In the News
Conservationists Celebrate Federal Introduction of 'Extinction Prevention Act'
by Andrea Germanoshttps://ceamend.house.gov/images/structure/calendar-over.png
A group of Democratic lawmakers on Thursday reintroduced bicameral legislation to help stem the planetary biodiversity crisis. Entitled the Extinction Prevention Act of 2021 and led by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the legislation (pdf) would fund conservation efforts for what the lawmakers call "less charismatic" but highly imperiled wildlife species. "Each year hundreds of endangered species get no money for recovery and slip further towards … Continue Reading
May 19, 2021
Lawmakers Push Biden to End Public Financing for 'Dangerous' Fossil Fuel Projects Overseas
by Jessica Corbett
As representatives from across the U.S. government testified Wednesday at a House hearing on global climate finance, 13 lawmakers led by Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Earl Blumenauer sent a letter urging President Joe Biden to direct federal agencies to "end all new public financing support for fossil fuel projects overseas within 90 days." The letter (pdf) comes after Biden marked Earth Day last month with a Leaders Summit on Climate, during which he announced an International Climate Finance Plan … Continue Reading
May 14, 2021
Interior official ducks leasing pause questions
by Heather Richards
A Biden offshore energy official yesterday declined to disclose just how long the administration's freeze on leasing might last, but said she expected oil and gas production to continue on federal lands for the foreseeable future. At a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Amanda Lefton said a comprehensive review of the way that the Interior Department manages oil and gas on public lands and waters was ongoing, but she … Continue Reading
May 14, 2021
Rep. Huffman's bill banning offshore drilling considered by subcommittee Thursday
by Megan Bender
WASHINGTON D.C. - North Coast Congressman joined a subcommittee hearing on Thursday on protecting coastal communities and ocean resources from offshore drilling, which included consideration of his legislation, the North Pacific Ocean Protection Act. Huffman said the bill would prohibit new oil and gas leases off the coasts of Northern and Central California, Oregon, and Washington, ensuring a sustainable future for coastal communities and the millions of jobs and billions of dollars in wages … Continue Reading
May 13, 2021
Democrats urge more EVs for Postal Service
by Arianna Skibell
In a letter sent yesterday to President Biden, 54 Democrats - led by Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Government Operations Subcommittee Chair Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) - pressed the importance of USPS in the administration's efforts to electrify the entire federal fleet. "There has never been a more critical time to ensure that all federal vehicles produce zero emissions, … Continue Reading
May 13, 2021
Rep. Huffman: Humboldt, Del Norte to get over $31 million in COVID recovery funding
by Megan Bender
WASHINGTON D.C. - North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman said Humboldt and Del Norte Counties will get $31,732,707 in Coronavirus Fiscal Relief funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury. Rep. Huffman said it's a chunk of over $350 billion in flexible relief funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to be distrusted across the U.S. Huffman said in a press release the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds provide substantial flexibility to meet local needs. "We've all … Continue Reading
May 13, 2021
House bill targets illegal fishing, seafood trade slavery
by Rob Hotakainen
A bipartisan bill introduced this week seeks to end slavery and human rights abuses in the international seafood supply chain and fight illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, commonly known as IUU fishing. "IUU fishing is an environmental and humanitarian crisis, and the U.S. should be a global leader in solving it," said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife and sponsor of the bill, H.R. 3075, called the … Continue Reading
May 12, 2021
Bipartisan Bill Would Strengthen NOAA Response to Sexual Harassment, Assault
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would strengthen NOAA's response to sexual assault and sexual harassment and offer more resources for survivors.The NOAA Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act was introduced by Representatives Jared Huffman, D-CA, Suzanne Bonamici, D-OR, Don Young, R-Alaska, and Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, R-Puerto Rico.The legislation would expand coverage of NOAA's sexual harassment prevention and response … Continue Reading
May 12, 2021
North Coast Rep. Huffman introduces bill to fight illegal fishing, forced labor
by MARISSA PAPANEK
NORTH COAST, Calif. - North Coast Congressional Rep. Jared Huffman on Tuesday introduced legislation to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. In a press release, Huffman said the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Act would also address human rights abuses in the seafood supply chain. "This legislation would link IUU fishing to forced labor in the seafood supply chain and make seafood import monitoring more effective," the release said. "It would also increase transparency and … Continue Reading
May 10, 2021
North Coast leaders call for ‘all hands on deck effort’ to combat drought
by ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
As California's water supply continues to dwindle and drought conditions worsen, state lawmakers are working with scientists and communities across the state to seek solutions ahead of a potentially catastrophic fire season this summer. More than a dozen North Coast leaders joined U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman's (D-San Rafael) emergency drought summit Monday to discuss declining conditions throughout the region. The discussion focused on funding needs for water supply, agriculture and fish as well … Continue Reading
May 05, 2021
Dying coral reefs at 'critical turning point,' lawmakers told
by Rob Hotakainen
Marine experts yesterday advised a House Natural Resources panel to act quickly to improve the health of the nation's coral reefs before they disappear. "Nowhere is this crisis more striking than in Florida, where reefs have lost 70% to 80% or more of their live coral cover over the last few decades," said Andrew Baker, a professor in the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Testifying before the Water, … Continue Reading
May 04, 2021
Padilla introduces bill to advance California wilderness additions
by Andrew Graham
California's junior U.S. senator unveiled on Monday a sweeping public lands package in the upper chamber of Congress that if passed into law would designate more than 625,000 acres of new federal wilderness area in the state. The package, called the Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act, includes a bill from Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, to create about 260,000 acres of new wilderness in Northern California. Huffman voiced optimism over … Continue Reading
May 03, 2021
Bay Area Democrats want to pass climate change laws. Can they deliver?
