In the News
California to receive $56 million to build out EV infrastructure
by Isabella Vanderheiden
The Biden administration on Thursday announced the availability of $5 billion in federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to build out a national network of electric vehicle charging and alternative vehicle fueling stations over the next five years along designated highways. Under Transportation Department requirements, states must submit plans to the federal government and can begin construction by this fall if they focus … Continue Reading
February 09, 2022
Democrats press postmaster to go with electric vehicles
by Zack Budryk
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and climate hawk Democrats in Congress are pressing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to backtrack on the purchase of thousands of gasoline-powered U.S. Postal Service vehicles, setting up a confrontation with one of the few federal officials President Biden can't replace at will. Biden in 2021 issued an executive order calling for the federal government to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 - an ambitious goal that would necessarily … Continue Reading
February 09, 2022
Panel mulls lack of diversity in environmental movement
by Jennifer Yachnin
House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) warned yesterday that the environmental movement could see its impacts lessened without a dedicated effort to improve diversity among its ranks, including both advocates and the foundations that fund their work. During a more than three-hour hearing yesterday, the panel heard ideas on how to increase participation in environmental activism. Witnesses talked about dispensing with "jargon" and paring down the federal grant application … Continue Reading
February 08, 2022
USPS electrification supporters face bumpy road ahead
by Maxine Joselow and Jacob Bogage
Proponents of Postal Service electrification face bumpy road ahead Democrats and environmentalists are gearing up to fight the U.S. Postal Service's plan to spend billions of dollars on a new fleet of gasoline-powered delivery trucks. But none of their options are particularly promising, and the clock is ticking before tens of thousands of gas delivery trucks start rumbling down America's roads, undermining President Biden's goal of converting the federal fleet to … Continue Reading
February 07, 2022
Lawmakers join fight against USPS gas-powered vehicles
by Arianna Skibell
A group of Democratic lawmakers has joined the increasingly loud chorus urging the U.S. Postal Service to reconsider its plan to spend billions of dollars on a new fleet of gasoline-powered vehicles. In a letter released Friday to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and board of governors Chair Roman Martinez, the lawmakers said USPS's fleet procurement plan subverted both the National Environmental Policy Act and the country's climate and public health commitments. In response, the Postal … Continue Reading
February 07, 2022
$7 million from feds to cover wildfire repairs at Lake Mendocino, infrastructure projects in Sonoma County
by Guy Kovner
A combined package of roughly $7 million in federal infrastructure and disaster relief funding is set to enable a host of badly needed repair and upgrade projects at recreation sites and reservoirs serving Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Visitor shelters and foot bridges torched by the 2021 Hopkins fire at Lake Mendocino will be rebuilt with a $2.5 million award from a federal disaster relief bill. The funding accompanies nearly $4.5 million from the $1.2 trillion congressional … Continue Reading
February 04, 2022
US House passes COMPETES Act with SIMP expansion, Graves does not vote
by Steve Bittenbender
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American COMPETES Act on Friday, 4 February on a near party-line vote. The USD 350 billion (EUR 305.6 billion) spending bill tackles supply chain and trade issues included several fishing provisions from other bills - including the expansion of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) to cover all species that enter American ports. H.R. 4521 passed by a 222-210 vote. One Republican member joined Democrats in support, and one Democratic member … Continue Reading
February 03, 2022
PG&E to bring Potter Valley Project back online as license takeover unravels
by Isabella Vanderheiden
In a shocking turn of events, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announced Wednesday that it will move forward with bringing the Potter Valley Project - a water diversion system in the Eel River basin - back to fully operational status. The Potter Valley powerhouse has been offline since July 2021 when PG&E discovered a blown transformer during a routine inspection. "PG&E has completed its evaluation of whether to replace the transformer and concluded it is beneficial to PG&E's electric … Continue Reading
February 03, 2022
House Democrats warn delay will sink agenda
by Mike Lillis
House Democrats of all stripes are pressing for quick action on the climate, health and education package at the heart of President Biden's domestic agenda, warning that a long delay in revisiting the Build Back Better Act is the surest way to kill it. The lawmakers are citing a host of reasons for their pleas of urgency, including the fast-approaching midterm elections, the desperate desire to give an unpopular president a big boost and the party's fragile Senate majority that's just one … Continue Reading
February 02, 2022
Study blasts loopholes in NOAA's seafood inspection program
by Rob Hotokainen
Roughly 60 percent of all seafood coming into the United States is not covered by a federal inspection program operated by NOAA, according to a new report by the environmental group Oceana. As a result, Americans are eating tons of food that's likely the result of illegal fishing, the study said, noting that 85 percent of all seafood consumed by Americans now comes from foreign sources. "When Americans order calamari at a restaurant, they do not want a side of criminal activity to come with … Continue Reading
