In the News
Progressive Caucus puts marker on permitting reform
by Emma Dumain
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is elevating its efforts to promote the group's climate priorities, as Democrats are collectively grappling with how to navigate the debate over permitting reform. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) will lead a new CPC task force on “Accelerating Clean Energy,” which will undertake the development of a “blueprint” for how to implement provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. "The task … Continue Reading
March 16, 2023
Where Biden’s Arctic oil strategy may succeed — or fail
by Heather Richards
The Biden administration promised this week to ink new protections against oil drilling in the Arctic in an apparent counter to approval of ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil project. But will the administration’s plan help curb the industry’s future expansion in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska as the White House claims? And is it a winning political strategy for President Joe Biden? Many observers are skeptical, and industry sees an oil revival for public lands in the far … Continue Reading
March 14, 2023
Senate vote against Biden water rule likely this week
by E.A. Crunden
The Capitol Hill battle over the Biden administration's most significant water regulation could come to a head this week. Senators are moving closer to taking up a resolution of disapproval striking at President Joe Biden's waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule that lays out which water bodies merit federal protection. Republican sponsors are likely to have some success, with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) already on the record as supporting the measure. Another ally could come in the form … Continue Reading
March 13, 2023
Fellow Dems Say Willow Approval Leaves 'Oil Stain' on Biden Climate Legacy
by Jessica Corbett
Progressives on Capitol Hill joined climate advocates and Indigenous leaders across the country Monday in blasting U.S. President Joe Biden for his administration's approval of ConocoPhillips' Willow oil project on federal land in Alaska. "The Biden administration has committed to fighting climate change and advancing environmental justice—today's decision to approve the Willow project fails to live up to those promises," declared U.S. Sen. Ed … Continue Reading
March 09, 2023
CO2 pipeline build-out generates bipartisan House interest
by Jeremy Dillon
Lawmakers on a House panel found some consensus Wednesday on the operation and safety of carbon dioxide pipelines, as Congress seeks to reauthorize the agency responsible for the nation's pipeline network. The bipartisan interest at a Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing comes as backers of carbon capture argue that CO2 pipeline infrastructure may need to grow as much as five times its existing footprint in order to meet the needs to more fully deploy the technology and move … Continue Reading
March 09, 2023
Panels kick off policy debates on water, Western lands
by Jennifer Yachnin, Kelsey Brugger
House Natural Resources Committee Republicans showcased their priorities for the 118th Congress on Wednesday, holding a pair of hearings that addressed a broad swath of policies on public lands and waters. In the Federal Lands Subcommittee, Chair Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) reignited an age-old debate about the government’s grip on Western lands. In the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee, Chair Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) helmed a wide-ranging session on water policy, including hydropower … Continue Reading
March 07, 2023
How Ohio train wreck could complicate permitting overhaul
by Jeremy Dillon
Last month’s train derailment and chemical spill in Ohio has led to finger-pointing from both sides of the political aisle, but it is also now hardening attitudes on a still-live issue on Capitol Hill: permitting overhaul. The connection may not be perfect, but progressives see the accident as a warning sign — that deregulation leads to disastrous environmental results. “You get things like [East Palestine] when you take shortcuts,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), … Continue Reading
March 06, 2023
Democrats introduce bill, set hearing on crypto energy use
by Andres Picon
Democratic lawmakers are moving ahead with their crackdown on crypto mining's toll on energy resources and the environment with a first-ever Senate hearing on the issue on Tuesday. Members of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety will question experts and review legislation from Chair Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) that takes aim at the energy-intensive and highly polluting crypto mining industry. The "Crypto-Asset … Continue Reading
March 06, 2023
Natural Resources to vote on energy, permitting package
by Kelsey Brugger and Emma Dumain
House Republicans are barreling ahead with a partisan energy and permitting package, despite considerable Democratic opposition. On Thursday, the House Natural Resources Committee plans to vote on a mega bill, the "Transparency, Accountability, Permitting and Production of (TAPP) American Resources Act," which bundles three pieces of legislation from Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Chair Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), and Rep. Garret Graves … Continue Reading
March 02, 2023
Jared Huffman, Mary Peltola introduce bill in US Congress to support seaweed farming
by Cliff White
