In the News
GAO: Trump workforce cuts slow tribal cooperation agreements
by Scott Streater
The Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce are hampering the ability of the Interior Department and other federal agencies to develop and finalize co-stewardship agreements with Native American tribes, a federal watchdog agency finds in a new report. The Government Accountability Office report released Wednesday recommends, among other things, that the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service take steps to assess whether they have the “staff capacity related to … Continue Reading
January 27, 2026
NOAA speeds up process to grant deep-sea mining permits
by David Jordan
The Trump administration, with the support of many congressional Republicans, is looking to boost deep-sea mining as a way to counter Chinese dominance of critical minerals supply chains. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a final rule on Jan. 21 that would speed up the process companies must go through to receive exploration licenses and commercial recovery permit applications under a 1980 law. The move has drawn skepticism over concerns about largely unproven … Continue Reading
January 23, 2026
Trump administration removes slavery exhibit, historical displays from parks, museums
by Julia Marshall
Since President Donald Trump returned to office, his administration has been removing or altering displays at museums and parks across the country. The effort traces back to last year, when Trump signed an executive order aimed at “restoring truth and sanity to American history.” Since then, the president has ordered the National Portrait Gallery to alter and repost information about his two impeachments. Now, The Washington Post reports that National Park Service staff took down an exhibit … Continue Reading
January 22, 2026
Huffman: ‘Madman in the White House’ threatens outdoor law
by Heather Richards
A House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing intended to showcase the first-year of a bipartisan public lands law instead became a forum for Democrats to hammer their conservative colleagues over the Trump administration’s efforts to cut the federal workforce. The Subcommittee on Federal Lands met Wednesday to celebrate one year of the EXPLORE Act — the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act — which boosted internet connectivity on public lands and streamlined permitting … Continue Reading
January 20, 2026
Lawmakers to debate Trump deep-sea mining plan
by Hannah Northey
The Trump administration's contentious plan to unleash deep-sea mining in U.S. waters is teed up for debate in the House this week. The Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources is scheduled to examine regulatory barriers to offshore mining Thursday, a debate that’s likely to spark partisan fighting over the government’s fast-paced moves to advance leasing off the shores of Virginia, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. … Continue Reading
January 14, 2026
FWS chief briefs lawmakers on hunting, fishing at wildlife refuges
by Michael Doyle
Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik appeared on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to trumpet the Trump administration’s plans to expand hunting and fishing on the nation’s wildlife refuges, with lawmakers responding with bipartisan support for shoring up those public lands. Nesvik testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, using his appearance to showcase a new Interior Department-wide directive to “identify and remove unnecessary regulatory … Continue Reading
January 14, 2026
Trump administration accused of 'slow-walking' help to Pacific island veterans
by David Brunnstrom
The Trump administration was accused on Wednesday of dragging its feet in delivering congressionally agreed benefits to Pacific island nations being courted by China to try to woo them away from the U.S. strategic orbit. The ambassadors of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia as well as Democratic lawmakers told a congressional hearing that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had yet to implement extended benefits to veterans from the … Continue Reading
January 13, 2026
Highway 37 bridge project in Novato gets $25 million influx
by Adrian Rodriguez
A plan to raise a bridge in a flood-prone area of Highway 37 in Marin County is in line for a $25 million funding boost. The Transportation Authority of Marin is set to transfer the funds to the California Department of Transportation for the Novato Creek Bridge replacement project. The funds are part of the county’s share of Regional Measure 3 bridge toll revenue administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. “What’s exciting about the new Novato Creek Bridge is that it’s going … Continue Reading
January 09, 2026
House GOP hits Senate on wildfire bill delay
by Marc Heller
House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman is knocking the Senate for dropping electric utility line protections from a forest management bill that he’s worked to negotiate with colleagues across the Capitol. At a subcommittee hearing Thursday on preventing wildfire damage to the power grid and water supplies, the Arkansas Republican lamented that Senate sponsors of the “Fix Our Forests Act” didn’t include a provision from his previously introduced bill that would have streamlined forest … Continue Reading
January 09, 2026
Energy, enviro spending bills ready for Senate action
by Andres Picon
The House passed a three-bill spending package Thursday, an important step toward funding the Department of Energy, the Interior Department, EPA and other agencies after months of tumultuous negotiations. Lawmakers cleared the compromise appropriations bills on a 397-28 vote, sending them over to the Senate, where outstanding disagreements over earmarks and a beleaguered Colorado climate lab could still complicate final passage. The House’s approval of the three bills — … Continue Reading
January 08, 2026
Trump's UN climate exit will set back progress, advocates warn
by Amy Harder, Chuck McCutcheon
