In the News
House approves gray wolf, mining and public land bills
by Scott Streater, Michael Doyle, Hannah Northey
The House on Tuesday passed several Republican-led natural resources bills amid sometimes fierce debate, underscoring the divide between the parties on public lands and endangered species. The bills, which passed mostly along party lines, seek to overturn a new Bureau of Land Management rule elevating conservation as a formal use, delist the gray wolf in the lower 48 states and reverse a mining ban on sensitive federal lands in Minnesota. The Republican-led House also approved H.R. 615, … Continue Reading
May 01, 2024
House GOP Passes Bills That Attack Environmental Protections, Benefit Oil And Mining Companies
by Chris D’Angelo
Never missing an opportunity to make life easier for extractive industries, House Republicans passed a suite of bills this week to boost development and dismantle environmental protections across millions of acres of federal land. The bills stand little chance of passing in the Democratic-controlled Senate, but they give GOP industry allies something to tout heading into the 2024 elections. And since several of the measures closely mirror priority actions found in Project 2025, the 920-page … Continue Reading
April 29, 2024
Trout Unlimited Wins Award for California Partnership Uniting Landowners to Save Coho Salmon
A novel Trout Unlimited partnership to help save California’s southernmost coho salmon from extinction has won national recognition from NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit presented the Partnership in the Spotlight Award to Trout Unlimited’s North Coast Coho Project on the banks of a salmon stream just north of San Francisco. “From developing and implementing projects to improve stream complexity to your work removing fish barriers, it is all making a big … Continue Reading
April 27, 2024
Bay Area lawmakers are trying to lure insurance companies back to California
Bay Area congressional representatives hope to lure property insurance companies back to California with legislation that could reduce their losses by giving property owners financial incentives to improve emergency preparedness. U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, announced bipartisan legislation on Thursday that would establish a grant program and offer tax breaks to property owners who take measures to fortify their property against fire and other disaster threats. The legislation was … Continue Reading
April 26, 2024
Acting US Labor Secretary lays out new farmworker protection rules at Santa Rosa vineyard
by Susan Wood
U.S. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su returned to her home state Friday to lay out new federal labor standards designed to protect farmworkers, particularly those operating under the H-2A program. The H-2A program allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers when it’s determined there’s a lack of able, willing and qualified workers. In addressing a crowd of more than 100 people, including dignitaries such as U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, Su paid homage to the setting, choosing … Continue Reading
April 25, 2024
Wine Country fire threat spreads to insurance coverage
by Susan Wood
Two North Bay congressmen said Thursday they don’t want homeowners and renters coping with the concern of wildfires and balking insurance companies to get burned twice. That’s why U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, held a press conference Thursday, using Coffey Park as a symbolic backdrop to discuss disaster resilience legislation introduced at the end of last month. The lawmakers gathered with a group that included local government officials and real … Continue Reading
April 23, 2024
California lawmakers request disaster declaration after state's second straight salmon season cancelation
by Nathan Strout
More than 20 federal lawmakers from California have called on the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to declare a fishery disaster following the closure of the state’s salmon season for the second consecutive year. Earlier this month, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to close the 2024 commercial Chinook salmon fishery from the northern coast of the U.S. state of Oregon to the Mexico border. That closure is expected to go into effect in May. California Governor Gavin … Continue Reading
April 22, 2024
Plastic polarization
by Jordan Wolman and Allison Prang
PLASTIC CRAZE — Negotiators from around the world are descending on Canada's capital city this week as more than 4,000 people gather for what feels like make-or-break U.N. talks to complete a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution. Ottawa is playing host to the fourth of five planned rounds of negotiations intended to result in an agreement by year's end to significantly slash waste that is clogging waterways and damaging biodiversity all over the planet. The first three rounds have … Continue Reading
April 19, 2024
House leaders block LNG amendment to spending package
House Republicans failed in their latest attempt to roll back a Biden administration pause on liquefied natural gas export permits as the chamber readies a package of foreign aid bills. Late Thursday, the House Rules Committee teed up for floor consideration legislation that would send more than $60 billion to Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia. Action could come as soon as Friday. In an unusual maneuver, all four Democrats voted in favor of the rule setting up debate and amendments, … Continue Reading
April 19, 2024
500,000 salmon introduced to Klamath River, 1.75 million more on the way
by Jackson Guilfoil
This week, roughly 500,000 young salmon were released into the Klamath River, with most of them headed straight for the Pacific Ocean until migratory patterns bring them back for spawning season. Tuesday saw the release of about 90,000 coho salmon - a threatened species - which reside in rivers for around a year before migrating, precipitating Wednesday’s 400,000 Chinook salmon, which go straight to the ocean. In May, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will introduce another 1.75 … Continue Reading
April 18, 2024
