In the News
'This is pathetic': Lawmakers, Interior official spar over Arctic oil
by Heather Richards
Republicans on a House Natural Resources subcommittee excoriated a senior Interior Department official Wednesday over the Biden administration’s Arctic oil policies. The hearing of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee sparked a heated debate over future drilling on Alaska's public lands. Republicans also slammed Interior for not consulting with Alaska Native leaders before proposing new limits on oil and gas activity. At one point, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), the full committee … Continue Reading
November 28, 2023
US agency ends use of ‘cyanide bomb’ to kill coyotes and other predators, citing safety concerns
by Scott Sonner
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has halted the use of spring-loaded traps that disperse cyanide powder to kill coyotes and other livestock predators, a practice wildlife advocates have tried to outlaw for decades due to safety concerns. The M-44 ejector-devices that critics call “cyanide bombs” have unintentionally killed thousands of pets and non-predator wildlife, including endangered species, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services. They have a scented bait … Continue Reading
November 24, 2023
As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change
by Christopher Flavelle & Mira Rojanasakul
In much of the country, groundwater is being withdrawn faster than it can be replaced, a problem that states are struggling to address. And, as a New York Times investigation this summer found, the result has been declining water levels in nearly half the sites for which data is available. The federal government plays no role in regulating groundwater extraction, leaving that to individual states, but a growing number of advocates and experts say Washington must intervene to protect the … Continue Reading
November 21, 2023
How the U.S. Violates Its Own Trade Laws to Buy Seafood from China
by Ian Urbina
Few workplaces are as gritty and brutal as distant-water fishing ships from China, and there are a lot of them: With as many as 6,500 ships, China today operates the world’s largest distant-water fishing fleet, which is more than double the size of its next competitor. It’s rarely easy for crew members to leave these ships, and often it’s forbidden. With ships so far from shore, constantly in transit, typically operating in international waters, where national governments have limited … Continue Reading
November 17, 2023
PG&E releases potential plan for removal of Eel River dams
by Sage Alexander
On Friday, PG&E released a potential draft plan for removing Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam on the Eel River. The framework is part of the process of surrendering the utility company’s federal license to operate the Potter Valley hydroelectric project, established more than 100 years ago. The project hasn’t generated power since 2021, but dams still block fish passage. In statements, environmental and fish advocacy groups celebrated that the plan, which includes full dam removal, would … Continue Reading
November 15, 2023
Dems tell DOE to reboot LNG export reviews
by Carlos Anchondo
The Department of Energy should update how it decides whether licenses for natural gas export projects are in the public interest, more than 60 Democratic lawmakers told the agency in a letter Tuesday. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and others said DOE is assessing proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects using “outdated and insufficient methods of measuring climate impacts.” They urged the department to develop an approach that’s informed by “updated … Continue Reading
November 14, 2023
NOAA withdraws SIMP proposal; US Representative Jared Huffman calls move “disingenuous”
by Chris Chase
NOAA Fisheries announced on 14 November it is withdrawing its proposal to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), drawing criticism from environmental groups and members of Congress. NOAA first announced a major expansion proposal on 28 December 2022 that would have more than doubled the number of species that the program targets. The program, created six years ago to block the import of products that had been either mislabeled or harvested through illegal, unreported, or … Continue Reading
November 13, 2023
How the nonreligious in Congress view Speaker Mike Johnson
by Jim Saksa
As a congressman of faith, Mike Johnson is hardly alone. Like the new Republican speaker, 88 percent of House members called themselves Christian at the start of the 118th Congress. Like him, a majority are Protestants. Breaking it down further, Johnson is one of 57 Baptists, making it the second largest denomination in the House, behind the 122 Catholics. Despite Christianity’s numerical advantage in Congress, Johnson has argued repeatedly that his religion is under nationwide attack by, as … Continue Reading
November 10, 2023
UAE oil giant’s two missions: a greener image and ‘accelerated growth’
by Corbin Hiar
The oil and gas executive helming the next United Nations climate summit warned world leaders in September that global warming is “our common enemy” — and that “we are running short on time” to defeat it. Weeks afterward, Sultan al-Jaber told his fellow petroleum producers that “for too long, this industry has been viewed as part of the problem.” Slashing climate pollution, he said later at an Arctic gathering in Iceland, “is a massive task that will require nothing short of global … Continue Reading
October 27, 2023
Democrats revive legislation against single-use plastics
by Manuel Quinones, Ellie Borst
House and Senate Democrats reintroduced broad legislation this week to reduce plastic waste. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Rep. Jared Huffman of California released the latest version of the "Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act" amid a series of hearings meant to generate momentum behind legislation to address solid waste. "Plastic pollution is a public health crisis that can only be solved with bold actions,” said a statement from Merkley, who chairs the Environment and Public Works … Continue Reading
October 26, 2023
Democrats unveil ‘most comprehensive plan ever’ to address plastics problem
