In the News
Lawmakers fear consequences of keeping national parks open during shutdown
by Garrett Downs
Some lawmakers are wincing as President Donald Trump has ordered National Parks to remain open and operated by a skeleton crew during the government shutdown. “I am concerned about parks being accessible, being safe, being maintained adequately, I think it’s a very serious concern,” said Sen. Angus King, an independent of Maine who caucuses with Democrats. “It’s one of the things that was bothering me yesterday, when I decided not to vote to shut the government down.” King, the ranking … Continue Reading
October 01, 2025
Social Security delays, farmers sidelined, veterans wary: Shutdown reaches Sonoma, Napa counties
by Tarini Mehta
The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a funding bill, triggering furloughs, service disruptions and uncertainty across the country. In Sonoma and Napa counties, federally funded services such as Social Security, veterans’ clinics and Head Start centers remained open Wednesday morning, though officials warned staffing cuts and funding lapses could limit operations if the shutdown drags on. Lines formed at Santa Rosa’s Social Security office, … Continue Reading
October 01, 2025
National parks in Marin close amid government shutdown
by Adrian Rodriguez
The Muir Woods National Monument and sites in the Marin Headlands closed Wednesday as the federal government became mired in a shutdown. “Due to a lapse in federal appropriations, some park sites and facilities are currently closed,” the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which also includes sites in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, said in an announcement on its website. In many cases, parking lots and visitor centers were closed, though park rangers planned to remain on duty. Some … Continue Reading
September 30, 2025
Humboldt County impacts from federal government shutdown unclear
by Sage Alexander
Some Humboldt County offices of federal agencies have seen scant updated guidance on how to prepare for a potential government shutdown, expected to begin if Congress can’t reach a compromise by midnight Wednesday. Other agencies that manage land in Humboldt County wouldn’t detail their local plans to address a halt to government operations, which would mean staff furloughed and funding halted. Around 800 federal workers live in Humboldt County, according to California Employment Development … Continue Reading
September 30, 2025
Bolinas residents celebrate reopening of post office
by Steven Rosenfeld
Ralph Camiccia left the Bolinas Post Office with an armful of mail, magazines and medicine, but he couldn’t get past the front steps. The 81-year-old former fire chief kept bumping into neighbors who came to behold the post office, which reopened after 948 days in limbo over a lease dispute. “The post office was really a focal point, a meeting point, and we kind of lost that for about three years,” Camiccia said. “People would come and get their mail and then people would visit.” ... For … Continue Reading
September 29, 2025
"No one is safe": Democrats fear Trump will prosecute them next
by Andrew Solender
Some congressional Democrats are going so far as to check their own personal finances after the indictment of James Comey, Axios has learned. Why it matters: With President Trump calling for Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) to be prosecuted for mortgage fraud, members fear that a loose thread could provide an opening to go after them next. "Many are ... going through mortgages, tax returns, etc.," one senior House Democrat, speaking on the condition … Continue Reading
September 20, 2025
National parks remove signs about climate, slavery and Japanese detention
by Jake Spring
The National Park Service has removed signs at Acadia National Park in Maine that make reference to climate change amid the Trump administration’s wider effort to remove information that it says undermines “the remarkable achievements of the United States.” A sign has also been removed from at least one additional park that referred to slavery, the detention of Japanese Americans during World War II and conflicts with Native Americans. The removals come after President Donald Trump issued … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
In central Illinois, carbon capture project’s proximity to Mahomet Aquifer raises fears
by Lily Carey
A little over three years ago, a representative from ethanol manufacturer One Earth Energy knocked on Sally Lasser’s door.? The representative, who Lasser said was “a dear neighbor,” told her his company was working on a new project to cut down its carbon footprint and handed her a yellow envelope, containing information about a complex technology called carbon capture and sequestration.? In the manufacturing process, carbon dioxide is filtered out of the air, converted into its liquid form, … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
House lawmakers introduce bipartisan pipeline safety bill
by Amelia Davidson
Leaders on a House committee unveiled bipartisan legislation Friday to reauthorize the nation’s pipeline safety regulator — and move closer to new carbon and hydrogen transportation standards. H.R. 5301, the “Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act," is the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's attempt to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s pipeline safety programs for the next four years. PHMSA, which regulates … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
Huffman visits Novato High School’s endangered Wellness Hub
by Cameron Macdonald
September 11, 2025
Permitting hearing showcases opportunities — and obstacles
by Kelsey Brugger
Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee made clear Wednesday that the Trump administration’s efforts to thwart solar energy and offshore wind projects and downsize the federal workforce may get in the way of any permitting deal. Their comments came during a highly anticipated hearing on several bills to address permitting concerns, including a bipartisan proposal sponsored by Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) to overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act. For years, lawmakers … Continue Reading
September 10, 2025
Forest Service reverses decades-long ban, allows wildfire firefighters to use N95 masks
by Susanne Rust
The U.S. Forest Service has announced it is reversing a ban on federal firefighters wearing masks, and will give crews protective N95s as they battle increasingly intense fires across the nation. For decades, the agency argued their use made firefighters vulnerable to heat exhaustion. Other wildfire-prone nations, such as Canada, Greece and Australia, provide their firefighters with masks to prevent lung damage and smoke-related diseases, including cancer and organ failure — and have … Continue Reading
September 10, 2025
Democrats want to back Westerman's permitting push — with a catch
by Josh Siegel
Democrats expressed support Wednesday for easing federal environmental reviews to make it easier to build new energy projects, but said they won’t agree to a permitting reform deal with Republicans unless President Donald Trump stops his attacks on renewables. Tensions between the parties were apparent at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing Wednesday to review bipartisan permitting legislation to limit the scope of environmental reviews and impose restrictions on lawsuits under the … Continue Reading
September 08, 2025
Permitting talks back on the agenda this week
by Kelsey Brugger
There’s plenty of talk of permitting reform on Capitol Hill these days, but whether that will turn into real progress remains to be seen. A House Natural Resources hearing this week may offer some clues, with Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) planning to push his H.R. 4776, the “Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act," co-sponsored by moderate Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. Also on the agenda are H.R. 573, the "Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act," … Continue Reading
September 08, 2025
White House embraces density concept in developing energy policy
by Kelly Livingston
As the federal government reimagines American energy policy this year, support for projects hinges on a new metric — density. The concept of density in energy production echoes throughout recent regulatory changes and funding rescissions across the Trump administration, leading to a demonstrably increased federal preference for fossil fuels and nuclear power over renewable generation sources such as wind and solar. Broadly speaking, relying on density metrics prioritizes greater energy … Continue Reading
September 05, 2025
NOAA hearings feature clash over Trump ocean mining plans
by Daniel Cusick, Hannah Northey
Debate over the Trump administration's plan to make it easier for companies to extract minerals from the ocean floor took a sharper edge this week as environmentalists and mining advocates traded blows over a NOAA proposal to streamline environmental reviews for seabed mining projects. In a series of public meetings, environmental groups warned that opening potentially tens of millions of acres of largely unexplored ocean floor to recover “polymetallic nodules” presents immense risk to … Continue Reading
September 04, 2025
House passes bill to up Montana coal mining on BLM land
by Laura Lundquist
The first Trump administration failed in its attempt to open more federal lands in Montana to resource extraction. Now, during Trump’s second term, Republicans are using Congressional action to avoid similar failure for good. On Wednesday, on basically party-line votes, the House of Representatives passed three joint resolutions to negate three Resource Management Plans that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management finalized within the past year: those associated with the Miles City, North Dakota … Continue Reading
September 04, 2025
House committee approves FEMA overhaul bill
by Amelia Davidson
A bipartisan bill that would dramatically reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency cleared a major procedural hurdle Wednesday. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced H.R. 4669, the “Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act,” in a 57-3 vote. The lone “no” votes came from Republican Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Eric Burlison of Missouri. The bill, led by Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) … Continue Reading
September 03, 2025
Trump administration withdraws $426.7 million grant for Humboldt Bay wind project
by Veonna King
The Trump administration has withdrawn a $426,719,810 grant initially allocated for the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District. The funds, provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), were intended for the construction of onshore facilities to support offshore wind energy projects. This decision is part of a broader move by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy to terminate $679 million in funding for 12 offshore wind projects nationwide. The … Continue Reading
August 29, 2025
Trump admin cancels $679 million for offshore wind projects as attacks on reeling industry continue
by Matthew Daly
The Transportation Department on Friday canceled $679 million in federal funding for a dozen offshore wind projects, the latest attack by the Trump administration on the reeling U.S. offshore wind industry. Funding for projects in 11 states was rescinded, including $435 million for a floating wind farm in Northern California and $47 million to boost an offshore wind project in Maryland that the Interior Department has pledged to cancel. “Wasteful, wind projects are using resources that could … Continue Reading