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President Donald Trumps administration is expected to rule on a growing backlog of requests from small oil refiners seeking relief from U.S. biofuel laws as early as Friday, but will delay a decision on whether larger refiners must compensate by boosting their own biofuel blending, according to two sources familiar with the planning. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday will announce decisions on some of the 195 pending small refinery exemption requests that date back as far as 2016, the sources said. The rulings will not be a sweeping win for small refiners, and will include some partial denials of waivers, according to one of the sources briefed on the decisions. The administration is also expected to issue a supplemental rule as early as next week to seek public comment on whether larger refiners should make up for the exempted gallons in a process known as reallocation, the source said. How the administration deals with exemption requests and the reallocation issues will have consequences for the oil and agricultural industries, and impact the price of commodities from gasoline and renewable diesel to soybeans and corn, along with the companies that produce them. In the past, widespread exemptions without reallocation have sent renewable blending credit prices lower, denting prices for corn-based ethanol and soybean-based biofuel. The EPA and White House did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard requires refiners to blend biofuels like ethanol into the fuel pool or buy the tradable credits, known as renewable identification numbers (RINs), from refiners who do. Small refiners can petition the EPA to receive an exemption if they can show financial hardship. The EPA has a mounting backlog of such requests going back yearsthe result of political indecision and legal wrangling across multiple administrations. Both the agriculture and the oil industries are keen for a resolution. Granting exemptions without forcing other refiners to make up the difference increases the supply of credits and puts downward pressure on their prices. Farm and biofuel groups have lobbied the EPA to limit the number of exemptions and to force other refiners to make up for exempted gallons. The oil industry is strongly opposed to reallocation, arguing it creates an uneven playing field and imposes burdensome regulatory costs. The EPA said earlier this year that it would force larger refiners to make up for future exempted gallons, but was silent on how it would treat exempt gallons from the dozens of backlogged requests. The supplemental rule will include various options in a bid to test how the market may respond, the sources said. By Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters
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Youve probably heard of “conscious uncoupling.” But now, Gen Z and other younger members of the workforce have taken up “conscious unbossing” at the office. What is conscious unbossing? It’s not that different from conscious uncoupling, but according to experts, it has to do with Gen Z’s overall disengagement and reluctance to climb the traditional corporate ladderand it’s affecting workplace dynamics and shaping the future of work. Here’s what to know. Wait, first, what’s conscious uncoupling? Back in 2014, actress and wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines when she framed her divorce from singer Chris Martin, as a “conscious uncoupling”basically, an amicable split or separation, signaling a lack of drama, while also inferring in a slightly cringe way that the break up is mindful, respectful, and, um, prioritizes healing and growth. (Not surprisingly, this drew the ire of many people, and a lot of mocking of Paltrow.) But now, Gen Z and younger generations are applying that same idea to the office. Well, sort of. In theory, this marks a shift away from the traditional workplace demands, a way to detach from one’s boss. So, what is conscious unbossing? “Conscious unbossing” joins other recent Gen Z workplace trends like quiet cracking, the Gen Z stare, RTO mandates, and general employee disengagementall of which signal that younger workers aren’t happy with how older generations are running the workplace, causing them to either check out on the job, or fully opt out. (It also sounds a lot like quiet quitting.) The workplace trend isn’t exactly newit’s been around for at least a year. And it comes out of younger workers’ growing demand for flat hierarchies, meaningful work, and transparent leadership. Over half of Gen Z workers52% in one studysaid they dont want to pursue middle management roles at all, with 16% refusing any role that puts them in charge of others, according to Jennifer Dulski, founder and CEO of Rising Team, an industry-leading team performance platform. “Gen Z has come of age in an era that includes a global pandemic and the rise of intense incivility and polarization, both of which have led to less connection in the workplace,” Dulski said. “They have also come of age in the era of the Great Betrayal, where many companies no longer do right by their employees. They want a world more focused on connection and helping people feel valued. While some will shun management, others will shun traditional work altogether, and make their own paths as entrepreneurs or freelancerswhile others will become the better leaders of tomorrow, creating a workplace that reflects the world they want to see.” Young talent and emerging leaders are increasingly choosing to opt out of climbing the traditional management ladder, according to global leadership development firm DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025. And Gen Z is 1.7 times more likely than other generations to step away from leadership roles to protect their well-being. As a result, 80% of HR professionals said they lack confidence in their leadership pipelines, with CEOs ranking that concern among their top four concerns. What’s the takeaway for Gen Z in the workplace? Despite the rise of “conscious unbossing,” Dulski said the next generation will emerge as a new kind of manager, for whom AI and technology is central in how they manage their teams. The managers job in this new world of work isnt about control, Dulski explains: “Its about using technology to create an environment where people are deeply connected . . . Thats what makes teams better, faster and stronger together.”
