In the News
SMART lands more funding for commuter line projects; Santa Rosa gets 4 electric buses
by Gary Quackenbush
Two North Bay public transportation projects will receive $4.8 million in federal transit and infrastructure funds, including $1.8 million for design work to extend the next Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit section 5 miles from Windsor to Healdsburg, and $3 million for the purchase of four all-electric buses for Santa Rosa Transit’s CityBus program. The total cost of the 5-mile rail line expansion from Windsor to Healdsburg is now estimated to be $160 million for the main … Continue Reading
January 06, 2023
Federal funding approved for the design of the SMART rail extension to Healdsburg
by SMART Press Release
SMART is pleased to share that on Friday, December 23, the United States Congress approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023 which includes $1.8 million in federal funding for the design of the SMART Rail Extension to Healdsburg. This funding, which was nominated by U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman, is a strong step towards expanding commuter rail service and increasing climate-friendly transportation alternatives in the North Bay. “I’m incredibly pleased to … Continue Reading
January 05, 2023
Low-interest Federal Loans Available to Aid Quake Recovery
by Thadeus Greenson
At the urging of state and local officials, as well as North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman, the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to businesses and residents affected by the Dec. 20 earthquake that rocked Humboldt County, and its continuing aftershocks."The SBA Disaster Loan process will make it easier for our local businesses and homeowners to rebuild damaged properties and ease the financial hardship on all of our impacted residents," … Continue Reading
January 04, 2023
Survey: Religiously, Congress Doesn't Reflect America
by Peter Smith
Religiously speaking, the incoming 118th Congress looks like America - that is, the America of decades past, rather than today. Congress is far more Christian, and religious overall, than today's general population. Even though nearly three in 10 Americans claim no religious affiliation - a rate that has steadily risen in recent years - only two of the 534 incoming members of Congress publicly identify as such. Those are among the conclusions of an analysis by Pew Research Center of the … Continue Reading
January 03, 2023
Biden administration allots $400 million for Golden Gate Bridge earthquake upgrades
by Will Houston
A decades-old project to fortify the Golden Gate Bridge to withstand major earthquakes is closer to the finish line after receiving $400 million from the Biden administration. The Federal Highway Administration announced at the end of December that it was allocating $400 million of the $1 trillion federal infrastructure package approved in 2021 to complete the third and final phase of the seismic upgrades on the bridge. Launched in the late 1990s, the project aims to allow the 2-mile span to … Continue Reading
December 27, 2022
Marin earns nearly $7 million in earmarks in new federal spending bill
by Richard Halstead
Marin stands to gain nearly $7 million in budget earmarks as part of a new federal spending bill. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which President Biden is poised to sign, contains earmarks that allow members of Congress to direct federal funds for specific projects to their states and districts. Specifically, the omnibus spending bill approved by Congress on Friday contains $6.95 million in earmarks for Marin projects. The single biggest beneficiary will be MCE, formerly known … Continue Reading
December 21, 2022
Congress shakes the money tree
by Ben Lefebvre
The U.S. Postal Service is ramping up its effort to fight climate change, pledging to invest in charging infrastructure and deploying more than 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028, making a majority of its new vehicle purchases electric. The USPS had drawn criticism that it's planned vehicle purchases weren't in line with federal climate efforts, and it new announcement on Tuesday brought praise from environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers. Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs … Continue Reading
December 21, 2022
Democrats push Biden on plastics following U.N. talks
by E.A. Crunden
Prominent Democrats are calling on the Biden administration to take aim at plastics, arguing that the executive branch should do more to address the sprawling pollution crisis. In a letter sent Tuesday, California Reps. Jared Huffman and Alan Lowenthal joined Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Cory Booker of New Jersery in appealing to President Joe Biden over "the harmful impacts" of plastics on human health and the environment. "Plastic pollution can no longer be looked at as a … Continue Reading
December 14, 2022
Jared Huffman seeks aid for dairy, poultry farmers
by JACKSON GUILFOIL
On Monday, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) alongside 27 other congressional representatives signed and sent a letter requesting immediate aid for struggling dairy and poultry farmers. Due to inflation, the war in Ukraine, a lack of stable domestic supply of grain, drought and international trade issues, the price of feed for livestock has spiked, causing hardship for many farmers who need to keep their animals fed. Huffman and the other representatives asked U.S. Department of … Continue Reading
December 13, 2022
$325M more for climate-smart commodities
by Garrett Downs
Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) led a letter to Vilsack calling for him to work with Congress to provide immediate direct assistance to organic dairy and poultry farmers. The lawmakers, joined by Republican Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), wrote that “[i]nternational trade challenges specific to organic, persistent drought, and the lack of a stable domestic supply of certified … Continue Reading