U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-California) and U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) have introduced the Coastal Seaweed Farm Act of 2023, a bill directing NOAA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to produce a joint study evaluating the benefits and impacts of coastal seaweed farming. The bill would also create the Indigenous Seaweed Farming Fund, a grant program to reduce cost barriers for indigenous communities to get involved in coastal seaweed farming. “The climate is … Continue Reading
February 28, 2023
Top Story with Tom Llamas
February 28, 2023
Democrats push to end security exemption on Capitol Hill as Republicans demand the right to carry guns
by Ryan Nobles and Haley Talbot
WASHINGTON — Staff Sgt. Aquilino Gonell recently retired from the U.S. Capitol Police after he was injured in the Jan. 6 attack. But he remains worried about one, seemingly small, security gap on Capitol Hill that could lead to a big problem. Members of Congress and, often, the people they enter the Capitol with are not screened by security when they enter the Capitol complex. “Oh, it is disturbing,” Gonell said. “The protocol is for them to … Continue Reading
February 28, 2023
The upHill battle on permitting reform
by James Bikales
A TELLING EXCHANGE ON PERMITTING: House Democrats on Tuesday mostly rejected Republicans’ legislative offerings to ease federal permitting reviews, dismissing them as “gutting” the public input process set up under the National Environmental Policy Act. “I know we have to modernize our laws…but I don’t think these are serious proposals,” Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who has previously expressed openness to reforms to boost clean … Continue Reading
February 27, 2023
GOP Demands Rail Safety Fixes After Years of Ignoring Rail Safety
by Sam Brodey
The first—and perhaps most revealing—reactions on Capitol Hill to the toxic train derailment in Ohio played out in passive-aggressive Twitter exchanges between powerful officials. On Feb. 13, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) tweeted that congressional inquiry and “direct action” from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were needed to “address this tragedy.” “Fully agree,” replied Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Omar’s ideological … Continue Reading
February 17, 2023
House Dems urge Haaland to pivot BLM toward conservation
by Scott Streater
House Democrats want the Bureau of Land Management to focus more on conservation as a means to address a "biodiversity crisis" driven by climate change. In a letter dated Wednesday and sent to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, 40 Democrats said this can be accomplished by directing BLM to identify federal rangelands that could qualify as wilderness or as areas of critical environmental concern (ACECs). The letter was led by Reps. Jared Huffman of California and Diana DeGette of … Continue Reading
February 16, 2023
Huffman Tours Redwoods Rural Health Center’s Remodeled Facilities
by Lisa Music
Redwoods Rural Health Center (RRHC) in Redway hosted Congressman Jared Huffman at their West Coast Road location on February 13 for a tour of the recently renovated medical and dental offices funded by federal grants through the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Congressman Huffman, representative of the 2nd Congressional District, has been a champion of legislation to aid in health center funding. On Monday, RRHC’s Executive Director, Tina Tvedt Schaible expressed gratitude … Continue Reading
February 15, 2023
World Bank chief steps down months after Dems demanded resignation
by Stephen Neukam
Trump-appointed World Bank Chief David Malpass is stepping down from the organization by the end of June, months after House Democrats called on him to resign following comments that implied climate change denial. “This afternoon, I shared with the World Bank Group’s Board of Directors my intention to step down by the end of the World Bank’s fiscal year,” Malpass said in a statement announcing the decision. Malpass came under fire after his response … Continue Reading
February 14, 2023
Rep. Huffman tours Baduwa't Mad River Estuary Restoration Project
by Sophie Lincoln
MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. — North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman was in McKinleyville Monday to tour the recently-completed Baduwa't (Mad River) Estuary Restoration Project site. The site is one of several recent environmental conservation projects that Huffman has helped fund on the North Coast. "We just toured some really wonderful restored areas that have enhanced public access for boating and fishing and just hiking in this beautiful area," Huffman said. In addition to the … Continue Reading
February 11, 2023
Highway 37 pact unites agencies on widening, elevation projects
by Will Houston
A collective of state agencies has forged a new agreement that proponents say will commit them to addressing grueling congestion on Highway 37 while expediting planning for a proposed rebuild of the commuter corridor threatened by sea-level rise. Six transportation and environmental entities have agreed to begin by widening the highway along a 10-mile traffic bottleneck. At the same time, the coalition agreed to begin initial work to plan for a proposed elevated highway. “This … Continue Reading
February 10, 2023
Democrats urge EPA to do more against plastic pollution
by Ellie Borst
Prominent Democrats are asking EPA to ramp up its efforts in tackling plastics production and pollution. A letter, sent Thursday by California Rep. Jared Huffman and Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Cory Booker of New Jersey, warns EPA about the oil and gas industries' plans for "doubling down" on petrochemicals and plastics manufacturing in response to the "transition to clean energy." Forty-five other members of Congress also signed on to the letter. "Plastic production harms our … Continue Reading