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CEOs rarely talk about plans that are a half-decade or more away from reaching reality. Yet way back in 2015, Disney CEO Robert Iger confirmed the company would eventually offer ESPN as a direct-to-consumer service. It would be an epoch-shifting moment for a channel that has been a cornerstone of pay TV in its traditional form for decades, and Iger said it wouldnt occur until at least 2020. Ultimately, this retooling took a full decadea period during which Iger retired and unretired. But the moment he said would come has arrived. Starting today, you can get full-blown ESPN in stand-alone streaming form, available on connected TVs, phones, tablets, and computers. Its the biggest inflection point for Disneys direct-to-consumer video strategy since the company launched Disney+ in 2019. We believe that people should be able to subscribe to ESPN in whatever way best suits them, says Adam Smith, named chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN a year ago after over 20 years at YouTube and Google. If they want to do it direct to consumer through us, if they want to buy it through a bundle, or if they want to just continue purchasing it through [a cable or satellite provider], that’s all great. What Disney is offering isnt just the same familiar ESPN programming delivered over the internet. Instead, the company has taken its 47,000 live sporting events a year, spread out across 12 channels, and built a distinctly digital experience around them. That experience spans apps for connected TVs, phones, computers, and TVs, sometimes intermingling them. It also flows into Disney+, where ESPNs motherlode of content could provide a competitive advantage over Netflix, HBO Max, and other streamers that offer only a dollop of athletics by comparison. Its no shocker that Disney frames ESPNs new streaming presence as being about customer choice, not the brand being any less relevant as part of a cable or satellite package. Historically, the carriage fees the company charged companies such as Comcast and DirecTVreportedly around $9.42 per pay-TV subscriber, the highest figure in the industrywere a powerful, dependable revenue stream. But as traditional TV has lost eyeballs to a bevy of newer ways for people to entertain themselves, ESPNs old business model has faced secular decline. Disney has had to manage that descent while coming up with something that can find a place in sports fans streaming budgets. [Image: Courtesy of ESPN] Disneys desire to provide options is reflected in the numerous ways consumers can get access to the new service. Officially, its $30 a month. But anyone whos already entitled to ESPN as part of a TV package will get the streaming version at no additional charge. And Disneywhich has long priced its services to nudge consumers toward bundlesis also offering ESPN plus ad-supported versions of Disney+ and Hulu at the same $30 a month for the first 12 months. Its also teaming with Fox to sell a $40 bundle including ESPN and a new sports/news/entertainment service called Fox One. A different $40 bundle offers ESPN and NFL+ Premium. (Disney recently agreed to acquire the NFL Network in return for the NFL getting a 10% stake in ESPN.) ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro walks through ESPNs bundling options. [Photo: Courtesy of ESPN] Even after so many years of contemplating the eventuality of ESPN in streaming form and then actively building it, Disney knows only so much about what the brand’s future might look like. As technology continues to permit new scenarios, sports fans expectations and preferences are subject to further change: We are navigating through some storms here, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro tells Fast Company editor in chief Brendan Vaughan in an exclusive interview. But with its new service, the company has a tapestry for further refinement, experimentation, and expansion. It really is a product that you’re going to see continue to improve with time, as we get more data and understand usage and the ways that consumers are most interested in interacting with ESPN in a direct-to-consumer fashion, says Smith. Same apps, more ESPN Though Disney didnt exactly rush to make ESPNs crown jewels available over the internet, it already has the largest digital footprint of any sports media brand. Between its own platform, YouTube, and social media, it reached 193.6 million peoplealmost 70% of U.S. adultsin June, according to Comscore. The company also has eight years of streaming experience under its belt thanks to ESPN+, its digital-only brand extension, which will roll up into the new service. (It will also remain separately available as the core of ESPN Select, a slimmed-down $12/month tier.) Critically, Disney isnt launching a new ESPN streaming app and then trying to convince people to install it. Instead, its giving the ESPN apps that already have 30 million active users a lot more, well, ESPN. Rather than supplementing live event coverage, theyll incorporate and enhance it. Smith emphasizes that particular care has gone into the ESPN app that comes closest to mirroring the way people have