In the News
Commentary: Federal grant allows Petaluma to expand recycled water use
by David Rabbitt
I’m thrilled to share the news that the North Bay Water Reuse Program (NBWRP) has been awarded a federal grant of $6.9 million to help expand the capacity, distribution and use of recycled water produced at Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility in Petaluma. This is wonderful news, as the grant provides over 25% of the anticipated cost of three key projects, which are crucial as we work to build resiliency in our water delivery system — especially in this time of historic … Continue Reading
September 08, 2022
Noyo Center for Marine Science awarded $825,230 grant from American Rescue Plan
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding an $825,230 grant to the Noyo Center for Marine Science, Fort Bragg, California, to boost tourism in Mendocino County through the development of new visitor infrastructure. The American Rescue Plan funds this grant. This grant will support design work and a feasibility study for the Noyo Center for Marine Science’s Ocean Science Center, a planned marine research and visitor center. The EDA … Continue Reading
September 06, 2022
What to expect on permitting reform as Congress returns
by Jeremy Dillon, Nick Sobczyk
Congress returns from its recess this week to face major questions over a promised vote on permitting reform. Progressives and their activist allies have been grumbling for weeks over a deal struck between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). allowing a vote to streamline environmental reviews of energy infrastructure projects. That deal was crucial to winning Manchin’s vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, … Continue Reading
August 31, 2022
Three House Democrats call for tighter carbon offset standards
by ZACK BUDRYK
Three House Democrats in environmental leadership positions on Tuesday called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to strengthen standards for voluntary carbon offsets. In the letter, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee; Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Natural Resources Water, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee; and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), the chairwoman of the House Select … Continue Reading
August 26, 2022
Democrats clash over Manchin side deal, raise shutdown risk
by Rachel Frazin
Liberal lawmakers are pressing Democratic leaders in the House to not include a side deal undercutting environmental reviews worked out with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in a short-term measure funding the government. House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is circulating a letter asking leadership to separate the Manchin deal out from a continuing resolution that would temporarily avert a government shutdown. “Don’t … Continue Reading
August 26, 2022
FERC releases final environmental statement on Klamath dam removal
by Sonia Waraich
The federal agency that regulates hydroelectric dams has issued its final environmental impact statement for the removal of the dams on the Klamath River a month earlier than expected and that could mean dam removal would begin early next year. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday issued its final environmental impact statement with staff recommending the commission approve the Klamath River Renewal Corporation’s application to remove the J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. … Continue Reading
August 25, 2022
Climate Activists Plot Way Out of Manchin’s Oil Lease Mandate
by Jennifer Dlouhy
Climate activists have developed plans to foil a provision Senator Joe Manchin wedged into the new climate law that ties renewable energy projects to more oil and gas drilling. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, new wind and solar leases on federal lands and waters are contingent upon the sale of drilling rights in the same territory within a specific timeframe. Environmentalists initially dubbed it a “climate suicide pact” and warned the requirement would hold green projects … Continue Reading
August 23, 2022
Rep. Huffman announces $1.6 million grant for Tolowa Dee-ni' nation road project
by Austin Castro
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — On Tuesday, Congressman Jared Huffman announced that $1.6 million in funding will go towards the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity Project. The project funding will be used to create pedestrian and bicycle paths around Highway 101. The funds were allocated through a federal funding package for the fiscal year 2022 that Rep. Huffman voted to pass. “The 1.5-mile stretch of Highway 101 the … Continue Reading
August 22, 2022
Unequal Education: Special education policies differ from state to state
by Joce Sterman, Daniela Molina, Jon Decker, Jamie Grey, Yelta Reyna, Hannah Lorenzo, Samantha Latson, Lizzie Wright and Lauren Truex
Funding special education Experts and the federal government itself recognize the lack of funding is problematic for special education. When the government enacted IDEA in 1975, the legislation came with a commitment to fund 40% of the average cost per special education student, but that promise hasn’t been kept. As of 2020, only 13.2% of the cost of special education has been covered according to the National Education Association (NAE), a labor union. In Washington, D.C. alone, … Continue Reading
August 20, 2022
Editorial: Preservation, protection of baylands clearly a priority
by Marin IJ Editorial Board
A $53 million infusion of federal funds for the restoration of the expansive San Francisco Bay Estuary has local officials taking a new look at its plan. That’s prudent, since the funding recently approved by Congress and President Joe Biden has been increased from about $5 million yearly to $24 million this year and grants programs that total another $29 million. That significant upward shift in funding deserves a fresh look and weighing of priorities among the 12 counties that have … Continue Reading
