In the News
Nearly $7.5B to electrify federal fleet in Oversight panel bill
by CQ Roll Call Staff
The House Oversight and Reform Committee will take up a $7.5 billion package Thursday that's mainly intended to help the General Services Administration and U.S. Postal Service's vehicle fleet go green. The proposal is intended to be inserted into Democrats' massive $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, which will flesh out numerous domestic social policy initiatives from clean energy to health care. A memo from committee staff, posted online Monday along with a notice that the panel plans to … Continue Reading
August 25, 2021
Lawmakers urge Biden and FEMA to declare drought disaster in West
by Rebecca Falconer
Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and fellow Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) from Colorado are urging President Biden to declare a drought disaster in the West. Driving the news: The lawmakers wrote to Biden Wednesday, calling on his administration to support Western governors' Federal Emergency Management Agency drought disaster declaration request issued earlier this month, as they experience water cuts driven by rapidly depleting supplies. What they're saying: "There is little to no … Continue Reading
August 25, 2021
U.S. lawmakers introducing bill to give USPS $6 billion for electric delivery vehicles
WASHINGTON -- A group of 17 U.S. House Democrats on Monday are introducing legislation that would award $6 billion to the U.S. Postal Service to buy tens of thousands of additional electric delivery vehicles.The bill sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman and seen by Reuters would require at least 75% of the new fleet be electric or zero-emission vehicles.Last month, the USPS said it was committed to having electric vehicles make up 10% of its next-generation fleet as part of its multibillion-dollar … Continue Reading
August 25, 2021
Progressives eye halt to ANWR drilling in reconciliation bill
by Emma Dumain
Congressional Democrats and their environmentalist allies are increasingly confident they'll be able to stop drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the reconciliation process. According to several sources who spoke to E&E News this week, conversations were taking place at the highest levels of House and Senate leadership as lawmakers prepare to mark up portions of the $3.5 trillion infrastructure spending bill as early as next week (see related story). On the House side, the … Continue Reading
August 24, 2021
Bipartisan statement urges President Biden for help with wildfire response
by CARLOS HOLGUIN
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Democratic Congressman Jared Huffman and Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa have sent a bipartisan letter to President Joe Biden to issue a major disaster declaration due to the growing wildfires within the state. Read the full press release from the representatives below: Today, Congressmen Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting a major disaster declaration in response to multiple wildfires burning … Continue Reading
August 23, 2021
Afghan families and friends turn to North Bay congressional offices for help for refugees
by Alana Minkler
Local congressional offices say they have received dozens of requests to help Afghan refugees left stranded by the chaos now entering its second week in their home country. U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said their offices are working to secure Special Immigration Visas for interpreters, medical personnel and others who served the U.S. government during the war in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Bay Area nonprofit organizations are preparing to help refugees … Continue Reading
August 23, 2021
Reps Lieu and Huffman Announce Launch of California Coastal Caucus
by Jenna Bushnell
Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02) have announced the launch of the Congressional California Coastal Caucus at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. The caucus will bring together members of the California House delegation to share and discuss federal policy to address matters of importance to the 840-mile California coast, including issues relating to the environment and economy. Congressman Lieu and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) will … Continue Reading
August 20, 2021
House lawmakers form Calif. coastal issues caucus
by Anne Mulkern
Thirteen Democratic lawmakers have joined the Congressional California Coastal Caucus: Reps. Ted Lieu, Jared Huffman, Julia Brownley, Eric Swalwell, Nanette Diaz Barragán, Alan Lowenthal, Jimmy Panetta, Mike Levin, Ro Khanna, Jackie Speier, Salud Carbajal, Barbara Lee and Anna Eshoo. Brownley and Lieu will serve as co-chairs. The group in a statement said it wants to focus on federal policy as it affects the Golden State's 840 miles of coastline, "including issues relating to the … Continue Reading
August 20, 2021
North Bay could get boost out of $71B for broadband in federal, California legislation
by Susan Wood
The long-awaited task of connecting the whole country with broadband internet may be no longer up in the air since it's about to receive a $71 billion windfall, raising hopes among North Bay stakeholders that even users on the fringes will get service. At $65 billion, the largest chunk of these funds is coming from the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed the U.S. Senate. It's in the hands of the U.S. House of Representatives. "I'm glad to see the broadband portion of … Continue Reading
August 20, 2021
US lawmakers want information on chemical toxic to salmon
by Steve Bittenbender
More than a dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the heads of NOAA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife on Thursday, 19 August, asking them to investigate the effect a toxic chemical has on salmon species. Led by U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman and Katie Porter, both Califiornia Democrats, a total of 14 lawmakers are seeking answers from NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad and FWS Principal Deputy Director Martha Williams about their agencies' efforts to examine the deleterious … Continue Reading