President Trump's decision to yank the U.S. from UN climate change agencies will set back international progress on addressing the climate, observers say. Why it matters: The U.S. is the world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and provides much of the scientific heft addressing the problem. Climate scientists and activists predicted it will furher isolate the U.S. on the global stage. ... For full article, click … Continue Reading
January 08, 2026
Congress Tries, but Fails, to Take a Stand for Its Own Powers
by Annie Karni
Republicans on Capitol Hill on Thursday did something they have done little of in recent years: They tried pushing back against President Trump and standing up for their own, coequal branch of government. In the House, dozens of Republicans voted with Democrats on Thursday afternoon in an attempt to override Mr. Trump’s first two vetoes of his second term. But with most of the G.O.P. siding with the president, they ultimately did not have enough votes to clear the two-thirds threshold … Continue Reading
January 07, 2026
California's congressional delegation renews call for federal aid on anniversary of wildfires
by Linh Tat
On the one-year anniversary of the Southern California wildfires, elected officials from Los Angeles County and across the state renewed their calls for additional federal disaster aid to help communities impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires continue to recover, U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, along with every U.S. House representative from California, sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Jan. 7, urging him to request Congress to pass additional supplemental … Continue Reading
January 07, 2026
Storm runoff and tidal surge bring glimpse into forecast future for Marin's waterfront
by Noah Abrams, Ruth Dussealt
Marin County got a taste of its forecast climate future this past weekend. A combination of king tides, winter storms and high winds closed parts of U.S. Highway 101 in the area, flooded homes and vehicles, and left whole neighborhoods stranded islands. On Monday morning Congressman Jared Huffman and Marin County officials visited some of the hardest-hit areas around Larkspur and Corte Madera. "It wasn't perfect, but you know, we kept it at bay for the most part," Ryan Davis, general … Continue Reading
January 06, 2026
Marin tidal flooding prompts renewed push for fortification
by Steven Rosenfeld
As another wave of rain hit Marin County on Monday morning, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman and top county officials toured sites hit hardest by the weekend flooding and pledged to continue their efforts to shore up vulnerable infrastructure. “This area has been worried about events like this for a long time,” said Huffman, standing on a raised road to Santa Margarita Island in the Santa Venetia neighborhood of San Rafael. Behind Huffman was a muddy creek bordered by an earthen levee that abutted the … Continue Reading
January 05, 2026
Humboldt rallies around community members affected by Friday’s fire
by Sage Alexander
A fire Friday in Arcata caused an estimated $18 million in damages, and resulted in people losing their homes, businesses and art studios located in Arcata’s downtown. The Arcata Fire chief described the blaze as a “once in a career type of a fire.” Arcata Fire believes 4 buildings hosting 7 businesses and a number of above-ground apartments were completely destroyed, with a few nearby seeing smoke, heat and flooding damage. The number of people displaced from apartments inside was not … Continue Reading
January 05, 2026
Rep. Huffman tours flooded Marin, says county was ‘caught off guard’ by storm surge
by Ruth Dusseault
Marin County got a taste of its climate future this weekend: a combination of king tides, winter storms and high winds closed parts of U.S. Highway 101, flooded homes and vehicles, and left whole neighborhoods islanded. Congressman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, visited some of the hardest-hit areas with county officials on Monday at a series of rain-soaked press briefings. “One of the things that strikes me about the last 48 to 72 hours is we seem to have been caught off guard by the scale of … Continue Reading
December 23, 2025
Trump administration intervenes in dispute over fate of PG&E’s Potter Valley Project
by Phil Barber
Opponents of a plan to remove two Pacific Gas & Electric-owned dams from the Eel River in Lake and Mendocino counties have officially won a huge ally: the Trump administration. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Friday filed a notice to intervene in the utility giant’s bid to decommission its waterworks in the rural area, which also include a century-old power plant that helps to shunt Eel River water into irrigation canals that support Mendocino County’s Potter Valley and dump into … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Trump’s Energy Agenda Has Taken Over Congress’ Permitting Reform Ambitions
by Shifra Dayak
The House just passed one of its biggest permitting reform moves in years. A last-minute addition undermining wind projects cost the proposal much of its Democratic support. Most Republicans and 11 Democrats voted Thursday to pass the SPEED Act, which would reduce the level of environmental review required to build infrastructure under the National Environmental Policy Act. Both parties have pointed to the environmental statute as one of the biggest barriers to development in the … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Lawmakers criticize Trump’s bid to take over D.C. golf courses
by Rick Maese
With a takeover threat looming, Democratic lawmakers criticized the Trump administration’s apparent bid to wrest control of Washington’s public golf courses, with one congressman saying the default process that the government is using appears to break from the National Park Service’s lease requirements. The 50-year lease between the National Park Service and nonprofit National Links Trust requires the government to identify specific violations and give the operator time to fix them before … Continue Reading