by Tal Kopan
Now that Democrats have full control of Washington for the first time in a decade, Bay Area lawmakers want to make sure they don’t walk away empty-handed. For many of them, that means seeing green. After several years of historically severe wildfires, heat waves and recurring drought conditions, bills related to climate change are at the top of the agenda for many lawmakers with local ties. Some of the legislative proposals focus on energy issues, such as investing in electric … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
‘We need water in our rivers’: Tribes call for action as salmon numbers dwindle
by ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
As the state prepares for another year of drought, California tribes, environmental advocacy groups and fishermen are calling upon Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Biden administration to direct state resources to provide water to protect California's dwindling salmon populations. During a virtual State of the Salmon address on Wednesday evening, Save California Salmon tribal water organizer Morning Star Gali criticized the state's decision to prioritize farmers over salmon. "During the last … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
North Coast lawmakers laud Biden’s goals outlined in address to Congress
by RUTH SCHNEIDER
North Coast lawmakers lauded President Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress. "I feel soothed and encouraged, which I think really has been one of the most positive impacts of the Biden presidency these past 100 days," U.S. Rep Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) said Wednesday morning. North Coast Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) responded similarly. "I appreciate the tone and tenor of President Biden as he addressed the nation last night - no finger-pointing, no insults - … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Lawmakers scrutinize wildlife traffickers' use of Facebook
by Michael Doyle
A bipartisan group of California House lawmakers introduced legislation this week to mandate regional grid reliability standards to better incorporate extreme weather resilience. The legislation comes amid high-profile blackouts in California and Texas, where extreme temperatures overloaded the grid with record demand, leaving millions of people without power for days at a time. "The last two years, Public Safety Power Shutoffs have hit our district and our entire region hard, forcing … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Utility Resilience and Reliability Act introduced in Congress; Bipartisan bill works to shore up the national energy grid
On Monday Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) along with Representatives Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Doris Matsui (CA-06), John Garamendi (CA-03), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Ro Khanna (CA-17) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) introduced the Utility Resilience and Reliability Act, a bipartisan bill to make the national energy grid more reliable and resilient to natural disasters and extreme weather events.Text of the bill can be found here.First introduced in June, the … Continue Reading
April 27, 2021
National Day of Reason Resolution Introduced in the US House of Representation
by Jonathan MS Pearce
This is from the AHA: Today Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) introduced a resolution to recognize May 7, 2021, as a "National Day of Reason." The resolution is co-sponsored by fellow Congressional Freethought Caucus members Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA), Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA), Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Representative Jerry McNerney (D-CA). The National Day of Reason … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Joe Biden made climate change a priority of his presidency, but progressives want him to go bigger
by Ledyard King and Matthew Brown
WASHINGTON - The biggest political challenge to President Joe Biden's efforts to combat climate change and address environmental injustice won't exclusively be the Republicans in Congress who think he's going too far left. It'll likely also be the Democrats who are pushing him to go bigger and bolder. Progressive lawmakers applaud Biden's goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, his re-entry into the Paris Climate accord, steps to pause drilling on public lands, and his calls for economic … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
MAJOR STEPS FORWARD AS LAST CHANCE GRADE PROJECT NARROWED TO 2 FINAL ROUTES
by Kym Kemp
Press release from Senator Mike McGuire: A huge important milestone was achieved today as the final alternatives for the Last Chance Grade Project were narrowed down to two final routes. And, as promised by state and federal officials who have been pushing to reduce the timeline on the environmental and engineering studies, this critical step will shave an entire year off the project schedule. And: This move will save taxpayers $10 million in studies and greatly reduce the risk of delays and … Continue Reading