In the News
Staffing cuts to National Weather Service river forecast center could leave Sonoma, Napa counties ‘flying blind’ ahead of storms
by Austin Murphy
The closer you live to the Russian River, the likelier it is you’ve spent time on this no-frills website, whose wavy, colored lines alert users when the river is approaching flood levels, and when it will recede. The site is maintained by the California Nevada River Forecast Center, or CNRFC, under the umbrella of the National Weather Service. It’s one of 13 forecast centers preparing “timely river and flood forecasts” for some 4,000 river locations across the nation. The California Nevada … Continue Reading
May 14, 2025
Mike Thompson, Jared Huffman slam Republicans’ budget bill, impacts on health care, clean energy measures
by Phil Barber
It was 10 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday when Rep. Mike Thompson finally found a moment to chat. The House Ways and Means Committee had been marking up its portion of the Republicans’ budget bill for hours, and they weren’t anywhere close to resolution. As ranking member of Ways and Means’ Tax Subcommittee, Thompson, a St. Helena Democrat, has a huge stake in the debate over what President Donald Trump has been heralding as a “big, beautiful bill.” And he has opinions. ... For complete article, … Continue Reading
May 10, 2025
‘We Did It, Bolinas!!!’ Remote Northern California town gets its post office back
by Hailey Branson-Potts
For more than two years, a big wooden sign in west Marin County has displayed a set of hand-painted numbers, dutifully changed each morning. “Days Without a Bolinas Post Office,” the sign reads. The number Friday: 806. The sign has been a charming, if sad, reminder to the 1,200 or so residents of Bolinas of the loss of their beloved post office, which was booted from its downtown building amid a spat between the U.S. Postal Service and its longtime landlord. Late last month, though, Bolinas … Continue Reading
May 10, 2025
Forensic testing links skull remains to Northern California woman missing since 1987
by Andrew J. Campa
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office announced that a set of remains were identified through forensic DNA testing as belonging to Kay Josephine Medin, who had been missing since the summer of 1987. Othram, a Texas-based forensic laboratory that specializes in genome sequencing to help solve cold cases, used forensic-grade genome sequencing to construct a DNA profile of the sample that strongly suggests a link to Medin. A man was walking along a rocky, picturesque shoreline of Trinidad … Continue Reading
May 09, 2025
Dems rally around unlikely hero to kill public land sales
by Garrett Downs
House and Senate Democrats are desperate to kill a provision in the House GOP’s tax, energy and national security megabill ordering the sale of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands. Now, their hopes may rest on the resolve of an unlikely ally: Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, Donald Trump’s first Interior Secretary. That their eyes have turned to the rock-ribbed conservative with a soft spot for federally owned lands is a remarkable turnaround. Democrats attacked Zinke with zeal before … Continue Reading
May 08, 2025
US House approves ‘dumb’ legislation renaming Gulf of Mexico ‘Gulf of America’
by Chris Stein
Republicans in the House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation to codify Donald Trump’s policy of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”. The measure was sponsored by rightwing Georgia lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene and passed nearly along party lines, with all Democrats opposed and almost every Republican, with the exception of vulnerable Nebraska representative Don Bacon, voting in favor. Trump had announced in his inaugural speech that the US government would … Continue Reading
May 07, 2025
Natural Resources clears energy portion of reconciliation bill
by James Bikales, Josh Siegel
The House Natural Resources Committee approved its portion of Republicans’ reconciliation package early Wednesday after a marathon markup for the bill aimed at driving up energy and minerals output from federal land. Clearing the bill out of committee marks a win for GOP leadership, who were forced to punt three more contentious markups to next week, and a step toward enacting President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda. Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said the bill will raise more … Continue Reading
May 07, 2025
House advances budget bill boosting fossil fuels, undercutting environmental reviews
by Rachel Frazin
House Republicans early Wednesday morning advanced a portion of their budget reconciliation bill that seeks to bolster fossil fuel production and mining on public lands while undercutting environmental reviews. The legislation passed through a House Natural Resources Committee markup in a mostly party-line vote of 26-17, with Rep. Adam Gray (D-Calif.) joining Republicans in favor. During the markup, which stretched to around 1 a.m., a contentious amendment was also added to the bill that … Continue Reading
May 06, 2025
Republicans mum as Dems target Natural Resources reconciliation bill, Westerman stock purchases
by James Bikales
Democrats launched a salvo of attacks against reconciliation legislation at a House Natural Resources bill markup Tuesday, saying the bill to boost energy leasing on federal land and cut royalty payments was a giveaway to big companies — and they criticized Chair Bruce Westerman for buying shares in several oil and mining companies in March. Republicans, however, largely declined to engage in the debate or the amendments Democrats offered, and they instead largely limited their remarks to … Continue Reading
May 06, 2025
What to expect during the big Natural Resources markup
by Garrett Downs, Kelsey Brugger
House Natural Resources Republicans are aiming to advance their part of the GOP’s tax, energy and national security megabill Tuesday. And while committee Democrats are powerless to stop it, they plan to make the process as painful as possible. The Democrats, led by ranking member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), plan to launch a bombardment of more than 100 amendments to the bill during the full committee markup, according to an aide granted anonymity to speak on the plans. Huffman has called the … Continue Reading
