Oct 11, 2024
Barbed Wire RCRC 2024 Legislative Digest Provides Guide to Latest Legislation Impacting Rural California CountiesOn September 30, 2024, Governor Newsom completed final action on bills sent to him by the Legislature for the year. Signing 1,017 bills and vetoing 189, this year marked the highest number of bills to...
Oct 11, 2024
Barbed Wire Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act Introduced in CongressThis week, U.S. Representatives Doug LaMalfa (R-Butte) and Mike Thompson (D-Lake) announced the introduction of the Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act, which would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to enroll additional agricultural lands in the Farm...
Oct 11, 2024
Barbed Wire Golden State Connect Authority Included in Grant Funding Announcement for Rural Broadband Network in Amador CountyOn October 5th, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced its eighth round of grant award recommendations for the Federal Funding Account (FFA) program to fund last mile broadband infrastructure projects in unserved and underserved...
Oct 11, 2024
Barbed Wire California Launches First Phase of Federal Home Energy Rebate Program to Help Families with Energy Efficiency ImprovementsOn October 8, 2024, the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that California is launching its first federally-funded Home Energy Rebate program, the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR...
Oct 04, 2024
Barbed Wire California Congressional Representatives Introduce Legislation to Expand San Pablo Bay National Wildlife RefugeLast Friday, legislation was introduced to expand the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge by approximately 5,658 acres. The expansion, proposed in the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act (H.R. 9826), would include adjacent baylands...
Oct 04, 2024
Barbed Wire U.S. House of Representatives Passes Fix Our Forests ActLast week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 8790), This bipartisan piece of legislation focuses on improving forest management and reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfires. The Act promotes enhanced cooperation...
Oct 04, 2024
Barbed Wire | battery storage Governor Convenes State Battery Storage Collaborative to Address Safety and Permitting IssuesOn September 27th, Governor Newsom announced that he has convened a state-level collaborative “to examine battery storage technologies and safety measures”. Battery storage is widely viewed as key to improving reliability and resiliency of the...
Oct 04, 2024
Barbed Wire Governor Signs Controversial Warehouse Bill with Far-Reaching Implications for Rural CommunitiesOn September 29, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 98 (Carrillo and Reyes), which imposes siting and construction requirements on a wide variety of warehouse and storage buildings. Assembly Bill 98 is intended to address the community,...
Sep 27, 2024
Barbed Wire | organic waste | sponsored legislation Governor Newsom Signs RCRC-Sponsored AB 2902 (Wood, D-Healdsburg) and Other Measures Regarding Organic WasteOn September 22, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2902 (Wood, D-Healdsburg), which makes several changes to CalRecycle’s SB 1383 organic waste regulations, including: Extending the existing rural exemption for the state’s 19 counties with fewer than...
Sep 27, 2024
Barbed Wire | federal issues Legislation to Strengthen Natural Disaster Preparedness Continues Forward Momentum After Committee PassageOn September 25, 2024, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed the Investing in Community Resilience Act of 2024 (S. 4900). The bill passed out of committee overwhelmingly by a vote of 14-1. The Investing in...