EcoNews Report

Trump has revived a little-utilized part of the Endangered Species Act—formally the Endangered Species Committee but often called the "God Squad" as it can decide whether species may go extinct—in a purported effort to boost oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico. Your favorite legal minds, Scott Greacen of eFriends of the Eel River, Matt Simmons of EPIC, and Jen Marlow from CalPoly Humboldt, join the show to discuss the legal basis for the God Squad, its invocation by Trump, and the potential for it to be used in the Pacific Northwest. 

<...

On this week's show, your usual host, Tom Wheeler, is in the hot seat to explain EPIC's long-lasting litigation against Caltrans' Richardson Grove Project. 16 years of litigation, boiled down to a half-hour of radio. 

Support the show

Have a broken lamp that is too sentimental to toss? Is your favorite knife too dull? Is your laptop running slow? Come to the Repair Cafe! By fixing your items, instead of tossing them and buying new, you are not only saving money, you are saving carbon too. Do-gooder and cafe organizer Wendy Ring joins the show to discuss. 

The next repair cafe is Sunday, March 15 from 10-2pm at the Adorni Center. Check out future repair dates on Facebook: Facebook.com/HumboldtRepairCafe 

Are you a fixer and want to help at a future cafe? Cl...

For offshore wind to fight climate change, that power needs to reach the larger statewide grid where it can replace fossil fuel electricity generation. The catch? Humboldt's current transmission lines are too small to transmit that power out of Humboldt. New transmission infrastructure has been proposed to solve this problem, with the California Independent System Operator selecting Viridon to build new 500kV transmission lines. While this is a big project, new analysis from the Schatz Energy Research Center found that the cost to California ratepayers is low, about $1.68 per year. Tanner Etherton, Awbrey Yost and Jim Zoellick from Schatz...

On this week's EcoNews Report, Assemblymember Chris Rogers joins the program to discuss this year's legislative session. Asm. Rogers has emerged as an enviro legislative darling, with bills like year's AB 263, which established minimum instream flow protections for the Shasta and Scott Rivers. Asm. Rogers joins the show to preview three new and exciting bills: 

AB 1984 would redefine corporate powers under state law to remove corporation's ability to spend money on elections. (Asm. Rogers recommends this article to learn more.)

AB 1699 would remove operational hurdles to prescribed fire and address liability issues with the goal o...

On February 12th, the Trump Administration rescinded the Obama-era "endangerment finding," a legal recognition by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that greenhouse gas emissions were harming and would further harm health and human safety. This endangerment finding allowed the EPA to issue regulations under the Clean Air Act on six climate pollutants, including carbon dioxide. Now, the Trump Administration says that it lacks the legal capacity to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and have tossed the endangerment finding and clean car regulations that aimed to reduce emissions by improving efficiency. To break down what this means, Matt Simmons, Climate Attorney...

Roads are a significant barrier to wildlife movement, whether you are a small salamander or a wandering wolf. Environmental activists like guest Steve Blackledge of Environment America have been advocating for the construction of wildlife crossings — physical structures, from big bridges to small culverts — to help mitigate the impact of roads. 

But in this advocacy strange bedfellows have emerged, like motorcycle clubs, whose members want to avoid hitting animals when out riding and insurance companies who want to reduce claims. Now there is a bipartisan effort at both the federal and state government to identify hot spots where...

There is a traffic safety crisis on 4th and 5th Streets in Eureka. These streets are extremely dangerous for people walking, biking, and rolling. While Caltrans has made some improvements to crosswalks, there are currently no plans for major safety improvements to 4th and 5th Streets. Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) joins the program to discuss how street design increases car crashes and pedestrian strikes and how Caltrans could immediately improve safety in Eureka.

Want to take action? CRTP is petitioning Caltrans to better prioritize road safety improvements on 4th and 5th...

On this week's EcoNews Report, we are doing something a little different: climate action theatre. Environmentalists drone about the climate crisis a lot, laden with statistics, science, and doom-and-gloom stories, hoping that with just a little more information, people will straighten up and take this issue seriously.  What is too often missing is the engagement of our imaginations,  essential both to take in the magnitude of the changes happening to our planet and to envision futures where we live within its means. On this week's show, Humboldt friends and neighbors perform mini-plays written as part of Climate Change Action Th...