August 19, 2021
Community Matters: A clarion call on climate, for Northern California and the world
by John Burns
"The alarm bells are deafening and the evidence is irrefutable: Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk." --United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres A clear and compelling report released last week by the United Nations Panel on Climate Change left no doubt that the ongoing climate crisis is due to the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, which has raised atmospheric carbon dioxide … Continue Reading
August 18, 2021
Electrifying Federal, Postal Vehicles Estimated to Save Billions
by Lillianna Byington
Making the federal fleet and postal service vehicles electric would save the federal government billions of dollars, a new report found. U.S. Postal Service electrification could save as much as $4.3 billion, while electrifying other federal vehicles could yield as much as $1.18 billion in lifetime savings, according to the analysis from Atlas Public Policy released Wednesday. Those savings would come on top of electrification's environmental benefits of reduced emissions. "The time to … Continue Reading
August 18, 2021
Editorial: Congress comes through for Marin art organizations
by Marin IJ Editorial Board
The arts are a big part of the fabric of our county. Many are nonprofits that provide local venues for musicians, singers, dancers, actors and artists of almost every talent - younger and older. Those, including private arts groups and producers, provide the public with venues to share and enjoy the arts. Those nonprofits have been suffering from COVID-19 lockdown orders that have restricted classes, performances and fundraisers. Many have been able to get by by being creative, essentially … Continue Reading
August 18, 2021
California Voice: Infrastructure bill gives state opportunity to fix water supply issue
by Mike Wade
Once again, Californians are suffering through drought and wildfires. The climate change report recently issued by a United Nations committee of international scientists makes it clear the problem is getting worse and we must act now. There is something we can do right now. The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by the Senate and awaiting action by the House gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help promote drought resiliency, adjust to climate change, protect the environment, … Continue Reading
August 17, 2021
Nancy Pelosi Braces for Showdown With Moderates Next Week Over Infrastructure Vote
by Andrew Duehren and Eliza Collins
WASHINGTON-Top House Democrats said the chamber would move forward with voting on the budget blueprint for a $3.5 trillion healthcare, education and climate package next week, rebuffing demands from a group of centrist Democrats to first vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and urging their caucus to stay unified around President Biden's agenda. "I would hope that none of us, that none of us, would do or say anything that would jeopardize passing these bills. These bills are critical for … Continue Reading
August 17, 2021
Tension mounts as would-be Afghan refugees await evacuation to safety
by MARY CALLAHAN AND ALANA MINKLER
Petaluma resident Abdul Pazhohesh hasn't spoken for the last few weeks with his friend in Herat Province - a man who once worked as a driver for the U.S. Army and was trying to leave Afghanistan with his wife and two children. Nor has he had recent contact with another friend who asked him for a letter inviting him to the United States and stating that Pazhohesh agreed to sponsor the man's immigration. The retired lab technician followed through with the letter, but it wasn't the right way … Continue Reading
August 14, 2021
Fate of Highway 37 funds, Russian River bridge rehabilitation in limbo in federal infrastructure package
by Guy Kovner
Sonoma County may be in line for $22.6 million in federal infrastructure funding that would help pay for widening a portion of traffic-clogged Highway 37 and rehabilitate an aging railroad bridge on the Russian River at Healdsburg. The funding is not a done deal in the wake of Senate approval Tuesday of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which includes $110 billion for roads and bridges and came about a month after House ratification of the $547 billion transportation-focused … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Wildfire roundup | Monument Fire surpasses 67,000 acres
by ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
The impact of California's catastrophic wildfires were felt across the United States on Thursday as smoke traveled as far as the East Coast. The Monument Fire, McFarland Fire and River Complex continued to produce heavy smoke impacts to Northern California communities, according to the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District. Coastal and central Del Norte and Humboldt Counties were expected to experience good to moderate air quality conditions, according to Thursday's … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
USPS Electric Fleet Seen Part of $3.5t Budget Plan: Rep. Huffman
by Lillianna Byington
Congress is likely to support full electrification of the U.S. Postal Service fleet as part of the $3.5t budget plan, according to Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman. "It's the only path," Huffman says in an interview. "There's broad political support to get this done." NOTE: The Senate budget framework released Monday included a pot of funding that would go toward several areas, including electrifying the federal vehicle fleet NOTE: In February, USPS awarded Oshkosh a 10-year contract over … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland Highlights Conservation, Climate Resiliency Efforts in Visit to California’s Redwood Forests
August 12, 2021 - ORICK, Calif. - As part of the Biden-Harris administration's America the Beautiful initiative, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory traveled to Redwood National and State Parks on Wednesday, where they met with community leaders who are forging collaborative, locally led partnerships to conserve and restore California's Redwood forests and increase climate resiliency. Secretary Haaland, Chair Mallory, … Continue Reading