Apr 04, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   federal issues Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 Introduced in U.S. Senate

This 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 ESA

On 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, Farmers 

This 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 Housing

This 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 Rule

On 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

Mar 14, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   federal issues   |   water rights Senate Committee Advances Bill to Enact Water Settlement Between Tule River Tribe and the U.S. 

On March 7, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs advanced legislation introduced by California’s U.S. Senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, which would formally recognize the reserved water rights of the Tule River Tribe and quantify

Mar 14, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   federal issues Congress Introduces Bicameral Legislation to Improve Access to Agricultural Disaster Relief

On March 12, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), along with Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-Monterey), Kat Cammack (R-FL-03), Zoe Lofgren (D-Monterey), and Austin Scott (R-GA-08), announced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve access to federal agriculture disaster programs.

Mar 14, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   federal issues EMBER Act Reintroduced as Part of Larger Congressional Package

On March 11, Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Riverside County) reintroduced the Ending Major Borderland Environmental Ruin from Wildfires (EMBER) Act, which would reduce the threat of wildfires along the southern border and protect

Mar 07, 2025

federal issues President Trump Issues Executive Order on Timber Production

On March 1, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to stimulate U.S. timber production. The order directs

Mar 07, 2025

Barbed Wire   |   federal issues USDA Forest Service Leadership Transition

On March 3, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) experienced a significant leadership transition. Chief Randy Moore has retired after a tenure of four and a half decades with the Forest Service. Moore is succeeded by