traditionally watched sports: the one for connected TVs. A lot of folks just want to jump live into the game, he says. But rather than simply dumping them into the action in progress, the app offers a feature called Catch Up to Live that summarizes what’s happened so far. Multiview capability lets viewers keep tabs on up to four streams at oncean enirely real-world scenario given that ESPN may be showing up to 200 events on any given weekend. [Image: Courtesy of ESPN] Once someone is tuned into a particular stream, the app can offer them access to data that goes far beyond the overlays on a traditional broadcast. It’s almost like being in the game with a Jumbotron, says Smith. It allows you to see like who’s on the court, who’s performing well, any kind of stats that we get made available to us or we’re able to gather. In 19 states and Washington, D.C., ESPN offers a wagering service called ESPN Bet, provided through a partnership with Penn Entertainment. By linking their ESPN and ESPN Bet apps, fans with money riding on games will be able to see their live and settled wagers onscreen alongside the events in question. Tens of millions of people who compete on ESPNs fantasy sports platform will also get in-app integrations: If your league’s coming down to the wire and Monday Night Football matters, you’ll able to have your fantasy football team showing up right there on the right hand panel and track your odds of actually pulling it out, says Smith. Then theres merch. ESPN is integrating shopping opportunities into relevant events using an onscreen QR code, which Smith says makes for a frictionless user journey. Phone, meet TV For years now, the fact that someone has been watching sports on TV hasnt prevented them from scrolling away on their smartphone at the same time. ESPN is formalizing that dual-screen experience with a feature called Stream Center. It allows viewers to control the ESPN connected TV experience from their phone as well as check out other scores and news. And it syncs the two screens so that nobody stumbles across spoilers on the phone for an event theyre watching on the big screen. Along with building digital experiences around live sports events, ESPN is using its digital platform to share news and highlights. Here it can atomize its content and reassemble it algorithmically, taking it far afield of anything possible on broadcast TV. For example, a TikTok-esque feature called Verts offers a feed of quick, vertically oriented videosthe stuff ESPN already shares on social networks, but inside the companys own app. SportsCenter for You, a custom news report inspired by ESPNs best-known show, uses an AI-generated voiceover based on a real ESPN broadcasterChristina Alexander, in the case of the demo I gotto narrate a custom collection of news items. We want to make effectively millions of SportsCenters, each uniquely tailored to the interest of the individual, says Smith. ESPNs SportsCenter show goes live on September 7, 1979when a daily show about sports was a new idea in itself. [Photo: Courtesy of ESPN] While much of ESPNs new digital experience will be unique to its own apps, the full gamut of ESPN programming will also be available in Disney+. That wasnt just a matter of sticking a new tile in the Disney+ interface along with the existing ones for Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and other fare. The company has spent years merging the technical underpinnings of ESPN, Disney+, and Hulu, each of which began with a different origin story and werent initially designed with compatibility in mind. That long-term project is what lets consumers watch what theyd like where theyd like. In late 2023, for instance, the company began letting people watch Hulu content in Disney+. ESPN+ content followed a year later. Even now, putting ESPN inside Disney+ is a complex enough feat that it wont be available on every platform on launch day. Integrating Disneys streaming offerings has been a big, heavy lift, from the video backends to the new player to the ads, Smith told me. But its essential to the company maximizing the profit potential of its streaming business. For instance, only recently has Disney unified the ad-buying side of things enough for marketers to easily purchase campaigns across Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu. Technical streamlining also facilitated Disneys recently announced decision to phase out Hulus stand-alone app in favor of the brand existing within Disney+, a move that solidifies Disney+ as the companys overarching streaming destination and might unlock billions in cost savings. Which raises a question: Is there any chance that ESPNs new digital incarnation is not its destiny but rather a way station on the road to full integration into Disney+? You never say never, allows Smith. But, he quickly adds, We believe that we serve sports fans really well through the ESPN app, through the mix of video programming, data, scores, newsthat there’s a use case for that. Fans have been patiently awaiting that experience ever since Iger first teased it. Now they get to decide if Disney has delivered.
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