Thompson launches The Common Wealth podcast for Community Enterprise Clinic to explore urban issues – U-M Detroit
Source: Law School
Dana Thompson
A new podcast from the Community Enterprise Clinic ( CEC ) highlights work being done by the clinic's clients as well as issues they and others face in community building. Called The Common Wealth , the podcast is produced and hosted by Professor Dana Thompson, '99, the director of the CEC and an expert on community economic development and urban revitalization issues.
The clinic, which represents community organizations and small businesses in Detroit and other disinvested urban areas, is producing the podcast in partnership with the University of Michigan Detroit Center.
'Not a lot of people are talking about community development, the tools that are being used to improve communities, and whether those tools are working or not—and they're incredibly important issues,' said Thompson, who is also director of the Transactional Law Clinics Program and founding director of the Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic. 'Since we are doing the work and we have these relationships, I thought this would be a great idea for a podcast.'
Continuing reading…
Back to News + Stories
READ SOURCE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Exclusive-In rare move, California steps in to find buyer for Valero refinery to avoid closure, sources say
By Nicole Jao, David French and Shariq Khan NEW YORK (Reuters) -California government officials are trying to find a buyer for Valero Energy's Benicia refinery near San Francisco, three sources familiar with the matter said, an unusual effort as the clock ticks down on the company's planned closure of the facility in April. The rare attempt by a state government to broker the sale of privately-owned infrastructure reflects its growing concerns over protecting fuel supplies in the most populous U.S. state and keeping a lid on prices, where California's nearly 28 million drivers already pay among the highest prices for gasoline in the country. California's effort to save the refinery from closing also marks a shift from the focus of government policy in recent years to champion green initiatives and restrict fossil fuel usage, that has led to an often tense relationship between the state and oil companies, including the second-largest U.S. refiner by capacity. The state's primary energy and policy planning agency, the California Energy Commission (CEC), has actively sought buyers for the plant, three sources told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. The CEC declined to say whether it is engaged directly with buyers for the facility but acknowledged it is working to ensure the facility remains open. "CEC is engaging with market players to explore pathways for the continued operation of in-state refineries," the agency said in an emailed statement. Valero, which reports earnings on Thursday, did not respond to comment requests. Earlier this year, Valero announced its intention to cease operations by April 2026 at the 145,000-barrel-per-day San Francisco-area refinery amid worries about California's declining fuel supplies and high gasoline prices. The San Antonio, Texas-based refiner is also reviewing whether to continue operations at the rest of its refineries in California, including the 91,300-bpd Wilmington plant near Los Angeles. This comes after Phillips 66 said last October it will shut its Los Angeles-area refinery due to "market dynamics" and begin in October winding down operations at the 139,000-bpd plant. The two refineries, combined, produce roughly 17% of the state's gasoline supply. Their shutting, alongside other closures and refineries converted to produce renewable fuels, like Phillips 66's Rodeo facility last year, will leave California even more dependent on more expensive fuel imports that would further drive up prices. Average regular gasoline prices in California on Wednesday were $4.484 per gallon, the highest in the nation, according to industry group AAA. The average U.S. price was $3.155 per gallon. Studies by the University of California Davis and the University of Southern California said, respectively, the refinery closures could push average prices to $6 and $8 per gallon. BUYER UNIVERSE Industry experts have said getting an agreement in place by the planned April closure of Benicia could be difficult. A thorough sale process, including adequate time for bidders to do due diligence and negotiate an agreeable price, traditionally takes place over several months. Even once an agreement is reached, refinery sales typically take between three to six months to close. "It would be a pretty aggressive timeline to get it done," said Skip York, chief energy strategist at Turner, Mason & Co. Among the parties contacted by CEC about Benicia is HF Sinclair, a source said. The refiner and fuel distributor was in talks with Valero last summer about acquiring Benicia, but negotiations collapsed over an environmental issue at the plant, two people familiar with the matter said. HF Sinclair did not respond to requests for comment. The CEC has also contacted parties that have owned fuel-producing plants in Europe, a source said. The European Union's strict environmental standards would make them more agreeable to operating in California, multiple sources added. The state government's climate-first agenda has brought California into conflict with American energy companies, which have criticized state policies for creating difficult business conditions and pushing up pump prices. There have also been tensions between California's green agenda and the federal government. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a congressional resolution to block the state's landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035. California and 10 other states have sued to challenge the repeal. California's energy regulator last month recommended new rules to encourage more private investment in fuel imports and a pause on refiner profit limits in response to Governor Gavin Newsom's call for reliable fuel supplies and a bid to save the struggling refiners in the state. Newsom's office declined to comment. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
