In the News
Allbirds founder: Being a sustainable business is 'not that hard'
by Cara Salpini
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pairs of cherry blossom-themed shoes hung on one wall, while green, Logan Circle shoe laces stood by the door, and Joey Zwillinger, co-founder of Allbirds, sat on a stool in front of a wall of boxes of shoes. It had all the trappings of a classic store opening event, only the focus wasn't on the store. Sitting beside Zwillinger in the shoe brand's newest store in Georgetown was U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-California. The collected attendees had been invited to listen in on a … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Playing politics with science spawns new threat to endangered whales
by Jacob Holzman
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that blasting air guns in an area where a rare whale migrates and gives birth could push it closer to extinction. But those findings conflicted with the Trump administration's push for drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, so the scientists were ordered to change their official conclusions so the agency could permit air guns to sound off in the whales' territory. Documents obtained by CQ Roll Call show that science-based … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Petaluma officials tout a busy year of achievements
by MATT BROWN
Petaluma City Manager Peggy Flynn has just completed a whirlwind first year at the city's helm, highlighted by progress on several housing and infrastructure projects, and victories on key issues like river dredging and fairgrounds negotiations. But Petaluma's budget remains threadbare, Flynn said, and the city has begun sobering talks aimed at ensuring longterm fiscal stability. "It's been quite an amazing year," said Flynn, who was hired from Novato a year ago to replace retiring city … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Mendocino County reports on coronavirus preparations; no cases locally
by CURTIS DRISCOLL
Mendocino County officials held a press conference Thursday morning to update the public about their preparedness plans for COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus. Mendocino County Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan stressed that Mendocino County still has zero cases of COVID-19. California declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus on Wednesday, and the U.S. Congress recently approved around $8.3 billion to fight the virus. The coronavirus was first found in Wuhan, China, in December … Continue Reading
March 04, 2020
California’s 1st coronavirus death reported in Placer County
by RUTH SCHNEIDER
California's Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency after the first coronavirus death was reported in the state. The elderly patient, who was in Placer County, contracted the virus while on a cruise ship. The measure made California the third U.S. state to declare a state of emergency. Washington and Florida are the other two. The cruise ship the patient was on is now sitting off the coast of the state. State officials asked the ship to not dock in the Port of San Francisco as … Continue Reading
March 03, 2020
The Coronavirus Is Challenging What Our Politicians Think About ‘Medicare For All’
by Matt Fuller and Arthur Delaney
WASHINGTON ? With the coronavirus spreading across the globe, U.S. politicians seem to be rethinking some of their most dearly held beliefs about socialized medicine. A Department of Health and Human Services official told a Senate committee Tuesday that the administration is considering how it could pay hospitals to treat uninsured coronavirus, or COVID-19, patients. And Republicans in Congress ? some of whom have spent their entire political careers railing against Obamacare and … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
GOP's 'Trillion Trees' plan meets Democratic opposition
by Nick Sobczyk
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) struggled to rally support for his "Trillion Trees Act" at a Natural Resources Committee hearing yesterday, as Democrats pitted it against their more sweeping attempts to halt fossil fuel extraction on public lands. Westerman's bill, H.R. 5859, would aim to sequester carbon by aligning the United States with an international initiative to plant a trillion trees around the world. Part of the package of climate policies Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
The Future For Fishing: Managing A Lucrative Resource In The Face Of Climate Change
by Nathan Eagle
Hawaii's $100 million tuna industry was the latest focal point for members of Congress trying to decide how to improve the main federal law governing the management of U.S. coastal waters. Conservationists and commercial fishing industry leaders came together on the need to restructure the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to adequately consider climate impacts during a panel discussion in Honolulu. But that was about it for the common ground they found during the … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
House hearing confronts tree planting push
by KELSEY TAMBORRINO
- The parties' different approaches to tackling carbon emissions will be on display today during a House committee hearing. - The leaders of the Senate Energy Committee signaled Tuesday there are working to iron out a few remaining issues on an anticipated broad energy package. - Lawmakers voted Tuesday to confirm the president's pick for deputy secretary of the Interior Department. GOOD MORNING! IT'S WEDNESDAY. I'm your host, Kelsey Tamborrino. Check out the POLITICO Energy podcast - all … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
Members of House committee at odds over efficient climate policy
by Alexandra Limon
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - Climate change policy was front and center Wednesday as the House Natural Resources Committee debated two different bills aimed to combat the effects of global warming in the United States. Chairman Raúl Grijalva's H.R.5435 would require net-zero emissions from the nation's public lands and oceans by 2040. The move would be a substantial drop in the amount of fossil fuel that is currently extracted. "We have an urgent need to reduce these emissions in order to … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
