In the News
Republicans hostile to proposed NOAA spending hike
by Alex Hargrave
House Republicans scoffed at the Biden administration's proposed spending hike for NOAA on Tuesday. The White House's $6.8 billion NOAA funding request for fiscal 2024 would be a more than $450 million increase from current levels. That increase would boost the agency’s ability to provide climate data and forecasting, and better manage fisheries, Deputy Administrator Jainey Bavishi told a House Natural Resources subcommittee. But Republicans — who are looking to cut spending … Continue Reading
May 24, 2023
What is permitting reform? The critical energy provision buried in debt-ceiling negotiations
by Ella Nilsen
Tucked into high-stakes debt ceiling negotiations is a critical energy provision that Democrats and Republicans in Washington both want – at least in theory. Energy permitting reform, which aims to cut down the time it takes for new projects to get approved, could be one of the few bipartisan measures to emerge from a debt limit deal. Or it could be left on the cutting room floor. Here’s what to know. What is energy permitting? Energy permitting … Continue Reading
May 12, 2023
Marin Voice: Funding for Farallones Marine Sanctuary kelp comes just in time
by FRANCESCA KOE
I am writing to share amazing news. Thanks to community outreach and the support of Rep. Jared Huffman, $4.9 million in federal funding is coming to local ocean conservation nonprofit, Greater Farallones Association (GFA), to lead the important work of restoring an essential building blocks of our blue backyard: kelp forests off the Sonoma-Marin coast in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS). For more than 15 years, I have had the good fortune to be a volunteer for the … Continue Reading
May 12, 2023
Local Student Wins Congressional Art Contest
by KIMBERLY WEAR
St. Bernard’s Academy junior Trinity Bowie has been named this year’s California Second District winner in the national Artistic Discovery Contest sponsored by members of Congress.According to a release from her school, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman called Bowie last week to share the news.The 17 year old’s painting, “Balance in Two Worlds,” is part of her Advanced Placement art portfolio, which “focused on modern Indigenous culture.” Bowie, a … Continue Reading
May 12, 2023
House Dems slam 'unconstitutional' pro-mining resolution
by Hannah Northey
House Democrats on Thursday blasted as unconstitutional a Republican resolution that would undo federal protections near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to allow mining. During a Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hearing, ranking member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took aim at the resolution from Chair Pete Stauber (R-Minn.). It would reverse the Interior Department’s recent decision to withdraw thousands of acres in northern … Continue Reading
May 10, 2023
A rupture that hospitalized 45 people raised questions about CO2 pipelines' safety
by Julia Simon
Please visit source link below to listen to the audio clip. Across the U.S., companies are building carbon dioxide pipelines as a possible climate solution. But after a Mississippi pipeline rupture hospitalized dozens, there are questions about their safety. MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: First, though, to Mississippi, where there's a big push for a possible climate solution. It involves trapping carbon dioxide before it leaves smokestacks, then building new pipelines to store it … Continue Reading
May 08, 2023
Democrats call for greater White House scrutiny of gas projects
by Maxine Joselow
Democrats press White House on permitting of gas projects Forty-four congressional Democrats are asking the White House to provide greater scrutiny of how liquefied natural gas projects contribute to climate change. In a letter sent this morning to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Democrats urged the agency to develop a specific approval process for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, projects that accounts for their impact on the climate and nearby … Continue Reading
May 05, 2023
Movement draws attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women
by Michael Giotis
Another epidemic is unfolding. Not a viral disease, but an outbreak that is nonetheless a real sickness killing women in the community. The trending hashtag to bring awareness to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women [#MMIW] really only scratches the surface of a bloody phenomenon. Indigenous women are violently killed at a rate of more than six to 10 times the national average. This shocking statistic is nothing new. Rape and murder have been a fixture of the Native American experience ever … Continue Reading
April 28, 2023
Nixing of Biden Endangered Species Rules Advances in House Panel
by Kellie Lunney
Endangered species listings the White House favors would be voided and a Trump-era rule limiting critical habitat would be reinstated under Republican bills a House panel advanced Friday. The move is the latest example of Republicans using the Congressional Review Act to target the administration’s rules on energy and environment regulations. The GOP push has recently included rolling back a provision on heavy-duty truck emissions the Senate passed April 26 and softening the definition … Continue Reading
April 25, 2023
Granholm’s Mountain Valley pipeline support creates firestorm
by E&E News Emma Dumain, Miranda Wilson
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s endorsement of the controversial Mountain Valley pipeline on Monday is putting environmentalists on high alert and stirring speculation about how the move will affect the project and congressional permitting negotiations. “This has all the hallmarks of a backroom, Faustian deal with Joe Manchin,” Rep. Jared Huffman of California, a senior Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said Monday. Widespread confusion — and … Continue Reading