August 13, 2022
Dick Spotswood: Avoid costly short-term thinking on Highway 37 project
by Dick Spotswood
“Do it right” was the name of a handbook we were assigned to read upon entering high school. It’s an apt description of the way planners at Caltrans plus Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties should approach one of the North Bay’s major traffic congestion points: Highway 37 between Novato and Interstate 80 in Vallejo. The 21-mile route has two sections. The first is from Novato eastward to Sears Point, the junction with state Route 12 to the Sonoma Valley. Due to sea … Continue Reading
August 13, 2022
Drivers urged to consider hybrids
by Sonia Waraich
The local, state and federal government are trying to make it easier for people to transition to zero-emission vehicles, and electric vehicles aren’t the only or necessarily the best option for all cases. On Friday, the House of Representatives passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which focuses on addressing health care costs, taxes and the climate crisis. The bill is a whittled-down version of what was initially proposed in the president’s agenda, but North Coast Rep. Jared … Continue Reading
August 12, 2022
After Democrats pass climate bill, progressives vow to fight Manchin’s permitting deal
by Josh Siegel
House Democrats managed to maintain party discipline in passing a historic climate bill heavily influenced by fossil fuel state centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) on Friday. But a contentious, intraparty battle on permitting of energy projects lies ahead. Progressives ultimately supported the Inflation Reduction Act now heading to President Joe Biden's desk despite it spending less to fight climate change than initially envisioned in the Build Back Better legislation. But … Continue Reading
August 12, 2022
House Democrats pass sweeping healthcare, tax and climate bill
by Nolan McCaskill
WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Friday passed a sweeping healthcare, tax and climate change bill. Now they have to sell it. The vote was 220 to 207, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans opposing it. With the midterm elections quickly approaching, congressional Democrats have had a series of legislative victories in recent weeks — expanding NATO, securing healthcare and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, investing nearly $53 billion … Continue Reading
August 11, 2022
Wetlands advocates work to raise Highway 37
by Dan Ashley and Tim Didion
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- There's a vocal debate over building a better Bay Area, by building a better highway. At stake is not just traffic, but potentially vast stretches of restored wetlands. When Kendall Webster gazes across the levees and farmland in southern Sonoma County, she can envision the tidal marshes that once flushed water back and forth from meandering waterways to San Pablo Bay. "And so this whole flatland here was a mosaic of tidal wetlands," she explains. It's a vast … Continue Reading
August 10, 2022
Jared Huffman: House expected to pass Inflation Reduction Act by end of this week
by Sonia Waraich
While the cost for some things like housing and food continuing to go up, inflation is leveling out thanks to a decrease in gas prices. North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman says the area’s residents can expect more relief to come their way as soon as the House of Representatives prepares to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. “There aren’t going to be any changes to the bill and I expect it to pass smoothly out of the House at the end of the week,” Huffman told The … Continue Reading
August 10, 2022
Sonoma County to receive $2.6 million federal grant to cover Kincade Fire costs
by Emma Murphy
Sonoma County is set to receive $2.6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover costs connected with the 2019 Kincade Fire. Reps. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, announced the grant in a news release Wednesday and praised FEMA for reimbursing the county. “This fire caused widespread evacuations, forcing the county to set up their emergency operations center and emergency shelters for evacuees,” Thompson said in the release. … Continue Reading
August 09, 2022
PD Editorial: An important step toward saving the planet
by THE EDITORIAL BOARD
News headlines are packed with alarming examples of the multiplying impacts of climate change — immense wildfires, extreme heat, flash floods in the midst of a punishing drought. No single country acting alone, and no single piece of legislation, will overcome this clear and present global danger. But the bill that cleared the U.S. Senate on Sunday may be the most transformative climate legislation in American history. The bill, which also addresses health care and taxes, is headed for … Continue Reading
August 09, 2022
PD Editorial: An important step toward saving the planet
by THE EDITORIAL BOARD
News headlines are packed with alarming examples of the multiplying impacts of climate change — immense wildfires, extreme heat, flash floods in the midst of a punishing drought. No single country acting alone, and no single piece of legislation, will overcome this clear and present global danger. But the bill that cleared the U.S. Senate on Sunday may be the most transformative climate legislation in American history. The bill, which also addresses health care and taxes, is headed for … Continue Reading
August 09, 2022
Marin, state stand to gain from historic new climate and energy bill
by Paul Rogers
From offshore wind turbines to electric vehicles to solar panels, the state — and Marin — stand to emerge as major winners with the passage of a historic climate and energy bill in Washington, D.C., which experts said could supercharge California’s already ambitious emissions goals. The bill, dubbed the “Inflation Reduction Act,” cleared the U.S. Senate on a 51-50 vote this week, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie. It now heads to the House of … Continue Reading