14-07-2025
- The Hill
Newsom: Clean energy fuels two-thirds of California power grid
More than two-thirds of California's power grid is now fueled by clean energy sources — marking a new milestone for the Golden State, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Monday, noting that fossil fuel alternatives were the only energy sources used 'nearly every day this year for some part of the day.' 'As the federal government turns its back on innovation and commonsense, California is making our clean energy future a reality,' Newsom said in a statement. 'The world's fourth largest economy is running on two-thirds clean power — the largest economy on the planet to achieve this milestone.' 'Not since the Industrial Revolution have we seen this kind of rapid transformation,' he added. The governor's office noted in its news release that the most recent figures, which show 67 percent of the state's power coming from clean sources, are from 2023 and the state has made additional efforts since then. California approved a state law in 2018 that requires the state to move to 100-percent renewable, carbon-free power sources by 2045. 'The latest numbers show how our state is demonstrating that clean energy is mainstream and is here to stay,' California Energy Commission (CEC) chair David Hochschild said in a statement. 'Clean energy' refers to sources such as solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal and biomass that do not produce greenhouse gas emissions. Newsom announced last fall that the state's greenhouse gas levels have dropped 20 percent since 2000. But the state's power milestone comes amid federal pushback on programs meant to encourage transitions to renewable energy sources. The massive tax and spending overhaul, known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' that President Trump signed earlier this month cuts back green energy subsidies that Democrats had embraced during the Biden administration. Trump signed an executive order days after signing the law, blasting 'expensive and unreliable energy sources like wind and solar' and directing top Cabinet officials to review subsidies that have been given to promote those efforts. 'Reliance on so-called 'green' subsidies threatens national security by making the United States dependent on supply chains controlled by foreign adversaries,' the president wrote. 'Ending the massive cost of taxpayer handouts to unreliable energy sources is vital to energy dominance, national security, economic growth and the fiscal health of the Nation.'
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
California Oil Refiners' Gasoline Profit Margin Hit 97 cents Per Gallon in April, Retail Refining Margin Is $1.02, Says Consumer Watchdog
SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As oil refiners make a case in Sacramento for a bailout, new data published by the California Energy Commission shows oil refiners making 97 cents per gallon in gross profit from California gasoline in April – more than double their historical norms. Consumer Watchdog said oil refiners are crying wolf in Sacramento seeking a bailout, while raking in big profits at the pump. Energy Commission data, produced under Senate Bill 1322 (Allen), shows gross refining margins – the profits indicator for refiners – at 80 cents per gallon in February, 75 cents per gallon in March and 97 cents per gallon in April. "These are extraordinary margins for California oil refiners and they come as the Middle East crisis will give refiners an opportunity to raise prices higher and, when pump prices spike, oil refiners' profit margins tend to spike as well," said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog. "Governor Newsom must order the Energy Commission to establish a price gouging penalty immediately, as promised under his special session legislation two years ago, or Californians are in for even more gouging this summer. It's time to stop feeling sorry for the oil refiners and to finish the job of reining them in. These refining margins are Exhibit A for the fact that the refiners are playing possum." The gross margins are what the refiners keep after the cost of crude oil, environmental fees, and taxes are deducted. The only refiner cost included in the gross margin is the operating costs for the refinery, which are reported by the refiners to the SEC at about 20 cents per gallon. The data understates the gross profit margins made off consumers because it includes in the average the margins made on wholesale trades between refiners that sell at less cost. Another set of newly posted data from CEC now shows the higher margins made off consumers from retail sales alone. In April, for example, the CEC puts the retail gross refining margin at $1.02 per gallon. The breakdown also shows the gross profit margin from distribution of gasoline, which is shared by branded refiners and retailers, and is .69 cents in April – this includes the so-called Mystery Gas Surcharge. The margin is twice as high as the average distribution margin nationally. "Thirty to forty percent of what California drivers pay at the pump goes to the profits and overhead of the oil refining and distribution companies," said Court. "That's highway robbery and the state needs to crack down on this gouging by implementing the price gouging laws passed in 2023." The graphic produced by the CEC shows the breakdown of costs for a gallon of California gasoline sold retail from April. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