December 12, 2022
Senate hearing to revisit solutions to plastics pollution
by E.A. Crunden
Plastics remain a prominent issue in Congress, with a Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee planning to probe possible avenues for addressing a spiraling pollution crisis this week. The Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight panel will meet Thursday to "examine solutions for reducing plastic waste and its impacts on public health and the environment," according to an announcement. Led by Chair Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the discussion comes … Continue Reading
December 09, 2022
US leaders gather to discuss rights of nonreligious people across the world
by Alejandra Molina
Religious freedom leaders — including a United States ambassador, commissioner and elected representative — gathered in Washington, D.C., on Thursday (Dec. 8) to shed light on the rights of nonreligious people in countries across the globe. The convening was part of the launch of the “Freedom of Thought Report” by Humanists International, an annual look at how non-religious individuals — comprising atheists, agnostics, humanists and freethinkers — are … Continue Reading
December 08, 2022
US Lawmakers Want Environmental Agency to Study Crypto Mining's Energy Impact
by Nikhilesh De
U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) introduced a bill Thursday that would, if passed, direct the Environmental Protection Agency to study the energy usage and environmental impact of crypto mining. Cautioning that crypto mining threatened U.S. energy goals and local power grids, the lawmakers said the Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act would direct the EPA to produce a report examining the effect miners using more than … Continue Reading
December 08, 2022
Karuk Sacred Lands Legislation Moves Forward
by Kimberly Wear
Today, Rep. Jared Huffman’s (D-San Rafael) legislation H.R. 6032, the Katimiîn and Ameekyáaraam Sacred Lands Act, passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee. The legislation would place federal lands located in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties in California into trust for the Karuk Tribe. Click here to view Rep. Huffman’s remarks on this bill at the Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples Hearing in September. “Katimiîn and … Continue Reading
December 08, 2022
‘We got the job done’: Tribal leaders celebrate Klamath River restoration with state, federal partners
by SONIA WARAICH
Russell “Buster” Attebery remembers hearing a lot of stories about “what a mean guy” Craig Tucker was when he was moving back to the area from Redding years ago. “When I met him, I expected him to be 6’4″ with a handlebar mustache and when he came home, his dog hid under the porch,” Attebery said. The chairman of the Karuk Tribal Council said it turned out Tucker was just passionate about helping the tribes remove the dams on the Klamath River … Continue Reading
December 07, 2022
Rep. Huffman applauds new wind leases
by K.C. Meadows
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) applauded the completion of Wednesday’s historic offshore wind auction held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which includes two leases off the coast of Humboldt County in the second Congressional District to create offshore wind energy. “The completion of today’s auction is a tremendous step forward in the Biden administration’s offshore renewable energy goals and will bring significant economic … Continue Reading
December 06, 2022
Lawmakers await revamped permitting bill
by Nick Sobczyk and Kelsey Brugger
Lawmakers are bracing for a revamped version of Sen. Joe Manchin’s permitting overhaul while congressional leaders continue to negotiate a deal with the West Virginia Democrat. Manchin confirmed Monday that he has been working on changes to the draft permitting reform legislation he first circulated in September. Democratic leaders are hoping to attach the new language to the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to honor a deal they struck with Manchin in August in exchange … Continue Reading
December 02, 2022
House Dems release bill to study floating solar panels
by Lamar Johnson
Democratic Reps. Paul Tonko of New York and Jared Huffman of California introduced a bill Thursday that would task a pair of agencies with further studying the feasibility of using floating solar panels to increase solar energy production. The bill, called "Protect Our Water and Expand Renewables (POWER) on our Reservoirs Act," would have the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation conduct a feasibility study that would examine using floating solar panels on reservoirs they … Continue Reading
December 02, 2022
New plastics bill emphasizes climate change, justice
by E.A. Crunden
Anti-plastics Democrats are ramping up their efforts to target the oil- and gas-derived product, which they link to both climate change and environmental justice crises. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) unveiled legislation Thursday that would crack down on plastics production and make strides towards shifting the country away from single-use materials. The "Protecting Communities From Plastics Act" targets petrochemical and waste incineration facilities along with … Continue Reading
December 02, 2022
Biden's angered allies
by Debra Kahn, Jordan Wolman, Allison Prang
POLITICAL PLASTICITY — At least some Democrats are thinking plastics legislation will have a chance next year in a split Congress. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced a bill Thursday to curb permitting of new and expanded plastic production, including chemical recycling facilities, which industry is extremely bullish on, as Jordan reported earlier this week. They’re taking a second swing after their Break Free From Plastic … Continue Reading