In the News
Democrats prepare to push clean energy in recovery packages
by Anthony Adragna
House Democrats are ratcheting up pressure to insert financial help for clean energy into any upcoming bills to try to aid the pandemic-ravaged sector, setting up a clash with GOP lawmakers who’ve so far derided attempts to aid renewables as a furtive bid to implement the Green New Deal. Clean energy groups say the sector has shed 600,000 jobs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and they are increasingly leaning on their Democratic allies in Congress to deliver assistance … Continue Reading
May 24, 2020
Huffman denounces Trump’s statement that he will “override” governors to open churches
by Adrian Fernandez Baumann
MENDOCINO Co., 5/24/20 - The Congressional Freethought Caucus, of which the North Coast's Representative Jared Huffman is chair, issued a statement yesterday saying that the "denounce" recent statements by President Donald Trump that he will "override" governors to force the reopening of churches. Many have pointed out that the president likely does not have such powers under our system of federalism, specifically citing the 10th Amendment; and the president's own justice department appears … Continue Reading
May 21, 2020
Rep. Huffman offers leadership amid crisis
by John Burns
"Our window of opportunity is closing. If we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities." - Dr. Rick Bright, former federal medical research agency director Dr. Rick Bright was dismissed from his job fighting the coronavirus pandemic after resisting a dubious presidential directive promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine, an unproven and hazardous drug, ostensibly to … Continue Reading
May 16, 2020
With homeless camps resurgent across Santa Rosa, city prepares to open one of its own
by Will Schmitt
I t's taken a pandemic to do it, but Santa Rosa this month is slated to dramatically ramp up its response to the local homelessness crisis by opening its first-ever managed homeless encampment to protect at-risk homeless people from the coronavirus. The move comes as COVID-19 remains a persistent local health threat - reaching 373 confirmed cases Saturday - and with unsanctioned homeless encampments resurgent across Santa Rosa, as scores of tents and makeshift shelters have taken over … Continue Reading
May 16, 2020
Huffman Cites 'Historic Crisis' Explaining $3 Trillion Stimulus Vote
by Thadeus Greenson
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman joined 207 of his congressional colleagues yesterday in voting to approve the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill."America is facing a historic crisis," Huffman said in a press release after voting for the bill, which comes after the $2 trillion CARES Act that Congress passed in late March. "We are months into this pandemic, and still have not seen an adequate, coherent response from the administration that meets the urgency of the threat gripping … Continue Reading
May 15, 2020
Regional health care providers get $28 million through CARES Act
by Sonia Waraich
Area health care providers have received over $28 million through an initial distribution of federal funds. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act secured $175 billion in relief funds for hospitals and health care providers, of which $28,810,095 has gone to 69 Humboldt County health care providers so far, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The initial allocation was really to … Continue Reading
May 15, 2020
Democrats look to rescue climate agenda amid pandemic
by Nick Sobczyk
In early March, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Environment was set to hold an additional climate change hearing, part of a series that had drawn several high-profile witnesses, including former Secretary of State John Kerry. The meeting was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and still sits as the most recent item on the hearing page of the committee's website. It has not been rescheduled. It's a symbol of what House Democrats face after they spent more than a year laying messaging … Continue Reading
May 15, 2020
Democrats’ $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill passes House
by Erica Werner
WASHINGTON - House Democrats on Friday passed a $3 trillion tax cut and spending bill aimed at addressing the devastating economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak by directing huge sums of money into all corners of the economy. But the White House and Senate Republicans have decried the measure's design and said they will cast it aside, leaving uncertain what steps policymakers might take as the economy continues to face severe strains. The sweeping legislation, dubbed the "Heroes … Continue Reading
May 14, 2020
Marin’s congressman delivers grim coronavirus forecast
by Richard Halstead
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman told Marin County supervisors this week that the nation needs to adjust its coronavirus response to prepare for a long, painful slog. "It's a solemn reality that we have to confront," the San Rafael Democrat said Tuesday as part of an update on pandemic efforts in Washington. "This economy is in for a multi-year malaise and probably depression, and we just need to be honest about what that means." Supervisor Katie Rice acknowledged the economic crisis would not pass … Continue Reading
May 13, 2020
Scott Dam slated for removal in plan by Sonoma County and partners to control hydropower project
by Guy Kovner
A nearly century-old dam on the Eel River that impounds Lake Pillsbury is slated for removal under a $500 million proposal helmed by Sonoma County and four other regional partners seeking to take over from PG&E a remote but pivotal hydropower project in Mendocino County. The coalition, including Mendocino and Humboldt counties, hailed the proposal as a milestone in their effort to meet the needs of all three counties, protecting water supplies for farmers, fish and communities, including … Continue Reading
May 12, 2020
Coalition to take major step in acquiring Potter Valley project from PG&E
