Author

Jacob Fischler

Jacob Fischler

Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.

Revised voting rights bill named for John Lewis wins over one GOP senator

By: - November 2, 2021

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Tuesday she would join Senate Democrats in backing a compromise voting rights bill, marking the first time this year a Republican has signed on to a measure that likely still lacks enough GOP support to become law. Murkowski, of Alaska, joined Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Richard J. Durbin of […]

U.S. Senate committee advances nomination for National Park Service director

By: - November 2, 2021

The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a voice vote Tuesday approved Charles F. Sams III’s nomination to lead the National Park Service. Sams, an Oregonian who would be the first enrolled tribal member to be NPS director, won the support of several Republicans on the committee. Ranking Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming […]

Biden to outline major methane reduction strategy at UN climate conference

By: - November 2, 2021

The Biden administration plans to release a comprehensive methane reduction plan as part of the president’s participation in the United Nations climate summit, administration officials said Monday. In addition to a comprehensive White House plan, several executive agencies will take action on methane, administration officials told reporters on a background call. The officials said the […]

Biden calls for ‘decade of action’ on climate, apologizes for Trump exit from Paris Accord

By: - November 1, 2021

President Joe Biden urged the international community on Monday to transition to clean energy, curb greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, and help developing nations adapt to a changing climate. Speaking at a pivotal United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Biden said worsening wildfires and once-in-a-century storms hitting every few years show that there’s only “a brief […]

No climate deal for Biden as he joins global allies at critical UN conference

By: - October 30, 2021

President Joe Biden will arrive at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, without new federal programs in hand to fight climate change, after Democrats in Congress failed to reach an agreement to pass his revised $1.75 trillion spending plan. But environmental advocates say they haven’t given up and praised the new proposal […]

Biden’s new public lands chief faced with building bridges after confirmation battle

By: - October 23, 2021

Before she inspired partisan theatrics in the U.S. Senate as the Bureau of Land Management nominee, Tracy Stone-Manning built a reputation in Montana — her home for more than 30 years — as a consensus-builder. Stone-Manning stood out as an expert at bridging divides between conservationists and loggers, miners and recreational land users, in a […]

National parks nominee pledges to ramp up workforce, improve staff morale

By: - October 19, 2021

President Joe Biden’s choice to lead the National Park Service told a U.S. Senate panel Tuesday he would work to rebuild the agency’s workforce, which has shrunk even as park attendance hits new records. Charles F. Sams III, of Oregon, would be the first enrolled tribal member to lead the National Park Service. He is […]

‘Climate change is fundamentally altering the Colorado River’: States, tribes grapple with drought

By: - October 16, 2021

States in the Colorado River Basin are adjusting to the reality that their rights outstrip the available water by nearly one-third, state and tribal leaders told a congressional panel Friday. The situation is likely only to worsen as the climate changes, leaving states and tribes in competition for their most vital resource. Representatives from the […]

Chuck Grassley

Grassley scoffs at report indicating prosecutor quit under pressure from Trump

By: - October 8, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former President Donald Trump forced a top federal prosecutor in Atlanta to step down because he wouldn’t help Trump overturn his loss of Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, a U.S. Senate report released Thursday said. The report, written by Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, found that the U.S. attorney for the Northern […]

Senators: Hurricane protection that cost billions worked during Ida

By: - October 6, 2021

U.S. senators on Wednesday promoted a federal hurricane system’s performance in New Orleans during Hurricane Ida, but noted that other regions experienced devastation that is likely to worsen as climate change produces more intense and frequent storms. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System in response to […]

U.S. House plan for new mining royalties draws objections in Senate

By: - October 5, 2021

U.S. senators of both parties at a hearing Tuesday rejected House Democrats’ plans to impose billions of dollars in royalties and other fees on companies that mine for gold, copper, lithium and other minerals, largely in Southwestern states. Among the opponents was Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, who said she objected to the House proposal […]

‘Wildfire year’ meant record days at high alert, Forest Service chief says

By: - September 29, 2021

The U.S. Forest Service spent more consecutive days this summer at the agency’s highest level of preparedness for wildfires than in any previous year, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore told a U.S. House subcommittee Wednesday. Moore’s comments reflected the growing danger from more intense and harder-to -control fires that have swept Western and Midwestern states […]