Democrats Seek Permitting Pause on New Petrochemical Facilities
by Kellie Lunney
Congressional Democrats are seeking a temporary pause on the permitting of new and expanded petrochemical facilities that produce plastic or convert it into other products such as fuel and feedstock, under bicameral legislation slated for introduction on Thursday. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.) and Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), aims to improve protections for poor and minority communities where many petrochemical facilities are located. It would direct the Environmental … Continue Reading
April 17, 2024
Western lawmakers want $550M for water recycling
by Jennifer Yachnin
Major water recycling and reuse projects could see a boost from federal funds under new legislation introduced by a quartet of Western Democrats. California Democratic Reps. Grace Napolitano and Jared Huffman on Tuesday introduced H.R. 7990, the "Large-Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization and Investment Act of 2024." The bill, co-authored by Nevada Rep. Susie Lee (D) and Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, would extend a program first … Continue Reading
April 17, 2024
Biden Urged to Examine Oil, Gas Influence in Plastics Talks
by Kellie Lunney
The Biden administration is coming under pressure from congressional Democrats to ramp up scrutiny of the petrochemical industry’s lobbying at global environmental conferences. “Deep inequities in power and access play out in these negotiations,” favoring chemical and fossil fuel representatives over smaller member states vulnerable to climate change and could “obstruct meaningful progress,” a group of lawmakers wrote to President Joe Biden and UN officials in an April 16 letter. Senate … Continue Reading
April 16, 2024
Fortuna Senior Center receives federal funding boost
by Mary Bullwinkel
The Fortuna Senior Center will be receiving close to $1 million in federal funding, money which was included in the congressional spending package approved late last month. Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) was successful in getting included in that package, more than $10 million for 15 projects in Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin Counties. The money for the Fortuna Senior Center is one of four Humboldt County projects. Combined, the Humboldt County projects … Continue Reading
April 16, 2024
Dems fume as committee approves Republican wildlife bill
by GARRETT DOWNS, SCOTT STREATER
The House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday cleared a GOP-only wildlife conservation bill along party lines 21-17, over fierce objections from Democrats who derided the measure as a sham. H.R. 7408, the "America’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act," from Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), is a Republican alternative challenging the bipartisan “Recovering America’s Wildlife Act," which has been in the mix for years but failed to become law. While the two bills share the … Continue Reading
April 14, 2024
Enraged Democrats mull bailout for GOP's foreign aid package
by Andrew Solender
House Democrats were incensed at the Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan aid plan House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rolled out on Monday — but they are not ruling out saving it if necessary. Why it matters: Several Republican hardliners who are opposed to Ukraine aid and irked by a lack of border security language have not ruled out sabotaging a key procedural vote that typically passes along party lines. "I have a hard time believing we're going to give something to Ukraine without doing our … Continue Reading
April 12, 2024
House approves sea turtle, beach nourishment bills
by Manuel Quiñones
The House passed legislation Thursday to protect sea turtles, encourage energy projects and facilitate beach rebuilding efforts in North Carolina. H.R. 524, from Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.), would aid sand replenishment in North Carolina's Wrightsville Beach. The legislation would affect an administration decision against the Army Corps of Engineers taking sand from a nearby inlet. It passed by voice vote. "Wrightsville Beach, which is in my district, serves as one of North Carolina's most … Continue Reading
April 11, 2024
California salmon season closed for second year in a row
by Sage Alexander
Recreational and commercial salmon fishing in the ocean will be closed again this year in California. The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted unanimously to close the season in the state Wednesday, citing low counts of salmon. The complete closure is just the fourth in California’s history. In a release, the council said that ocean salmon fisheries in California and parts of Oregon are limited by low abundance of Klamath River and Sacramento River fall Chinook — higher than last year but … Continue Reading
April 04, 2024
House GOP Considering Requiring LNG Approvals in Ukraine Aid
by Ari Natter, Erik Wasson, and Billy House
Republican House leadership is considering including a provision in a potential aid package for Ukraine that would require the Biden administration to approve some liquefied natural gas export projects, according to people familiar with the matter. The wording, which has yet to be finalized, could set a threshold that effectively requires some LNG export projects that are awaiting approval by the Department of Energy to be green-lighted, one of the people said. The situation remains fluid … Continue Reading
April 04, 2024
California unveils research into ‘floating solar’ project over major canal
by NATALIE HANSON
Canals in California may soon feature a new look — solar panel canopies, designed to stop evaporation and soak up the sun's rays, created under a new project funded with help from the federal government to boost green energy infrastructure. Governor Gavin Newsom joined staff from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Thursday to highlight a new “solar-over-canal” project along one of the state’s primary aqueducts. The pilot project proposes placing a solar canopy to “float” over a major waterway … Continue Reading