In the News
Panel debates opening ESA reviews to water contractors
by Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp
Members of the House Natural Resources Committee debated Wednesday whether to give local water contractors input into Endangered Species Act reviews, as shrinking water supplies across the West increasingly put agricultural and environmental needs at odds. The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries reviewed H.R.8259, the “Federal Water Projects Consultation Improvement Act,” which would require federal agencies to involve local contractors during ESA biological assessments, which can … Continue Reading
April 29, 2026
Democrats investigate as Trump OKs almost $2 billion in taxpayer money to end offshore wind projects
by Jennifer McDermott
The Trump administration is spending nearly $2 billion to get energy companies to walk away from U.S. offshore wind projects. Democrats in Congress are investigating. The Republican administration adopted this strategy after federal courts thwarted President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action. Three agreements have been announced. U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Jamie Raskin, … Continue Reading
April 29, 2026
House Democrats probe TotalEnergies offshore wind deal
by Kelsey Tamborrino
Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland said Wednesday they are launching a probe into French energy giant TotalEnergies over its offshore wind lease deal with the Trump administration. "Making a secretive, taxpayer-funded deal and trying to shield it from any legislative oversight does not generate confidence that this deal benefits the American people," the top Democrats on the Natural Resources and Judiciary committees wrote to TotalEnergies' CEO Patrick … Continue Reading
April 28, 2026
Trump administration blocks US wind energy projects in switch to oil and gas
by Gabrielle Canon
The Trump administration blocked two permitted US wind energy projects from development this week, with an agreement to pay millions of dollars in refunds to the companies behind them if those funds are reinvested in oil and gas. US Department of the Interior officials framed the canceled agreements as a way to “promote US energy security and affordability” by funneling funds “away from intermittent, higher-cost energy sources toward proven conventional solutions”, in an announcement issued … Continue Reading
April 28, 2026
Congressman opens investigation into Trump administration’s involvement in California dam removal
by Kurtis Alexander
A Northern California member of Congress is opening an inquiry into the Trump administration’s bid to stop dam removal on the Eel River, citing potential legal, environmental, economic and water-supply problems. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, wants details on why Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is advocating for a Southern California water agency to buy the century-old Potter Valley hydroelectric project in Mendocino and Lake counties, including its two dams, and continue operating … Continue Reading
April 27, 2026
Trump administration paying wind developers to walk away from California offshore leases
by Hayley Smith
In yet another escalation of President Trump’s efforts to obstruct clean energy projects in favor of fossil fuels, the administration this week said it will pay two energy companies to abandon their offshore wind projects in federal waters — including one off Morro Bay. The move raises questions about how California will progress toward its clean energy goals, which include 25 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2045. The agreement with Golden State Wind to voluntarily end its lease in the … Continue Reading
April 25, 2026
Trump’s changes to Reflecting Pool worry preservationists, locals
by Dan Diamond
President Donald Trump this week unveiled his rapid project to resurface the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool, saying that a contractor convinced him to use “American Flag Blue” to cover the pool’s basin. The changes have some historic preservationists feeling blue. Trump on Thursday walked through his planned renovation of the century-old pool, touting his expertise at building “more than 100 swimming pools” during his real estate career, and saying that he had involved his personal … Continue Reading
April 24, 2026
Democrats poised to escalate pressure on GOP with repeated votes on Iran war powers
by Mike Lillis
House Democrats are ready to escalate their effort to end the Iran war. Since the strikes began on Feb. 28, the lower chamber has voted only twice on war power resolutions, which would require President Trump to terminate the military campaign against Tehran unless Congress explicitly approves it. That pace is about to change dramatically. ... For full article, click … Continue Reading
April 22, 2026
Trump’s agriculture secretary touts Southern California water district as potential buyer for Potter Valley Project
by Amie Windsor
Six hundred miles. That’s the distance that separates a pair of dams in Lake and Mendocino counties from a Southern California water district touted this week by a top Trump official as a potential suitor for the North Coast waterworks. The move has been hailed by those seeking to avert the Eel River dams’ proposed removal, including local farming interests and their political allies, who have raised concerns about what a free-flowing river would mean for their future water … Continue Reading
April 22, 2026
Huffman: Federal Potter Valley intervention could be catastrophic for Northern California water
by Robert Schaulis
This Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that she had heard from a potential buyer for the Potter Valley Project, a now-defunct hydroelectric project composed of the Scott and Cape Horn dams and related facilities. Rollins said that the buyer, a water district in Southern California, could take over the project and return the dams to operating status, an assertion local stakeholders and many familiar with the project say is unlikely if not impossible. PG&E, who had … Continue Reading
April 22, 2026
House leaders pull Endangered Species Act bill
by Jennifer Yachnin, Kelsey Brugger, Mia McCarthy, and Meredith Lee Hill
The House on Wednesday abruptly shelved legislation that would overhaul the Endangered Species Act, in an apparent response to Republican opposition to the bill. Speaker Mike Johnson yanked the ESA Amendments Act, H.R. 1897, from consideration without explanation. But opposition from six Florida Republicans and other GOP members triggered the delay, said people familiar with the discussions granted anonymity to speak candidly. The legislation has long been a Republican priority to prevent … Continue Reading
April 21, 2026
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