In the News
Trump’s $1B deal sinking offshore wind draws legal scrutiny
by Niina H. Farah
The Trump administration's deal with TotalEnergies to nix two East Coast offshore wind projects is drawing criticism from some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers who say the payout is likely illegal. The Interior Department last month agreed to pay back the French energy company the nearly $1 billion it spent on leases for its New York Bight and Carolina Long Bay projects. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has called the deal a win for energy affordability, as he panned offshore wind as … Continue Reading
April 20, 2026
House takes up Endangered Species Act overhaul
by Ian M. Stevenson
The House plans to take up Republican legislation this week to overhaul the bedrock environmental law meant to protect imperiled animals and plants from extinction. The "ESA Amendments Act," H.R. 1897, from Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), would amend the more than 50-year-old Endangered Species Act. It's been a GOP priority for years. The legislation includes requiring economic impact analyses to accompany listing decisions, capping attorneys’ fees awarded in endangered … Continue Reading
April 20, 2026
Natural Resources lawmakers weigh national park access
by Heather Richards
A House Natural Resources subcommittee will examine ways to improve accessibility at national parks, building on the EXPLORE ACT, a major bipartisan investment in parks and federal lands that became law last year. The Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a session, titled "EXPLORE America250: Enhancing Accessibility at our National Parks and Public Lands." It's expected to highlight the National Park Service's efforts this year to grandly celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of … Continue Reading
April 19, 2026
Trump’s fixation on White House ballroom is increasing, Post analysis finds
by Clara Ence Morse, Dan Diamond
President Donald Trump had just begun a Jan. 9 meeting at the White House with oil and gas executives when he paused, stood and walked to a window to admire his construction project. “This is the door to the ballroom,” the president said, gesturing at the future entrance to the planned $400 million addition to the White House. Trump touted the project for about 90 seconds, extolling the ballroom’s features, before resuming a discussion of how to rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry and lower … Continue Reading
April 19, 2026
The God Squad: Too Much Power?
by Jennifer Roberts
In the 1970s, the Tellico Dam, a concrete dam on the Little Tennessee River, was 95 percent complete. But the builder, the Tennessee Valley Authority had a problem - if the dam were finished, it would likely cause a tiny fish called the snail darter to go extinct. Under the newly enshrined Endangered Species Act, this made the completion of the project illegal. Environmental groups, fearing for the survival of the snail darter, took the Tennessee Valley Authority to court. The case ultimately … Continue Reading
April 17, 2026
Outdoors law reauthorization push in trouble
by Kelsey Brugger
Key lawmakers are at odds over a plan to reauthorize a law that invests in the national parks, with a top Democrat saying a Republican draft proposal unduly includes tolls, fees and a "slush fund for Donald Trump to do vanity projects." Lawmakers in both parties are keen to reauthorize the Great American Outdoors Act, signed by President Donald Trump during his first term, despite election-year hurdles. Now Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
The good, the bad, and the ugly: early signals for reauthorization
by Mehr Mukhtar
The debate over the surface transportation reauthorization bill is already underway, and early proposals show just how much is at stake for the future of our transportation system. As Congress gears up for surface transportation reauthorization, a slew of marker bills has emerged. These standalone proposals signal priorities, test ideas, and lay the groundwork for the final package. While they rarely pass on their own, these bills play an outsized role in shaping the debate. Taken together, … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
Lawmakers greet remarriage of offshore energy agencies with concern, shrugs
by Ian M. Stevenson
Lawmakers this week offered a mix of reservations and support — and more than a few shrugs — to the Interior Department's plan to unify two agencies that manage offshore energy. The White House last week unveiled plans to merge the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, both of which manage offshore energy production in federal waters. The plan to combine the agencies into the Marine Minerals Administration was also laid out in the … Continue Reading
April 10, 2026
‘People Can’t Afford Rent,’ Critics Say as White House Boasts of Trump’s Plan for Gold-Covered Arch
by Brad Reed
On the same day that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that inflation spiked at its fastest monthly rate in four years, the Trump administration unveiled renderings of President Donald Trump’s proposed gold-covered 250-foot-tall arch to be built at Memorial Circle in Washington, DC. The renderings, which were produced by architecture firm Harrison Design and posted on social media by the White House’s rapid response account, show a gigantic arch that would be flanked on its corners by … Continue Reading
April 10, 2026
L'Arc de Trump: Commission unveils plans for 250-foot arch
by Heather Richards
The Trump administration Friday unveiled new renderings of its proposed triumphal arch, a 250-foot structure planned to tower over a traffic circle near Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial, dubbed “Independence Arch,” is part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to leave a mark on the nation’s capitol and to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this year. “The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic … Continue Reading
April 09, 2026
Whitehouse puts further scrutiny on Interior offshore wind lease deal
by Kelsey Tamborrino
Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse sent a letter Thursday to French energy giant TotalEnergies raising legal concerns over its deal with the federal government on its offshore wind leases. The Trump administration last month announced it reached a nearly $928 million agreement with TotalEnergies to cancel its offshore wind leases off the coasts of New York and North Carolina. As part of the deal, TotalEnergies committed to invest the value of those leases into oil and natural gas … Continue Reading
April 03, 2026
DNA breakthrough identifies two men missing in Northern California for decades
by Aidin Vaziri
Northern California authorities announced Friday that they have identified the remains of two men who went missing decades ago, resolving a pair of cold cases that had remained unsolved since the mid-1990s. The men were identified as Charles Marrs and Gregory Hugh Oliver. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office credited the breakthroughs to forensic genealogy, a process that combines advanced DNA sequencing with traditional genealogical research to locate living relatives. In May 1993, the … Continue Reading
April 03, 2026
Ross Valley child care center poised to begin renovation
by Keri Brenner
After years of uncertainty about its future, the Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center is set to launch the first phase of an $8.8 million renovation plan. “It feels wonderful to be in this situation, looking forward and not backwards,” said Heidi Tomsky, the executive director. “We’re looking forward to another 50 years of success.” On Wednesday, Rep. Jared Huffman, who helped secure $850,000 in federal earmarks toward the $3.5 million cost of the first phase of construction, toured the … Continue Reading
April 02, 2026
Congress is in no rush to authorize Trump’s ballroom after judge’s ruling
by Dan Diamond, Jonathan Edwards
President Donald Trump isn’t inclined to seek Congress’s approval for his controversial $400 million White House ballroom — and many lawmakers are not inclined to give it. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Trump must obtain congressional authorization to complete his ballroom project, which the president has sought to fund with private donations. The White House immediately appealed the decision, and Trump struck a defiant tone in remarks to reporters and on social media. “In the Ballroom … Continue Reading
April 01, 2026
Trump officials cite ESA threats to Gulf oil, but production is soaring
by Ian M. Stevenson
Trump officials have exempted oil and gas activities across the entire Gulf of Mexico from endangered species considerations, asserting that production in the region is under threat. But no court has so far turned off the oil spigot in the Gulf, and offshore oil production on federal waters is at near-records highs. Some analysts say that weakens the administration’s argument. Crude oil production from the Gulf, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America, rose to nearly 1.9 … Continue Reading
March 31, 2026
Judge rules that White House ballroom construction ‘has to stop!’
by Devan Cole, Betsy Klein
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump from moving ahead with any further work on a massive new $400 million ballroom on the former site of the White House East Wing. “The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Judge Richard Leon wrote. Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, said he was delaying implementation of his ruling for two weeks to allow the … Continue Reading
March 30, 2026
Activists outraged after mining company announces plans to dig for rare earth elements next to US National Park
by Io Dodds
An Australian mining company has launched plans to dig for rare earth elements right next to California's Joshua Tree National Park, alarming environmentalists who fear it will damage the local ecosystem. Just outside the boundary of the 32-year-old nature reserve, in the Pinto mountains south of State Route 62, Dateline Resources Ltd has staked out mining claims to around 32 square miles of rugged desert land where executives hope to uncover precious metals. Heavy rare earth elements, known … Continue Reading
March 30, 2026
Next to Joshua Tree National Park, a mining company is staking its claim for rare earth minerals
by Alex Wigglesworth
An Australian company has launched a rare earths mining project just outside Joshua Tree National Park in critical desert tortoise habitat, an area the company’s director refers to as an “emerging heavy rare earth district.” The company, Dateline Resources Ltd., says that historical sampling of the area in the Pinto Mountains south of Twentynine Palms found enrichment in elements key to powering electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense systems. The United States depends heavily on China … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
No Kings protests keep growing as anger toward Trump escalates
by Raheem Hosseini
When No Kings Day returns to the Bay Area for a third time Saturday, it could set a record for the biggest one-day protest in U.S. history. It’s also likely to extend an unenviable trend for an American president usually fond of boasting about crowd sizes: If protester numbers are any indication, Donald Trump is one of the least popular presidents in modern history. No Kings organizers said Friday more than 3,300 events are planned across the U.S. for Saturday’s threequel — including nearly … Continue Reading
March 26, 2026
‘Oligarchy on Full Display’: GOP Lawmakers Block Effort to Subpoena Donald Trump Jr. Over Suspicious Pentagon Loan
by Brad Reed
A Democratic member of the US House is calling out her Republican colleagues after they thwarted her attempt to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. to answer questions related to his financial stake in a company that scored a suspiciously timed $620 million loan from the US Department of Defense last year. Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) on Wednesday tried to force the House Natural Resources Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to vote on subpoenaing Trump Jr. to testify about his venture capital … Continue Reading