC processes, you may access the CPUC's Public Advisor Office (PAO) webpage at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc and click on "Public Advisor" from the CPUC Information Menu. You may also contact the PAO as follows: Email: public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov Mail: Public Advisor's Office 505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2103 San Francisco, CA 94102 Call: 1-866-849-8390 (toll-free) or 1-415-703-2074 TTY: 1-866-836-7825 (toll-free) or 1-415-703-5282 If you are writing or emailing the Public Advisor's Office, please include the proceeding number (2014 Energy Storage, A.15-12-004). All comments will be circulated to the Commissioners, the assigned Judge and appropriate CPUC staff, and will become public record. | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015 4 B