EcoNews Report

Climate change promises to wreak havoc on Humboldt County. And Humboldt County is responding to this threat … slowly. 

A draft of the long-delayed Regional Climate Action Plan is here. Colin Fiske, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, and Matt Simmons, climate attorney at the Environmental Protection Information Center, join the show to review the draft and offer suggestions for how it can be improved.

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Eureka voters will be asked to decide on Measure F, the pro-parking ballot measure that opponents warn would thwart ongoing plans to build affordable housing downtown. If it passes, what are the consequences. The California Housing Defense Fund, a non-profit that ensures California's housing laws are follows, recently sent a letter to the City of Eureka warning that should Measure F pass, it could "wreak legal and financial havoc."

On this week's show, Dylan Casey and James Lloyd of the California Housing Defense Fund join the show to discuss California housing law and elaborate on their letter to the city. 

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It's easy to spiral when thinking about all that dooms our planet: forever chemicals, climate change, species extinction, and so on. Feeling overwhelmed by overwhelmed by eco-distress is normal. And there are ways to lessen that anxiety. Eco-chaplain 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 fall on building community and personal resilience. Sessions run weekly, each Sunday starting September 15, from 2-4pm. And thanks to our friends at Queer Humboldt, the series is free! Space is limited. If you are interested, please email [email protected].

Other listening:

An Existential Toolkit for the Climate Generation

Coping with Climate Anxiety 

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Wildfires are burning across many parts of California, including in Humboldt County. Fires are complicated. Fire is somewhat paradoxical. It is both a natural phenomenon and necessary for forest health, yet some large fires are unnatural. The way to reduce big bad fires may be more, smaller fires. 

Complicated things are difficult to understand and even harder to discuss well in public. Luckily, the EcoNews Report has Lenya Quinn-Davidson, Director of the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resource's Fire Network, who is both thoughtful and a good communicator about fire. Listen in and up your fire knowledge!

Are you a property owner and interested in returning fire to your land? Find out about local networks at the California Prescribed Burn Association or check out the Fire Network to learn more about preparing your home, fire-wise landscaping, evacuation planning, and more.

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Should we borrow money to pay for urgent environmental priorities? That's the question before voters this fall. Proposition 4 asks for the state to issue $10 billion in new bonds to pay for drinking water improvements, forest restoration work, land conservation, kelp forest reestablishment, and climate action. The bond measure would direct that 40% of funding be explicitly directed towards under-resourced communities or are impacted by natural disasters. Josefina Barrantes and Kim Delfino join the show to discuss the bond measure and how the North Coast stands to benefit from an investment in environmental protection. 

Required Reading:

• CalMatters has helpful info on Prop. 4 and other California ballot measures.

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The Northwest Forest Plan turns 30 this year. The Plan, which governs federal forest management within the range of the northern spotted owl, was a first of its kind: a landscape level ecosystem management plan. While the Plan has been a success on many fronts, it is also showing its age. Climate change and tribal sovereignty were issues that were never well-addressed in the original plan. Now, the Forest Service is moving forward on amendments to the plan to update it to better reflect modern issues and modern needs on public forests.

To help direct that amendment, the Forest Service has convened a “federal advisory committee” of concerned citizens to provide recommendations. This week’s guest, Susan Jane Brown of Silvix Resources, is one of the co-chairs of the advisory committee. She shares her perspective on the Plan and potential amendments on this week’s episode.

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Your favorite enviro do-gooders, Jen Kalt of Humboldt Waterkeeper and Tom Wheeler and Matt Simmons of EPIC, recently went on a fact-finding mission to Norway to investigate offshore wind of the Norwegian coast. Join them and other guests in an exploration of this technology in action. 

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Northcoastoffshorewind.org is a new website designed to provide objective answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about offshore wind with links to primary sources.

On this week's show, Matt Simmons of EPIC and Jen Kalt of Humboldt Waterkeeper answer the top 10 most frequent questions that we get about offshore wind. Want to learn about whales, birds, fish and more? Listen in or go to https://www.northcoastoffshorewind.org/.

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Chevron deference is no more. What's Chevron deference you ask? Well, it was the backbone of our federal administrative state. Congress often passes laws that are vague or are capable of multiple interpretations. In Chevron, decided in 1984, the Supreme Court said that where a law is vague, the agency gets deference to its interpretation of that law in issuing regulations. In other words, regulations were likely to withstand legal challenges because federal courts were directed to respect the opinions of federal agencies. The Supreme Court recently overturned Chevron, saying that agencies should not be afforded deference but rather it is courts to decide what laws mean. So what does that mean? CHAOS. 

Your legal eagles on the EcoNews, Tom, Matt, Melodie, and Scott, break down the decisions and discuss the ramifications on this week's episode.

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Special guest Congressman Jared Huffman is heading a task force in the Democratic caucus to address Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s policy outline for a second Trump administration. The document is pervaded by anti-science and anti-regulatory animus, with a particular focus on climate science and renewable energy. Friends of the Eel River Conservation Director Scott Greacen goes deep into these and even darker corners of the plan with Congressman Huffman.   

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