In the News
Are high energy prices displacing climate action in Congress?
by Nick Sobczyk
Progressives and environmental advocates made huge gains in the 2020 campaign by pushing climate change to the forefront, but they are increasingly concerned that high energy prices and calls for greater fossil fuel production could destroy those hard-fought wins. And there’s good reason for that concern, they say. “If you’re paying attention, you should be worried,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said in an interview. “All of that progress is at stake, and … Continue Reading
May 26, 2022
Alaska Republicans open to EPA Pebble mine veto
by Hannah Northey, Nick Sobczyk
The Biden administration’s move to veto the contentious Pebble gold and copper mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed may soothe the state's Republican senators who in the past have pushed back against federal intervention. GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan said he and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, both staunch supporters of mining in Alaska, are still digesting the agency’s proposal to impose a Clean Water Act veto against mining in the watershed (Greenwire, May 25). Sullivan suggested his … Continue Reading
May 22, 2022
North Coast trail plan complicated by US rail ruling
by Sonia Wariach
A ruling by federal regulators has put a damper on plans to turn 300 miles of rail line from Humboldt County to Marin County into the Great Redwood Trail. The Surface Transportation Board issued a decision Tuesday that it will not prioritize trail use and, in so doing, cast aside the established process for considering offers from the North Coast Railroad Co. and the Mendocino Railway to acquire or subsidize rail service along either the entire corridor or a stretch of the line. The ruling … Continue Reading
May 20, 2022
Congressional progressives warn Biden, EU natural gas reliance may hurt climate goals
by Zack Budryk
Twenty-two congressional Democrats on Thursday urged caution over the European Union’s plan to replace fossil fuel imports from Russia with liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. In a letter to President Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the members warned that the transition must incorporate the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. The letter came shortly after the EU announced a plan to replace the energy that it would … Continue Reading
May 20, 2022
House Democrats seek crackdown on microplastics
by E.A. CRUNDEN
House Democrats want to crack down on small plastic pellets that have grown notorious for their links to environmental contamination. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) unveiled legislation yesterday targeting the discharge of the pellets, often called "nurdles," into the environment. The "Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act" would direct EPA to draft regulations prohibiting the discharge of that material into vulnerable water systems. "For too long, the plastics industry has been allowed … Continue Reading
May 20, 2022
Progressives warn Europe against rush to LNG reliance
by Jeremy Dillon
Democratic lawmakers raised alarms yesterday about the climate consequences of the rush to replace Russian energy in Europe with liquefied natural gas. The warning from both Senate and House Democrats comes as the European Union released a sweeping plan earlier this week to end imports of fossil fuels from Russia and rapidly scale up its use of renewable power. That plan acknowledges a need to import gas from other sources. In a letter sent to the White House and E.U. leadership, … Continue Reading
May 16, 2022
Rep. Jared Huffman reveals 2022 Congressional Art Competition winners and finalists
by Sergio Berrueta
WASHINGTON D.C. — Congressman Jared Huffman announced Zexuan Wu of San Anselmo as the winner of the 2022 Congressional Art Competition, "An Artistic Discovery," for California's Second District. Wu's piece titled "We are the Keeper of Tomorrow" will hang in the U. S Capitol for one year along with other art pieces from each congressional district across the country. “Every year, the Congressional Art Competition serves as a testament to our students’ creative … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
House lawmakers paw over bill inspired by 'Tiger King'
by Michael Doyle
While the self-styled “Tiger King” seeks a new trial from his federal prison cell, legislation propelled by his television notoriety is prowling forward one paw at a time. In a hearing yesterday, House members lent an ear to a bill that the author, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) says will stop the "exploitative, dangerous and inhumane" treatment of tigers and other wild animals. "Five-hundred-pound carnivores pose a serious and very real threat to first responders, law enforcement … Continue Reading
May 11, 2022
Huffman demands EPA move faster to veto Pebble mine
by Jael Holzman
California Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman today stood outside the Capitol to call on President Joe Biden’s EPA to quickly veto the Pebble mine in Alaska. This morning, Huffman, chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, joined environmental activists, tribal members and fishing advocates in urging EPA to move faster on vetoing the Pebble mine in southwest Alaska's Bristol Bay. EPA wants to veto Pebble, a decision the agency first reached in 2014 … Continue Reading
May 06, 2022
Bipartisan forces taking aim at 1872 mining law
by Jael Holzman, Nick Sobczyk
Democrats and Republicans alike say now could be the time to overhaul the 150-year-old federal law governing mining, but finding enough common ground to strike a deal will prove challenging. Bipartisan interest in mining policy has grown as mineral supply chain bottlenecks threaten the pace of U.S. climate action. Some Democrats have said they are open to an accord that would expand extraction at home, if partnered with updates to the nation’s primary mining law, the General Mining Act … Continue Reading
May 05, 2022
Jared Huffman: Roe v. Wade leak might be ‘first of many shoes to drop’