by Joseph Winters
As plastic litter builds up in the environment, polluting landscapes and poisoning ecosystems, U.S. lawmakers have unveiled their “most comprehensive plan ever” to tackle the problem. Three Democratic members of Congress on Wednesday introduced the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2023, a sweeping bill to reduce plastic production and hold companies financially responsible for their pollution. Previous iterations of the legislation were introduced in 2020 and 2021, but this year’s … Continue Reading
October 26, 2023
Dems blast GOP plan to limit protections for Rice’s whale
by Rob Hotakainen
Democrats are pushing back at a House Republican effort to block a Biden administration proposal that gives more protected space in the Gulf of Mexico to the endangered Rice’s whale. At a hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries on Wednesday, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the ranking member, said the GOP effort — part of a bill sponsored by Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) — read “like a love letter to the oil and gas industry.” Among his complaints, … Continue Reading
October 23, 2023
US government, companies face complicated path to removing Uyghur labor from seafood supply chain
by Chris Chase
In the wake of the Outlaw Ocean project report headed up by Ian Urbina - which found evidence of Uyghur and forced labor inside the seafood supply chain - governments and companies alike have kickstarted efforts to stop the current issues outlined in the report and determine how to prevent future incidents. The report, the result of years of investigation across the seafood supply chain, found evidence that companies inside China have used labor from China’s ethnic Uyghur minority - a … Continue Reading
October 17, 2023
New DOE guidance seeks to quicken $9B efficiency payouts
by Brian Dabbs
The Department of Energy is aiming to speed up the disbursement of nearly $9 billion in Inflation Reduction Act energy efficiency rebates for homeowners across the country. DOE released new guidance Friday that clarifies arcane sections of the program, potentially allowing state officials administering the rebates to get the money out the door quicker. The department is also allowing states to award some rebates to homeowners that have retrofitted their homes since Aug. 16, 2022 — the date … Continue Reading
October 04, 2023
‘No jubilation’: North Bay congressmen react to Speaker Kevin McCarthy ouster
by Austin Murphy
Kevin McCarthy’s House speakership had just gone down in flames, but there was no gloating or exultation Tuesday from either of the North Bay’s congressmen. “There was no jubilation,” recounted Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, two hours after McCarthy, the Bakersfield Republican, was stripped of the speaker’s gavel in an historic 216-210 vote. “There was just a heavy sense that this was unprecedented and really monumental.” “It’s a sad, somber day for the country,” agreed Mike Thompson, … Continue Reading
September 29, 2023
Remembrance | Dianne Feinstein visited Humboldt County several times, had early ties to Eureka
by Ruth Schneider
Dianne Feinstein, the long-time California senator, died Thursday, her office announced Friday morning. She was no stranger to Humboldt County — and had ties to the county long before she was born in 1933. “Eureka is an important part of my family’s history,” she stated in a 2006 news release from her office marking the city of Eureka’s 150th birthday. “My mother’s family left St. Petersburg during the Russian Revolution and traveled by cart through Siberia and boarded a boat finally landing … Continue Reading
September 28, 2023
Marin wetlands proposed for federal reserve expansion
by Will Houston
Two of Marin County’s largest wetlands could become part of a federal reserve under a proposal by a group of U.S. lawmakers. Reps. John Garamendi, Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson — Democrats who represent counties in the North Bay — are drafting legislation that would expand the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge by nearly 7,000 acres. Among the areas proposed for inclusion are more than 2,000 acres of state-managed wetlands near the Bel Marin Keys and Hamilton areas of Novato. “The San … Continue Reading
September 25, 2023
Huffman, Citing Rio Dell, Asks FEMA for more ‘Flexible, Equitable’ Access to Disaster Aid
by KIMBERLY WEAR
North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman questioned the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency about inadequacies built into the disaster relief program Sept. 19, specifically citing the recovery struggles in Rio Dell as an example of how the system is failing smaller, rural communities in the wake of natural disasters.While thanking FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell for the important work the agency does across the nation as she testified before the Transportation and Infrastructure … Continue Reading
September 25, 2023
SMART’s latest grant of $32 million gets passenger rail line closer to Healdsburg
by Austin Murphy
Sometimes, to explain how Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit will keep pushing north, Eddy Cumins refers to “puzzle pieces” that must fall into place. Cumins, who took over as SMART’s general manager late in 2021, announced Monday that the agency had just secured another giant piece of that jigsaw — this one in the form of a $31.89 million federal grant. SMART was one of six California agencies to receive funds from the Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety … Continue Reading
September 18, 2023
Democrats warn of lost rebates in call for faster rollout of climate-friendly home upgrade funding
by RACHEL FRAZIN
More than 60 Democrats are calling on the Biden administration to move swiftly in its rollout of consumer rebates for energy-efficient home upgrades, warning that the current pace could lead to the “potential loss of two years of rebates.” In a new letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, dozens of Democrats said that they were “informed that states may be unable to offer rebates until the Fall of 2024 or later” because of delays in finalizing the program guidance. “DOE should … Continue Reading