Does thinking about the climate crisis get you down? Do you feel guilty about your consumption? Do you feel overwhelmed thinking about all that dooms our planet? Your emotional response to the state of the environment is understandable—good even!—but if it is impacting your capacity to live a full and vibrant life, maybe it's time to take action.  Ecochaplain Hanna Nielsen joins the show to discuss how to become a more resilient (and more impactful) person. Hanna, together with the Good Grief Network, is also hosting a 10-week program this spring on building community and personal resilience. 

S...

Local poets Jerry Martien and Katie Gurin join us for what has become a lovely annual tradition of reflection on the past and the new year ahead.

Support the show

The temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, stretching from Alaska all the way down to the redwoods of California, are some of the most productive and biodiverse forests on the planet. In terms of total carbon sequestration and storage, nothing beats them—particularly the towering coast redwoods. In this climate crisis, the best thing we can do is to grow these forests older, safely storing carbon away. But there is a concerted effort by the timber industry to offer a different "solution:" cutting down trees to store carbon in wood products. 

Environmental journalist Paul Koberstein, author of the...

The long-awaited Humboldt Regional Climate Action Plan—a multi-jurisdictional strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—is finally up for approval before the Board of Supervisors. (We say finally because the document, which sets emissions reduction targets for 2030, has been in the works since 2018. Seven years of work for a document with a shelf life of four years.) On this week's show, guests Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) and Matt Simmons, Climate Attorney at EPIC, join the show to discuss the merits and demerits of the Climate Action Plan.

Interested in more? Help urge...

This week on the Econews Report, we’re joined by Marc Hoshovsky and Bob Schneider, two of the authors of the new book Exploring the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which will be published early next year by Backcountry Press.

Never heard of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument? It’s an incredibly strange stretch of land, with absolutely unique geologic and botanical features, that stretches down from Lake County to Napa County. The land is part of a subduction zone that was thrown up from the deep ocean to the mountains, and as such it’s made m...

On this week’s EcoNews Report, we take an audio tour of the Siskiyou Crest with Luke Ruediger, chief evangelist for the rugged and wild mountain range that connects the Coast Range with the Cascades along the Oregon/California border. The crest is renowned for its amazing biodiversity, including species, like the Siskiyou Mountains salamander and Baker cypress, found nowhere else on the planet. Yet Trump’s new push for more timber from public lands is putting this place at risk.

Want to learn more? Check out the Siskiyou Crest Coalition!

Support the show

This week on the EcoNews Report we're excited to share that the comment period for Eel River dam removal has finally opened! Tune in to hear co-hosts Tom Wheeler of EPIC and Alicia Bales of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club talk with Alicia Hamann of Friends of the Eel River about this important moment. The Wild and Scenic Eel River offers an unparalleled opportunity to restore native fish populations. With vast, high-quality habitat protected in wild landscapes and fish that retain their wild genetics, dam removal will reconnect hundreds of miles of prime spawning and rearing habitat...

The Yurok people are a fishing people. Since time immemorial, the Klamath River provided for the Yurok, with salmon, eels, eulachon, and other food. Colonization fundamentally upset the balance that existed. The Yurok faced genocide, and those that survived were confined to a small portion of their territory. The Klamath, once a mighty salmon stronghold, was choked by fish-killing dams. But the Yurok persisted. In her new book, The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life, Amy Bowers Cordalis details the long struggle by her family and people to resist, restore...

On this week's EcoNews Report, historian Jerry Rohde joins the show to discuss his new book, Northern Humboldt Indians, which you can download as an e-version here. In his book, Jerry details the history of the seven tribes of Northern Humboldt County, with many newly colorized photographs and transcripts of interviews that help to bring to light the indigenous people of the area. The book is the companion to Jerry's 2022 book, Southern Humboldt Indians.

Support the show

Approximately a third of U.S. residents are non-drivers. Some by choice, but many are physically incapable of driving or financially cannot afford to. The Week Without Driving is an annual campaign that encourages people, especially those who drive, to go a week without their car — use alternative methods, like public transit, walking, biking, or riding-sharing to meet their transportation needs — to see what life is like for non-drivers. The week highlights barriers to transportation and aims to promote better-designed transportation systems and infrastructure for everyone. 

This year, Humboldt County Supervisor Natalie Arroyo attempted a week without drivi...

Assemblymember Damon Connolly joins the program to break down what was a historic legislative session. The legislature made major revisions to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) with the stated purpose of helping to build more housing but some folks—like Assemblymember Damon Connolly—are concerned that the legislature may have gone too far and a "clean-up bill" is needed. Asm. Connolly shares his thoughts on how we balance environmental protection with the "Abundance agenda" sweeping Sacramento. 