by Sonia Waraich
A leaked Supreme Court decision that would overturn longstanding abortion rights "is probably the first of many shoes to drop" from the highest court of the land, says North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael). "It's a really extreme agenda and this is likely just the beginning with this court," Huffman told The Times-Standard. On Monday, news outlet Politico published an article based on a leaked draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the Supreme Court … Continue Reading
May 04, 2022
Democrats challenge EPA's contentious plastics plan
by E.A. Crunden
House Democrats want EPA to weigh the climate and environmental implications of a deeply contentious industry proposal for addressing plastics pollution. Twenty-five lawmakers sent a letter last week seeking to force EPA's hand on deeming so-called chemical recycling technologies to be a form of waste incineration. In a request to the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, the lawmakers asked for the inclusion of language in the fiscal 2023 bill that … Continue Reading
May 03, 2022
Roe v. Wade: Marin leaders speak out on threat to decades-old abortion law
by Giueseppe Ricapito
A tidal wave of condemnation erupted in Marin this week amid apparent U.S. Supreme Court plans to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that protects a woman's right to receive an abortion. The news broke on Monday night when Politico released a leaked draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito outlining a strike-down of the 1973 decision and the 1992 decision Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The document prompted Democratic political figures from President Joe Biden to Gov. … Continue Reading
April 30, 2022
Op-Ed: Warmer Oceans Threaten Another California Forest, This One Underwater
by David Helvarg
RICHMOND, Calif. - The bull kelp forests off Northern California are sometimes spoken of as the redwoods of the sea. And like the redwoods, these forests are in danger. In less than a decade, these otherworldly undersea landscapes, lush with life, have all but disappeared along 200 miles of coast north of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The warming climate has set in motion this disaster and it is unclear whether it can be reversed as greenhouse gas emissions continue to flood the … Continue Reading
April 29, 2022
Democrats’ fix for high energy prices? FTC oversight
by George Cahlink
Congressional Democrats are lining up behind legislation to increase federal oversight of energy markets, a move they tout as way to crack down on "price gouging" they say has sent gas prices soaring this spring. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced yesterday at a joint press conference that they are finalizing legislation that would boost the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to go after companies that manipulate markets to … Continue Reading
April 28, 2022
Mergers & Money: As Crypto Valuations Keep Increasing, So Do Environmental Concerns
by Chris Metinko
It is sometimes easy to think everything in the world of crypto is cheery—with new unicorns minted almost weekly and new dedicated venture funds constantly launching. However, a couple of recent events highlighted one concern—energy consumption—that while unlikely to derail the industry, certainly has the potential to disrupt the digital currency sectors as ESG concerns become more prominent among investors and energy prices continue to spike. Last … Continue Reading
April 28, 2022
States, environmental groups sue USPS over gas-powered trucks
by ZACK BUDRYK
Sixteen states and a coalition of environmental groups on Thursday announced a lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for its decision to upgrade the majority of its fleet with fossil fuel-powered vehicles. Environmental groups and climate hawks in Congress have blasted Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's decision to buy new gas-powered vehicles with mileage of 8.6 miles per gallon. Of the up to 165,000 vehicles, USPS has only committed to making about 10 percent of them electric. … Continue Reading
April 27, 2022
U.S. Lawmakers Push Insurers to Stop Underwriting Fossil Fuels
by Josh Saul and Max Reyes
A group of Democratic lawmakers, mostly members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have asked some of the nation's biggest insurance companies to stop underwriting new fossil fuel projects that contribute to climate change. New York Representatives Mondaire Jones and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as well as California's Jared Huffman and Adam B. Schiff were among 16 lawmakers who issued the letters on Wednesday to more than a dozen insurance companies, including American International Group … Continue Reading
April 25, 2022
Where will California North Coast get its water if drought becomes common?
by Jeff Quackenbush
With parts of the North Coast facing what forecasters say is shaping up to be "extreme drought" this year, the region's water managers are busy exploring near- and long-term options. But new large reservoirs like Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino aren't among them. Even as the first of seven large reservoirs funded by the 2014 $2.7 billion California water bond is set to get under construction elsewhere in the state, agency officials and local lawmakers say the regulatory and political … Continue Reading
April 15, 2022
Putin’s Pollock: US seafood imports fuel Russian war machine
by Joshua Goodman and Helen Wieffering
A U.S. ban on seafood imports from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine was supposed to sap billions of dollars from Vladimir Putin's war machine. But shortcomings in import regulations mean that Russian-caught pollock, salmon and crab are likely to enter the U.S. anyway, by way of the country vital to seafood supply chains across the world: China. Like the U.S. seafood industry, Russian companies rely heavily on China to process their catch. Once there, the seafood can be re-exported to the … Continue Reading