Apr 25, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues USDA Announces Disaster Assistance Funding Available to Rural Communities Impacted by Recent DisastersOn April 22, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced $340.6 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster assistance to deliver relief to farmers, ranchers and rural communities impacted by natural disasters
Apr 25, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues Congress Members Urge FEMA to Restore BRIC Grant ProgramLast week, Representatives Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) led a letter with 26 other representatives opposing FEMA’s decision to terminate funding under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and urging
Apr 25, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues DOI Implements Emergency Permitting Procedures to Strengthen Domestic Energy SupplyIn response to President Trump’s declaration of a National Energy Emergency, the U.S. Department of the Interior will implement emergency permitting procedures to accelerate the development of domestic energy resources and critical minerals. These measures are designed
Apr 11, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues Bipartisan Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate to Create New Disaster Resilience Tax Credit for Communities Impacted by Natural DisastersOn April 8, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) introduced the Facilitating Increased Resilience, Environmental Weatherization and Lowered Liability (FIREWALL) Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at promoting community resilience
Apr 04, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act Reintroduced in the HouseOn April 2, U.S. Representatives David Valadao (R-Kings County) and Salud Carbajal (D-San Luis Obispo County) reintroduced the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act. This bipartisan legislation
Apr 04, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 Introduced in U.S. SenateThis week, Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Tina Smith (D-MN) reintroduced the Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 (one-pager | full text). This measure is designed to modernize Rural Housing Service programs
Mar 28, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues Congressman LaMalfa Introduces Resolution to Repeal Longfin Smelt Listing in the ESAOn March 21, a group of California Congressmen introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the listing of the longfin smelt as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act
Mar 21, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues U.S. Senators Ask USDA to Reverse Canceled Local Food Purchases for Schools, FarmersThis week, Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) led a group of 31 Senators in a letter that voiced “serious concerns” about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cancelation of food purchase programs across the United States. They noted
Mar 21, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues | housing Joint Task Force to Target Underutilized Federal Land for HousingThis week, Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced the establishment of a Joint Task Force which will focus on using underutilized federal land suitable for housing
Mar 21, 2025
Barbed Wire | federal issues | WOTUS EPA Announces Plans to Revise WOTUS RuleOn March 12, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that EPA will work with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to review the definition of “Waters of the United States.” The agencies