In the News
Huffman visits Novato High School’s endangered Wellness Hub
by Cameron Macdonald
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 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
August 27, 2025
Trump administration advances plan to reverse federal rule that limits logging in national forests
by James Brooks
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, parent agency of the U.S. Forest Service, announced Wednesday that it is moving ahead with plans to rescind a rule that has restricted logging and construction on millions of acres of federal lands in the American West for more than two decades. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a written statement that the agency intends to open public comments Friday on its proposal to end the so-called “Roadless Rule,” an act that will affect as much … Continue Reading
August 17, 2025
States are trying to keep disasters apolitical in the new Trump era
by Natalie Fertig, Gregory Svirnovskiy
Governors face a new challenge as they barrel into natural disaster season: navigating President Donald Trump’s increasingly personal approach to awarding federal aid. In recent weeks, Trump has heralded disaster aid awards to states including Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana via Truth Social — and accompanied Indiana’s $15 million award with a note that he “won BIG” there in the past three general elections. His practice of flattering federal recipients on social media has left state leaders … Continue Reading
August 11, 2025
‘We’re in uncharted territory’; Huffman’s bill to block federal firings
by Robert Schaulis
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee Democrats announced that ranking member Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) had introduced legislation “to prevent politically-motivated workforce reductions at the Department of the Interior (DOI), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the Department of Energy (DOE).” The legislation — co-introduced in the House by Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), with companion bills in the Senate introduced by Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Sheldon … Continue Reading
August 05, 2025
Dems urge Trump admin to step aside for plastic treaty talks
by Ellie Borst
Three Democratic lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to either join the push toward a progressive global plastics treaty or step aside and let the more ambitious countries reach an agreement without U.S. support. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jeff Merkley and Rep. Jared Huffman, of Rhode Island, Oregon and California, respectively, urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a letter sent Monday "to use our nation’s influence to advance an ambitious agreement that includes real, … Continue Reading
August 05, 2025
Trump fires 5 members of Puerto Rico's financial oversight board
by Cristina Corujo, Jennifer Jacobs
President Trump fired five of the eight members of Puerto Rico's Financial Oversight Management Board, which oversees the U.S. territory's budget plan. The island has been trying to find its way to fiscal solvency after struggling with its debt for years. Mr. Trump dismissed the board's chairman Arthur J. Gonzalez, Cameron McKenzie, Betty A. Rosa, Juan A. Sabater, and Luis A. Ubiñas, leaving only two board members in place, in addition to one appointed by the Puerto Rican governor, CBS News … Continue Reading
July 31, 2025
Marin leaders celebrate release of $42M education outlay
by Keri Brenner
Local leaders said they are relieved that millions of dollars in federal education funds for Marin have been unfrozen and will be fully restored. The Trump administration said Friday it would release more than $6 billion in funding nationally for English language classes, adult literacy and other programs that it had withheld on July 1. California schools had been slated to receive $939 million, of which Marin schools were in line for $42 million. Marin school superintendents, who have … Continue Reading
July 29, 2025
Grand Canyon wildfire spreads, now only 9% contained
by Avril Silva
Gusts of dry air expanded the wildfire burning in the Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend, with the incident team meteorologist expressing hope Monday that rain later this week could help fight the blazes. The Dragon Bravo Fire on Friday was considered to be at 26 percent containment, according to the federal government’s fire-tracking system. By Tuesday afternoon, the fire had grown to 71,000 acres and was considered 9 percent contained. Officials said biomass in the pine forest … Continue Reading