In the News
The River Runs Free
by Thadeus Greenson
For the first time in more than a century, the Klamath River began flowing unobstructed on Aug. 28 from the river's mouth to Keno Dam, just below Upper Klamath Lake, opening hundreds of miles of salmon habitat and bringing a generational effort to the brink of completion. The moment an excavator broke open the last coffer dam holding the river back at what used to be Iron Gate Dam, letting the Klamath River spill into its natural path, it was met with cheers and tears by more than 100 tribal … Continue Reading
September 12, 2024
Westerman’s NEPA bill shakes up permitting talks
by Kelsey Brugger
Sens. Joe Manchin and John Barrasso injected momentum into the protracted permitting and grid negotiations when they secured bipartisan support for their bill before the August recess. Now House Republicans are adding another layer of complexity to the talks with a sweeping plan to overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act. A House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing Wednesday on Chair Bruce Westerman's (R-Ark.) draft NEPA legislation showed how difficult getting a final deal will be … Continue Reading
September 11, 2024
$7 million grant to pay for SMART Pathway completion from Santa Rosa to Sonoma County airport
by Anna Armstrong
A new $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program will go toward the completion of a segment of the SMART Pathway/Great Redwood Trail that stretches from Santa Rosa to the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport. The funding was secured by U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena. The segment will close a nearly 5-mile gap in the pathway network, which was created to enhance mobility for bicyclists and … Continue Reading
September 10, 2024
Westerman talks permitting, plans to file ESA bill
by Garrett Downs and Manuel Quinones
House Natural Resources Committee Republicans will introduce long-awaited legislation Tuesday to overhaul the Endangered Species Act. The bill is coming at an active time for Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), who released National Environmental Policy Act legislation last week. During a chat with reporters Monday, he also discussed his views on Republican plans for the Inflation Reduction Act. The "ESA Amendments Act of 2024," obtained by POLITICO, would require agencies to … Continue Reading
September 06, 2024
$11 million EPA grant will restore Humboldt Bay shoreline, fund land buy for Blue Lake Rancheria
by Sage Alexander
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday the Blue Lake Rancheria was awarded a $11,498,810 grant to buy and restore land around Humboldt Bay in the name of fighting climate change. The project will both multiply the tribe’s land holdings many times over and restore wetlands around the bay. Bill Matsubu, environmental director of the Blue Lake Rancheria, said this project is “using the oldest technology since time immemorial, nature and tending to by Indigenous people, to address … Continue Reading
September 04, 2024
Global Illegal Fishing, Forced Labor Sparks Bipartisan Concern
by Kellie Lunney
House Republicans and Democrats want answers from several federal agencies on how they are addressing illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the multibillion-dollar international seafood industry. Natural Resources panel members today sent letters to officials at eight agencies seeking information and documents related to news reports alleging abuses in the global industry. Those illegal practices threaten American seafood production and consumption, as well as marine … Continue Reading
September 04, 2024
US lawmakers, NGOs continue push against IUU in wake of Outlaw Ocean reporting
by Chris Chase
Agroup of U.S. government representatives, including U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Arizona), and a pair of Canada-based NGOs are pushing the U.S. and Canadian governments to step up enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and human rights violations identified in an Outlaw Ocean report. Outlaw Ocean first published its report on seafood being processed with Uyghur labor in China making its way into U.S. supply chains … Continue Reading
September 03, 2024
Del Norte County Airport Receives Grant to Resurface Runways
by ROGER GITLIN Country Media, Inc
The Border Coast Regional Airport Authority will soon be receiving a $7.26 million grant from the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration. The funds will be directed to restore the runway at the Del Norte Regional Airport (CEC). The Grant was announced by 2nd District Representative Jared Huffman who stated,“ investing in airport maintenance is essential for the safety of travelers and to the economy (of Del Norte county). I’m glad to have delivered this funding to boost … Continue Reading
August 13, 2024
Rep. Huffman, Health Secretary Becerra tout Biden-era health care investments in Petaluma visit
by Martin Espinoza
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra visited Sonoma County Monday to publicize President Joe Biden’s efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs, as well as to underscore the administration’s support for the Affordable Care Act and the nation’s vast network of federally-funded health centers. Becerra was joined at Petaluma Health Center by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, who hosted the visit, with both lauding the Biden administration’s commitment to expanding … Continue Reading
August 08, 2024
$88M in federal funds announced to fix power outages in Karuk, Hoopa and Yurok communities
by Sage Alexander
The Department of Energy on Tuesday announced $88 million would go toward a project that aims to beef up electrical reliability for Hoopa, Yurok and Karuk communities, plus the Blue Lake Rancheria. The Tribal Energy Resilience and Sovereignty project (TERAS) will install three microgrids along the outage-plagued 142-mile long “Hoopa 1101” distribution circuit, and expand microgrids at the Blue Lake Rancheria as a demonstration site. The microgrids are backups to restore power during outages, … Continue Reading