February 01, 2022
‘Everybody’s at risk’: Plan to acquire Mendocino County power plant unravels
by Mary Callahan
Plans to acquire an aging power plant in Mendocino County to ensure continued flows of Eel River water into Lake Mendocino and Sonoma County have unraveled. A coalition of organizations from Sonoma, Humboldt and Mendocino counties abandoned their quest to acquire the century-old Potter Valley hydroelectric plant, saying it could not meet an April 14 deadline for submitting a federal license application. The plant, about 80 miles north of Santa Rosa, is owned by Pacific Gas & Electric, … Continue Reading
January 31, 2022
Biden's Russia problem reveals political landmines in energy policy
by Josh Siegel, Ben Lefebvre
President Joe Biden's messaging on the clean energy transition is showing some cracks amid the threat of armed conflict in Eastern Europe. Biden's plans to move away from fossil fuel and put the U.S. on a path to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 have been undercut by Russia's buildup of troops on the Ukrainian border. That fear of invasion has contributed to a surge in oil and natural gas prices, and the White House has moved to marshal energy supplies for its allies there. For … Continue Reading
January 31, 2022
Biggest Bitcoin Miners Pressed by Congress on Climate Impact
by Josh Saul
A group of Democratic lawmakers led by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is demanding details from six of the world's biggest Bitcoin miners about their electricity consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, a warning shot that comes amid growing concern over the cryptocurrency industry's environmental impact. The eight lawmakers sent letters Thursday asking miners including Marathon Digital Holdings Inc. and Riot Blockchain Inc., to provide their facilities' annual electricity consumption, growth … Continue Reading
January 27, 2022
Democrats press cryptomining companies on energy consumption
by Zack Budryk
Eight Democratic members of Congress on Thursday wrote to major cryptocurrency-mining companies for information on their energy usage and its potential effects on climate change. The House and Senate members noted that estimates of the power consumption associated with bitcoin increased more than threefold between 2019 and 2021. The energy consumption is roughly equivalent to that of Washington state or the entire nation of Denmark, according to a September 2021 analysis by The New York … Continue Reading
January 26, 2022
Progressives introduce climate resilience bill
by Nick Sobczyk
House Democrats are pushing new legislation to develop a workforce for climate resilience projects, with a focus on broader progressive concerns about equity and environmental justice. The "Climate Resilience Workforce Act" would create several new grant programs for states and communities to plan against climate impacts - such as sea-level rise and more severe extreme weather - and secure workers for the projects. Introduced yesterday by Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), … Continue Reading
January 26, 2022
HSU no more: it’s Cal Poly Humboldt now
January 26, 2022 (LONG BEACH, CA)- Today, the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees approved a new designation and name for Humboldt State University-California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. This caps nearly two years of planning by the Hispanic-Serving Institution for new curricula and facilities, increased hands-on student research opportunities, and the expected enrollment growth associated with the enhanced offerings and new designation. As of today, the … Continue Reading
January 26, 2022
House Dems seek to protect declining salmon populations
by Rob Hotakainen
NOAA and the Fish and Wildlife Service would be required to identify the nation's "core centers of salmon abundance" and do more to restore and protect the habitats of the fish under a $90 million bill introduced by a key House Democrat yesterday. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who oversees fisheries issues as chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, said his bill - H.R. 6491, the "Salmon Focused Investments in Sustainable Habitats (FISH) Act" - would … Continue Reading
January 26, 2022
Jared Huffman introduces legislation to preserve salmon strongholds
by Isabella Vanderheiden
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) reintroduced legislation Tuesday to identify, restore, and protect thriving salmon populations and critical habitat strongholds. Habitat degradation, pollution, climate change, dams, and overharvesting have caused salmon populations to decline throughout the North Coast and across the nation. The Salmon Focused Investments in Sustainable Habitats, or FISH Act would ensure the survival of the healthiest remaining salmon populations … Continue Reading
January 25, 2022
Huffman cites salmon’s economic, ecological importance in move to protect habitat
by Guy Kovner
Citing the economic, ecological and cultural importance of salmon, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman is once again trying to identify, restore and protect the nation's most outstanding salmon rivers and watersheds. The Salmon FISH Act, which the San Rafael Democrat reintroduced Tuesday, would require federal agencies to identify critical areas of abundance and productivity of six species of salmon and steelhead trout and authorize funding for their conservation. Huffman, who chairs the House … Continue Reading
January 22, 2022
Huffman joins effort to help fire victims with the IRS
by K.C. Meadows
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) has joined colleagues in the House and Senate in signing a letter to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig to expedite and release tax guidance to help wildfire victims understand the taxability of their claims from the Fire Victim Trust. The Trust, a $13.5 billion settlement established in July 2020, is made up of over 70,000 survivors of the 2015 Butte Fire, the 2017 North Bay Wildfires, and the 2018 Camp … Continue Reading