North Coast lawmakers aim to stop FEMA from seeking repayment from disaster victims
by JULIE JOHNSON
Two North Coast lawmakers are proposing to bar the Federal Emergency Management Agency from demanding disaster victims return federal aid that was received in good faith, a move taken in response to the agency's threat to seek repayment from the victims of recent wildfires. U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman of San Rafael and Mike Thompson of St. Helena are co-sponsoring the bipartisan bill introduced Tuesday by Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves. The bill sets out to prevent the federal government … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
House lawmakers split along party lines over bill to pause fossil fuel leases
by Ellie Potter
Lawmakers split along party lines in a hearing examining a Democratic-backed bill that would pause federal fossil fuel lease sales, with Republicans bemoaning its potential impact on industry, communities and federal revenue streams. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., introduced the bill, which would pause oil, gas and coal lease sales for a year to force federal agencies to enact a plan to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from public lands and waters by … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
Federal judge hears arguments about FEMA’s $4 billion claim in PG&E case
by JULIE JOHNSON
Attorneys seeking maximum compensation for wildfire victims in PG&E's bankruptcy case argued before a federal judge Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is not entitled to a $4 billion cut of the $13.5 billion deal reached by the utility with individual victims, warning that the federal government's claim undermines the ability of people hit by fire to recover. FEMA officials have said the agency would take back some federal assistance it gave to fire survivors in … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
Panel battles over tree-planting legislation
by RACHEL FRAZIN
The House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday juxtaposed competing visions for tackling climate change: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and planting trees to capture carbon. They panel considered a bill sponsored by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) that aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions on public lands by 2040 and a bill by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), which seeks to plant trees to capture carbon. Grijalva, who chairs the panel, criticized Westerman's bill, saying … Continue Reading
February 24, 2020
JPMorgan nixes financing for certain coal, oil-and-gas projects
by Zach Fox
JPMorgan Chase & Co. will no longer provide financing for companies focused on coal extraction, the bank said Monday, as part of a broader initiative focused on environmental issues. The bank plans to announce the initiatives as part of its investor day on Feb. 25. It detailed three types of financing restrictions related to fossil fuels, two tied to coal and one focused on oil and gas. JPMorgan said it would provide no lending, capital markets or advisory services for companies that … Continue Reading
February 24, 2020
The Energy 202: Trump administration decides against drilling for oil under popular Utah bike trail
by Dino Grandoni
After a public outcry in Utah, the Trump administration backed down from the idea of bringing oil and gas drilling to one of the best-known biking trails in the world. The Bureau of Land management said Friday it decided against selling the right to drill for oil and gas under the state's Slickrock Trail. Mountain bikers and off-road motorcyclists have come from around the world for more than a half-century to ride the rolling petrified sand dunes in this remote corner of southeast Utah. "We … Continue Reading
February 21, 2020
Proposed Social Security cuts alarm seniors, retirees
by Debora Villalon
MILL VALLEY, Calif. - Proposed federal cuts to social safety net programs are raising alarm among retirees. Almost 100 seniors attended a congressional town hall Thursday afternoon in Mill Valley. "A lot of people don't have 401ks and don't have money tucked away in the stock market," said U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, whose topic was the preservation of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The session came as the Trump administration proposes reductions to the programs. In an apparent … Continue Reading
February 21, 2020
Huffman vows at town hall to protect North Coast water rights
by SONIA WARAICH
Protecting the North Coast's waters and the communities that depend on them is a top priority, Congressman Jared Huffman told a town hall at the Eureka High School auditorium Friday night. Making sure fishermen get timely compensation when they're barred from fishing and ensuring there is enough water in the area to protect fisheries are two key issues, the San Rafael Democrat said. "I desperately want to increase funding for all the different resource agencies that would benefit fisheries … Continue Reading
February 21, 2020
Keeping Sustainable Seafood On Hawaii’s Tables
by Ed Kenney
In Hawaii, catching, preparing, and eating fish is integral to our culture and our everyday lives. From the ubiquitous poke plate lunch to the opah and akule I serve in my restaurants, we are fortunate to have an abundance of seafood options found off our shores. That abundance and the demand for local fish has enabled Hawaii fishermen to make Honolulu a top seafood port in the United States, with landings of fish valued at roughly $104 million in 2017. It is not just Hawaii where seafood is … Continue Reading
February 20, 2020
House Democrats urge banks to not fund drilling in Arctic refuge
by RACHEL FRAZIN
Dozens of House Democrats are urging several major banks not to fund oil drilling and development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), following a similar push by Senate Democrats. A group of 33 Democratic lawmakers signed a letter spearheaded by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) urging the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley to stop funding such drilling in the refuge. The letter was sent Thursday and follows an announcement from Goldman … Continue Reading