August 08, 2024
Trump took a private flight with Project 2025 leader despite saying he doesn’t know people behind the plan
by Ariana Baio
Despite claiming to know “nothing” of Project 2025, or the people behind it, former president Donald Trump has long-held connections to authors of the conservative presidential transition plan and at one point reportedly took a private flight with its leader. In April of 2022, Trump took a 45-minute private flight with Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation - a right-wing think tank group responsible for Project 2025 - to attend a conference in Florida for the group,The … Continue Reading
August 07, 2024
Project 2025's new leader Kevin Roberts postpones his own book launch until after the election
by Lisa Mascaro
As Project 2025 hits turmoil, the head of the influential, far-right Heritage Foundation is postponing the release of his potentially fiery new book until after the November presidential election. Kevin Roberts, who took over Project 2025 as part of a leadership shake-up amid blowback over its recommendations for a potential Donald Trump White House, said Wednesday he is focused on defeating presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Trump's running mate JD Vancepenned the forward to … Continue Reading
July 30, 2024
Trump's Repeated Efforts to Disavow Project 2025 'Not Fooling Anyone
by Jessica Corbett
As the Heritage Foundation announced Tuesday that Project 2025's director will soon step down, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump continued efforts to distance his campaign from the far-right blueprint, despite the clear and well-documented connections. "President Trump's campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the president in any way," Susie … Continue Reading
July 26, 2024
Despite breakthrough, Manchin and Barrasso’s permitting reform effort faces hurdles
by Rachel Frazin
Although Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) finally reached an agreement on energy permitting reform this week, their effort still faces an uphill climb. They’ll need to convince leadership and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers to support their deal — and to give them floor space at the end of the year. For Manchin, who is not seeking reelection and will leave the Senate when his term ends in January, it marks the last chance to accomplish a … Continue Reading
July 22, 2024
What is Project 2025? Everything we know about the ‘dystopian’ manifesto for Trump’s second term
by Alex Woodward
A 900-page plan drawn up by former Donald Trump aides and endorsed by a powerful right-wing think tank is giving the former president a roadmap for his second administration. Project 2025 — a blueprint for Trump’s presidency spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation and more than a dozen former Trump administration officials — is essentially a wishlist for his administration with plans to expand his executive authority, replace civil servants with ideologically aligned appointees, crush abortion … Continue Reading
July 17, 2024
FCC Commissioner Wrote A Project 2025 Chapter—Democrats Want Him Investigated Over It
by Alison Durkee
House Democrats called Wednesday for an ethics investigation into Federal Communications Commission leader Brendan Carr, arguing he improperly used his office after the commissioner authored a chapter in the controversial Project 2025 policy agenda that lays out a blueprint for former President Donald Trump to overhaul the executive branch. ... For Complete article, please click … Continue Reading
July 17, 2024
Democrats question FCC commissioner’s role in Project 2025
by Nick Robertson
More than a dozen House Democrats sent a letter to the inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday, questioning Commissioner Brendan Carr’s role in helping craft Project 2025, a conservative policy document. The letter, led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), claims Carr violated ethics rules and may have misused his office. Project 2025 is a Heritage Foundation document outlining policy initiatives for a second Trump administration, and included multiple … Continue Reading
July 15, 2024
Republicans are soft-pedaling Project 2025 even as they promote it
by Joe Garofoli
MILWAUKEE — Supporters of Project 2025 are following President Donald Trump’s lead and soft-pedaling the blueprint for his potential next term following weeks of Democrats demonizing the plan that proposes banning abortion nationwide, militarizing the border, outlawing transgender identity, ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and crippling the power of federal departments like the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump’s campaign has tried to distance itself from Project 2025 … Continue Reading
July 12, 2024
Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry seals deal for electrified fleet
by Krissy Waite
The Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry has contracted with an international company to lead the electrification of its boats — the first zero-emission fleet in the state. The ferry service announced the new contract with EV Maritime, a New Zealand company specializing in electric ferry design, at Pier 9 in San Francisco. The ceremony on Friday included speeches from Maggie McDonogh, who owns the ferry service, and Christopher Luxon, the prime minister of New Zealand. “I’m honored, humbled, a bit … Continue Reading
July 12, 2024
Huffman presses Congress for special education funding
by Keri Brenner
A new bill to approve full federal funding for special education advanced by Marin Rep. Jared Huffman would help children in the county with special needs and free up school districts’ budgets for other programs, the county’s top education official said this week. “The historic underfunding of the IDEA has a major impact on local educational agency budgets,” said John Carroll, Marin superintendent of schools, referring to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, first passed by … Continue Reading