EPA science under scrutiny by Trump political staff

[Source: Associated Press] The Trump administration is mandating that any studies or data from scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency undergo review by political appointees before they can be released to the public. The communications director for President Donald Trump’s transition team at EPA, Doug Ericksen, said Wednesday the review also extends to content on Read More…

New year, new burdens for small businesses

[Source: Press-Telegram] Small business owners must be diligent to comply with slew of new laws and regulations. The California Legislature enacted a dizzying array of new bills last year — with Gov. Jerry Brown signing more than 900 into law. With job growth stagnant and small business optimism unclear here in California, hundreds of new Read More…

Trump admin orders EPA contract freeze and media blackout

[Source: Associated Press] The Trump administration has instituted what it described as a temporary media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants. Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed specific prohibitions banning press releases, Read More…

The immediate threat to California’s climate-change fight isn’t Trump, it’s this

[Source: The Los Angeles Times] With President Trump in the Oval Office, California officials are bracing for the possibility that the new administration will undermine the state’s landmark policies on climate change. But the more immediate threat isn’t coming from Washington; it lies in a lawsuit that has been slowly winding its way through state courts. The 4-year-old Read More…

Trump team prepares dramatic cuts

[Source: The Hill] Donald Trump is ready to take an ax to government spending. Staffers for the Trump transition team have been meeting with career staff at the White House ahead of Friday’s presidential inauguration to outline their plans for shrinking the federal bureaucracy, The Hill has learned. The changes they propose are dramatic. The Read More…

Trump’s EPA pick casts doubt on California’s power to regulate auto emissions

[Source: The Los Angeles Times] Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency cast doubt on whether California should continue to have power to impose its own emission rules for cars and trucks, an authority the state has enjoyed for decades that is also the cornerstone of its efforts to fight global warming. Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Scott Pruitt said Read More…

California’s bullet train is hurtling toward a multibillion-dollar overrun, a confidential federal report warns

[Source: The Los Angeles Times] California’s bullet train could cost taxpayers 50% more than estimated — as much as $3.6 billion more. And that’s just for the first 118 miles through the Central Valley, which was supposed to be the easiest part of the route between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A confidential Federal Railroad Administration risk Read More…

Gov. Jerry Brown warns of major ripple effects in California if Obamacare is repealed

[Source: The Los Angeles Times] Gov. Jerry Brown issued a terse but pointed response Friday to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s request for input on repealing the Affordable Care Act, warning of spiraling damage to healthcare coverage, premium costs and the state budget. Brown’s letter to McCarthy argued that repealing Obamacare without an alternative plan would lead Read More…