April 21, 2023
Reps. Hoyer & Huffman Discuss Energy Policy
Democratic Reps. Steny Hoyer (MD) and Jared Huffman (CA) discuss energy policy, with a focus on the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, during a virtual event hosted by … Continue Reading
April 21, 2023
Sonoma County to receive nearly $15 million from Biden Administration for environmental projects
by Amie Windsor
Through three separate environmental projects, Sonoma County could be the benefactor of nearly $15 million in federal funding thanks to the efforts of the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, the Greater Farralones Association and the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of Stewarts Point Rancheria, Congressman Jared Huffman announced Friday, Apr. 21. According to a press release from Huffman, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Department of Commerce recommended the three projects … Continue Reading
April 19, 2023
ESA debate returns, now starring a bat and a bird
by Michael Doyle
Lawmakers aired long-standing grievances Tuesday over the Endangered Species Act, in a House subcommittee hearing that remained low-key even as it revisited familiar differences. Citing impacts on energy production, logging and ranching, Republicans promoted resolutions that would reverse new protection rules for the northern long-eared bat and the lesser prairie chicken. The species were also prompts for broader debate. “ESA regulations have been used as tools that many times have … Continue Reading
April 17, 2023
Members of Congress Urge USDA and DOI to Initiate Formal Rulemaking in Effort to Protect Old Growth Forests, Rural County Representatives of California Reports
by Sierra Sun Times Staff
April 17, 2023 - The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) reports on April 12th, a group of 28 members of Congress sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, Tom Vilsack, and Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary, Deb Haaland, urging the departments to undertake a formal rulemaking to protect mature and old-growth forests.In April 2022, President Biden issued Executive Order 14072, recognizing mature and old-growth … Continue Reading
April 13, 2023
Progressives call on Biden to repeal Willow approval
by Andres Picon
Progressive lawmakers Thursday continued their campaign against a controversial oil and gas project in Alaska, urging the Biden administration to repeal the project approval it granted last month. In a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and 30 other Democrats wrote that they had “serious concerns” about Interior’s approval of ConocoPhillips Co.’s Willow project on … Continue Reading
April 12, 2023
Wide range of concerns discussed during Thompson, Huffman Santa Rosa town hall
by Jeremy Hay
A Wednesday night town hall featuring Sonoma County’s two congressmen, U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, was animated by a broad range of constituent concerns that ranged from gun violence to the war in Ukraine, the health of the salmon fishery to tax relief for victims of wildfires. On the topic of gun control, one person in the audience asked the Democrats to “get a little stronger to get automatic weapons off our streets.” “It’s an absolute epidemic … Continue Reading
April 12, 2023
Calif. lawmakers request emergency help for salmon fishery
by Alex Hargrave
E&E NEWS PM | Members of California's congressional delegation on Tuesday asked the Biden administration to declare a disaster in response to the cancellation of this year’s chinook salmon fishery. The lawmakers joined Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in requesting relief for people whose livelihoods rely on salmon fishing. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), the House and Senate members said some … Continue Reading
April 11, 2023
Jared Huffman seeks disaster aid after salmon fishery closure
by Sage Alexander
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) has co-authored a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo asking for a federal declaration of fishery disaster. This comes after the Pacific Fishery Management Council closed the 2023 salmon season in California because of low counts of salmon. In an interview last month, Tim Klassen of Reel Steel fishing in Eureka said federal relief from another fishery disaster took three years to be distributed. “They … Continue Reading
April 10, 2023
Reps. Mike Thompson, Jared Huffman to hold joint Santa Rosa town hall
by Staff
Sonoma County’s two congressmen, Reps. Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, have invited constituents to a town hall meeting they are holding Wednesday night in Santa Rosa. The congressmen plan to discuss their work in Congress and take questions from participants. The 6:30 p.m. meeting will be held at the Cleveland Avenue offices of Redwood Credit Union. Those planning to attend in person are asked to RSVP by 5 p.m. Tuesday. The proceedings also will be streamed on … Continue Reading
April 07, 2023
‘Fear and panic’ in California fishing community after salmon season closed
by Claire Hao
The California fishing community called for speedy federal relief to those impacted by a full closure of recreational and commercial salmon fishing along the California coast this season at a press conference Friday. They were joined by state officials and prominent politicians, including U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Gov. Gavin Newsom requested a federal fishery disaster declaration from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on Thursday, which would provide expedited relief … Continue Reading