The legislature is set to distribute billions of dollars from the state climate bond. What is coming for the North State...

For decades pesticide-intensive farming of Easter lily bulbs on the Smith River Plain has contaminated groundwater and surface waters of the Smith River estuary, threatening the health of wildlife and humans along one of California’s healthiest, most ecologically pristine rivers. Now the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is considering new regulations to address this persistent pollution. Greg King, Executive Director of the Siskiyou Land Conservancy, joins the program to discuss an important upcoming townhall meeting—October 8th at 6 p.m. at the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Chambers or participate remotely online—and what it would...

High-severity wildfires that burn communities are obviously bad. But what about high-severity fire that burns in the backcountry? Guest Dr. Dick Hutto, Emeritus Professor of biology and wildlife biology at the University of Montana and author of the recently published book A Beautifully Burned Forest: Learning to Celebrate Severe Forest Fire, makes the case that high-severity fire has been unfairly demonized and this fire forms an important and transitory habitat type. 

Rethinking high-severity fire has policy consequences. Do we invest as heavily in fire risk reduction for wildlands or is funding better spent in and near communities? D...

On this week's episode of the Econews Report we discuss restoration planning in the Eel River with a rockstar team of restoration experts. Your host Alicia Hamann of Friends of the Eel River is joined by Kaydee Boozel from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marisa Parish-Hansen and Ruth Goodfield from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Julie Weeder, former NOAA staff and current FOER staff and CDFW volunteer. Tune in for a discussion of how state and federal agencies are working with the local community to develop restoration solutions for the Lower Eel River that work for...

Humboldt County just took a big step towards protecting our night sky! In August, the Board of Supervisors approved the Inland Outdoor Lighting Ordinance, regulating outdoor lights to limit light pollution and light trespass. This is a significant win for the dark sky movement and will require new development on unincorporated land to use light fixtures and bulbs that reduce light pollution.

But this isn’t just about seeing more stars — light pollution disrupts the natural rhythms of wildlife and humans alike. Bright lights left on at night can alter the timing of bird migrations, interfere with seas...

Government often moves slowly. This is a problem when there are immediate safety concerns for a street. The solution: Quick-build projects, which employ cheap and quick materials, like paint or plastic bollards. You may have seen this strategy in action, with new crosswalks and other improvements coming to local streets. Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Transportation Priorities joins the show to talk about quick-build projects and ways we can help identify other roads that need a tune-up.

RESOURCES:

Support the show

Hating on environmental laws is now a bipartisan activity. California Democrats have leaned into the “Abundance agenda” — a progressive case for weakening regulations to build more housing, renewable energy, and other public goods — to take swipes at the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

But to what extent does California’s landmark environmental law actually hold back housing production? And are proposed reforms actually aimed at the right targets?

REQUIRED READING:

Support the show

Been thinking about that induction stove? Or maybe a nice new heat pump? Of course you have! It’s the 21st century.

On Tuesday, 350 Humboldt and a bunch of allied organizations are hosting an “Electrification Fair” at the Jefferson Center, and there’ll be a whole host of experts on hand to help you navigate how to ditch natural gas in the easiest (and cheapest) possible way. More details here.

350 Humboldt’s Wendy Ring joins the show to give you a little preview of the kinds of things that will be on tap at the Fair, and...

PG&E recently tendered its License Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan for the Potter Valley Project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. This plan details when and how PG&E plans to tear down its two dams on the Eel River. And since an agreement has been reached for run-of-the-river, wet season diversions to replace the existing diversion to the Russian River, support for dam removal is now pretty much universal between the two basins. PG&E's Application is eye-wateringly long and technical. Thankfully, Scott Greacen and Alicia Hamann of Friends of the Eel River are here to help...

We rarely post reruns, but this show from last December is quite relevant in light of the magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula last Tuesday. The subsequent tsunami watch along the West Coast soon became a tsunami advisory, and later, a tsunami warning was issued for the North Coast. Although the tsunami peaked at 3.6 feet in Crescent City, it was another good lesson for everyone living in a tsunami hazard area.

And if you are wondering why Crescent City is so often on the receiving end of tsunamis...