by Shomik Mukherjee
A partnership of numerous Northern California agencies intends to file an initial plan on Wednesday to acquire the Potter Valley project from the Pacific Gas and Electric Co., multiple sources confirmed. The coalition will submit a document - no more than 12 pages long - to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for its consideration. If approved, the group may be able to form a partnered ownership of complex water infrastructure dividing the Eel and Russian rivers. The system diverts … Continue Reading
May 05, 2020
House Democrats want to slow down Alaska oil project
by Heather Richards
Several House Democrats want the Department of the Interior to tap the brakes on an oil and gas project in Alaska, adding to criticism targeting the department's pivot to virtual public hearings during the coronavirus-driven pandemic. ConocoPhillips' Willow Master Development Plan, under review by the Bureau of Land Management, would expand the oil and gas company's drilling activities along the eastern border of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska on the Arctic Coast in the northern part … Continue Reading
May 05, 2020
Rep. Huffman’s New Legislation Opposes Fossil-Fuel Bailout
by Staff
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman has introduced legislation intended to bar fossil-fuel companies from receiving relief funding from the $500 billion federal CARES Act stimulus bill. Huffman and other Democratic lawmakers introduced the legislation, known as the ReWIND Act-the Resources for Workforce Investments, not Drilling Act-on May 5. The bill comes after the Trump Administration began signalling the president's intent to steer CARES Act funds to the struggling oil and gas … Continue Reading
May 02, 2020
Lawmaking In The Time Of Coronavirus
by Matt Fuller
WASHINGTON ? As the House Democratic leadership keeps members away from Capitol Hill over coronavirus concerns, there's mounting frustration that it's also keeping members away from the negotiating table. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Democrats on a conference call this week that members would return to Washington "when CARES 2 is ready," referring to the latest bill Congress is preparing in response to coronavirus. The problem for some members is that drafting a bill and then … Continue Reading
May 02, 2020
Huffman leads challenge to Clean Power Plan repeal
by Will Houston
Rep. Jared Huffman, whose district includes Marin County, is among the congressional Democrats fighting the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to repeal the Obama-era Clean Power Plan. In an amicus brief filed late last month with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., Huffman and more than 70 other lawmakers said the EPA was well within its authority to implement the plan. "EPA's conclusion that the Clean Power Plan was unlawful cannot be reconciled with the Clean Air Act's … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Water Week 2020 Brings Together Water Sector in Virtual Event
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today marks the beginning of Water Week 2020, as thousands of representatives from across the water sector, including wastewater, drinking water and stormwater utility leaders, advocate for their most pressing issues before Congress and federal agencies. Initially slated to be a week-long series of events in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country, this year's event has been modified to become a virtual event in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The focal point of these … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
More than 70 lawmakers join suit challenging Trump power plant rollbacks
by Rebecca Beitsch
More than 70 Democratic lawmakers from both chambers have joined a suit challenging the Trump administration for rolling back Obama-era power plant regulations. The Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August scraps former President Obama's Clean Power Plant rule. Lawmakers in the House and Senate filed separate amicus briefs challenging the rule late Friday. The ACE rule aims to give states more time and authority to decide how to … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
The Energy 202: Netflix's 'Tiger King' sends big cat safety law roaring back in Congress
by Dino Grandoni
With the nation on coronavirus lockdown, America was captivated by Joe Maldonado-Passage - a.k.a. Joe Exotic - the gun-toting, polyamorous, country-singing star of the Netflix smash hit "Tiger King" who once ran an Oklahoma zoo that housed up to 200 tigers. He made his money by offering cubs to pet and illegally selling big cats. At least some of the 64 million viewers of the documentary series were also inspired to call for change from Congress: Lawmakers have been hearing from … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
White House uses Arbor Day to renew push for 1 trillion trees initiative
by Rebecca Beitsch
The White House is using Arbor Day, which encourages people across the country to plant trees, to renew its push for joining the Trillion Trees initiative. The Trump administration has pushed to join the global initiative since January, but a House bill to finalize the effort has stalled amid the coronavirus outbreak and a lack of support from Democrats. The tree initiative "will lead to cleaner air and water, create wildlife habitat, and reaffirm our nation's commitment to conserving the … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
NOAA accused of moving too slowly on pandemic aid
by Rob Hotakainen
While the Trump administration rushed to get emergency financial assistance to small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic this month, fishermen and the seafood industry are still waiting for help. The slow delivery of aid has become a growing source of irritation for many, especially since Congress last month approved $300 million to help them survive during the coronavirus shutdown. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross today, Seafood Harvesters of America said the money … Continue Reading