May 05, 2025
Republicans resume discussions over cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs
by José A. Delgado
The below article has been translated. Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives have resumed talks with their members over thorny issues in the reconciliation package, like potential cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs. Markups in the Energy & Commerce, Agriculture, and Ways & Means Committees scheduled for this week are now up in the air pending Speaker Mike Johnson’s conversations with moderate Republicans opposed to a massive proposed cut to Medicaid … Continue Reading
May 05, 2025
Reconciliation: Natural Resources plows ahead, other bills stall
by Garrett Downs
One committee is moving ahead swiftly to advance its piece of the Republicans’ sprawling budget package, while other panels with power over energy and environment policy get bogged down. The House Natural Resources Committee will begin marking up its language for the Republicans’ tax, energy and national security megabill on Tuesday, which would mandate swaths of new oil and gas leasing, lower royalties and change the environmental permitting process. Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) — who is … Continue Reading
May 05, 2025
House voting to make Gulf of America name change permanent
by Amelia Davidson
The House will vote this week on legislation that would officially change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, following President Donald Trump's wishes. H.R. 276, the "Gulf of America Act," from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), would make it harder for a future president to rename U.S. portions of the body of water. Just last week, Trump handed out red hats with the name "Gulf of America" on them to members of his Cabinet during a meeting at the White House. "It’s … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Novato student wins Congressional ‘App Challenge’
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman has announced that Rehan Nazeem, a junior at San Marin High School in Novato, is the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 2nd Congressional District. Nazeem’s winning submission, Terrain Fire Risk Analyzer, predicts the fire risk associated with a terrain and provides fire mitigation recommendations. “Every year, I’m impressed by the smart and talented high school students who participate in the Congressional App Challenge — and Rehan’s app … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
House removes federal protection for an endangered species
by Maddie Biertempfel
House lawmakers Thursday passed a bill to remove federal protections for a fish that has become a flashpoint in the debate over California’s water resources. The roughly three-inch long longfin smelt that swims in the San Francisco Bay-Delta has members of Congress split. “They’re turning a small fish into a very large scapegoat,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said. ... For complete article, please click … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
House moves to strip protections for fish at heart of California water wars
by Annie Snider
President Donald Trump's efforts to "maximize" California's water got a boost Thursday when House lawmakers approved a measure to strip protections for a tiny fish at the heart of the state's long-running water wars. By a vote of 216-195, House lawmakers passed a Congressional Review Act resolution, (H.J. Res. 78), to overturn a June 2024 decision by the Fish and Wildlife Service to designate longfin smelt as endangered. Three Democrats joined all but one Republican in the vote. "They're … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
House Natural Resources looks to energy leasing to raise billions for reconciliation
by James Bikales, Josh Siegel
The House Natural Resources Committee released its portion of Republicans’ reconciliation package Thursday night with a pledge that it would far exceed its $1 billion deficit reduction target by mandating more frequent oil and gas lease sales and speeding permit approvals for energy projects. The committee plans to mark up the bill Tuesday. Speaker Mike Johnson has urged lawmakers to move quickly to enact the GOP’s sprawling domestic policy legislation that is expected to include tax cuts, … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Dems seek to block ANWR drilling, vow reconciliation fight
by Garrett Downs
A bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced legislation Tuesday to permanently block drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as Republicans eye pushing new development in their party-line megabill. The “Arctic Refuge Protection Act” is led by Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). It would designate ANWR as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System, barring any new oil and gas leasing, exploration and development, … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Lawmakers, companies clash over Trump ocean mining order
by Hannah Northey
Companies pushing to scrape the ocean floor for minerals using a directive President Donald Trump signed last week defended their plans at a House hearing on Tuesday where lawmakers clashed over the need to compete with China and the potential for environmental destruction. The top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations blasted Trump for inking an executive order to fast-track permitting of underwater exploration and extraction ahead of the … Continue Reading
April 29, 2025
Calif. congressman: Trump admin wants to monetize, privatize national parks
by Sam Hill
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Natural Resources, laid into President Donald Trump in a recent podcast appearance, criticizing his administration’s turbulent management of federal lands, downsizing of staff at national parks and weakening of the Endangered Species Act, among other executive actions.“I think it’s chaos, in a nutshell,” Huffman said of the Trump administration’s endgame on the National Parks Traveler podcast. “It’s the same thing that we … Continue Reading