Siskiyou Land Conservancy just finalized a new acquisition of 170 acres on Baduwa’t, joining a 183 acre property that the Conservancy acquired earlier in the year, to create a 353 acre reserve. Baduwa’t is, of course, important. It is home to coho salmon and a summer run of steelhead trout. And the river also provides domestic water for 70 percent of Humboldt County residents. Yet Baduwa’t remains the least protected of all of the fabled “six rivers” of the California North Coast. The new reserve will help to protect some of the headwaters of the river, including limited patches of old-growth...

To reach 100% renewable energy, we will need to store large amounts of energy generated from “intermittent” sources — things like solar or wind that only produce power sometimes. Large-scale industrial battery storage is one way to store this energy. But a recent fire at the Moss Landing battery facility in Monterey County has some folks concerned. A recent battery proposal in Blue Lake, for example, was met with some skepticism.

On Wednesday, July 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, in collaboration with the Schatz Energy Research Center, is hosting a free public workshop on grid-supporting batter...

Roughly a third of people don’t drive. That might seem like a lot but you probably know non-drivers in your own life. Some people can’t, either because they have some kind of disease or disability that makes driving impossible. Some people can’t because they are too young or too old to safely operate a vehicle. Some people can’t afford to drive, as car ownership is stupidly expensive (the average cost of owning a car is over $1,000 a month). Some people choose not to drive or drive as little as possible, as cars have a large environm...

The Trump Administration has announced it seeks to revoke the “Roadless Rule,” the 2001 regulation limiting U.S. Forest Service activities in unroaded areas of our National Forests. Guests Kimberly Baker of the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) and Scott Greacen of Friends of the Eel River join the program to discuss the history and purpose behind defending roadless areas and what this new attack on our public lands means for clean water, fish and wildlife, and recreation.

More information on the history of the Roadless Rule can be found here.

Support the show

The Bay Trail is finished, and now there’s a safe and beautiful trail that connects Humboldt Hill all the way to Clam Beach! 

Guests Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities and Jen Kalt of Humboldt Waterkeeper join the show to discuss the history of the trail (shout out to Supervisor Madrone for his work way back in the 1980s to get planning started) and how the trail will help Humboldt Bay residents roll, walk, or ride in a safe way that lowers their carbon footprint.

We hope to see you at tod...

Before enjoying Ruth Lake this summer, be sure to clean, drain and dry all gear, boats and trailers to prevent the spread of the invasive golden mussel. The golden mussel, native to East and Southeast Asia, was first documented in California in 2024. Like quagga and zebra mussels, the golden mussel is capable of rapidly spreading, wreaking ecological health and threatening water infrastructure and water quality. 

Thomas Jabusch of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Michiko Mares of the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District join the program to golden mussels, their threat, and what you can d...

This week: An all-star roundtable with our favorite law wonks, wherein we try to figure out where the Supreme Court is taking the National Environmental Policy Act — the most important federal law regulating the environmental costs of development.

Support the show

On Donald Trump's first day in office, he signed an Executive Order directing all parts of the federal government to take steps to stop the development of offshore wind. This has left people wondering: what's the future for offshore wind? Spoiler: it's unclear. 

Citing his executive order, on April 16, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a stop work order for Empire Wind\, a fully-permitted wind project off New York. Included in the rationale for the stop work order is a discredited conspiracy theory that offshore wind development was responsible for a spate of whale deaths. (A c...

Pope Francis centered the climate crisis during his papacy, highlighting the moral obligations that we all share to our fellow humans (especially the poorest among us, as they will be disproportionately impacted by climate change) as well as our responsibilities to the Earth itself. In 2015, Pope Francis released his first encyclical, Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home, a 40,000 word treatise on both the Biblical mandate to care for creation but also a holistic discussion of the effects of modernity on the ecological function of the planet. While the encyclical became part of the Catholic Church’s official teac...

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) warns that when we experience the next Cascadia subduction zone earthquake, land near the coast may rise or fall significantly over a short period of time—think +/-5 feet in five minutes. If it falls, it could significantly expose new parts of our coast to sea level rise and coastal flooding. Check out the coverage from the Lost Coast Outpost or read the study yourself.

Dr. Jay Patton of the California Geological Survey joins the show to discuss why land may suddenly jump or...

Melodie Meyer of the Environmental Protection Information Center joins the show this week to talk about a new plan to log 500 acres of the Jackson State Forest by the method known as "group selection." 

This forest in Mendocino County is managed by the State of California and has been the subject of much controversy over herbicide spraying, clearcutting, and failure to consult with local tribes (among other things). Tune in to learn about the latest plan, the relatively new Tribal Advisory Council, and how to learn more and/or comment on the plan. 

Support the sh...