Latest news with #SenateBill1137
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Climate programs will struggle for support, attention under Trump, speakers say
Reflecting on the first 95 days of President Donald Trump's administration, panelists at the opening session of the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalists conference were not hopeful for the future. Nada Wolff Culver, former principal deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management, said the landscape of climate change and covering the crisis is uncertain. '(There's been) a lot of undoing. (The Trump administration) is trying to get the word 'climate' out of our vocabulary,' Culver said. Culver, one of four panelists at the opening session of the conference in Tempe, said the term "climate" is often censored depending on the presidential administration in power. 'We're not going to have the same federal backstop as we have had in the past,' said Anne Hedges, executive director of Montana Environmental Information Center. The 'federal backstop' she was referring to was a lack of support in the federal government and higher-level judiciary spheres for climate change. This sentiment was echoed by Culver. '(There is) less certainty that the courts will be able to save and protect us,' Culver said. On the topic of uncertainty, Lena Gonzalez, majority leader of the California State Senate, said the process of accessing FEMA relief funds in the wake of the Palisades and Eaton fires was 'like a little chess game.' Gonzalez said her work in the Senate, attempting to pass environmentally minded climate crisis solution bills, has been similar to the chess dichotomy she mentioned. She said Senate Bill 1137, known as the Setbacks Bill, was specifically difficult to pass and implement in the Golden State. The measure, implemented in June 2024, created a more than 3,000-foot health protection zone around community gathering spaces such as homes and schools. The bill, Gonzalez said, is an example of legislation the Trump administration is fighting to eradicate. 'We're going to continue to push on this,' she said. 'Multi-state alignment (is necessary) when it comes to energy.' Emily Fischer, a professor at Colorado State University, spoke passionately about her role as an atmospheric scientist, but also as a mother of two children. 'We cannot afford to lose four years of progress,' she said, referring to the Biden administration's climate work between the first and second Trump administrations. 'Regardless of what's happened over the past 95 days, the science is the same,' Fischer said. Hedges said for every attempt at forward progress regarding the solutions to and coverage of the climate crisis, there is backward action. 'For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction,' she said to laughter in the audience. While all four panelists were passionate about the changes made by the current administration in how the climate crisis is addressed and covered, Culver said it is possible for researchers and journalists to 'work with' the Trump administration on climate crisis policy and legislative implementation. Bella Mazzilli is a reporter at State Press Magazine at Arizona State University, and is part of a student newsroom supported by The Arizona Republic. Coverage of the Society of Environmental Journalists conference is supported by Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and the Arizona Media Association. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: SEJ conference speakers say climate programs will struggle under Trump
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
4 things experts said about confronting the climate crisis in the Trump era
Environmental leaders from the western U.S. gathered in metro Phoenix to discuss "confronting the climate crisis in the Trump Era" during the Society of Environmental Journalists conference. In partnership with Arizona State University, the journalism group celebrated its 35th anniversary of bringing together journalists, scientists, governmental officials and others in Tempe, Arizona, near the university's campus. The 2025 gathering explored environmental issues across the Southwest, including water scarcity, extreme heat, and other issues that resonate globally. The discussion about the intersection of the climate crisis and the second Trump administration, including the rollback of Biden-era climate policies and how state and local governments can continue to fight climate change, opened the third day of the conference. Here are some key takeaways from the conversation, moderated by Sammy Roth, the climate columnist for the Los Angeles Times. A Biden-era principal deputy director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management reflected on her experience with the dynamic nature of the word 'climate' in public conversation. Nada Wolff Culver said the word itself rises and falls in prominence, but real change stems from the concrete action by journalists, lawyers and policy advocates. 'Usually, the word is not always the big difference but the action that happens, the reporting, the lawsuit, the advocacy,' Culver said. 'This is what makes the change on the ground.' Anne Hedges, the executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, described herself as an optimist and said she saw a potential silver lining in President Donald Trump's energy policies. Hedges said she anticipated a moment of realization when Trump's promised fossil fuel boom fails to materialize because of market forces. The shift to renewable energy is already in motion, she said, and argued that the desire for affordability will spur a pushback against high non-renewable energy costs. 'They are saying we are going to dig, we're going to burn, and we are going to use it all,' she said. 'He is giving a false sense of hope to a lot of people out there.' California Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez, a Democrat who represents southeast Los Angeles as well as Long Beach and other Southern California communities, said environmental justice issues resonate with people in her district. When it comes to working with larger climate organizations, there has been a positive shift in the dynamics, she said. Big groups have taken a step back and allowed frontline environmental justice advocates to take the lead, Gonzalez said. She said this collaborative approach has proved to be powerful in advancing legislation, including Senate Bill 1137, which established buffer zones between community areas and fossil fuel operations. 'In terms of lobbying with climate folks, sometimes the larger climate groups really take a step back and allow environmental folks to really push and be front and center,' Gonzalez said. Emily Fischer, an atmospheric science professor at Colorado State University, said even though it is a "scary" time to be a scientist, the science itself stays the same. The reality of climate change and its impact on the ground are undeniable and will not disappear, Fischer said. She encouraged journalists covering environmental issues in 2025 to focus on the human impact of climate change, ensuring that the connections between disasters and broader climate patterns are made apparent. Many people fail to connect natural disasters to climate change, she said, and that knowledge gap can be a way for journalists and educators to get their foot in the door on educating the public about climate change. 'After a natural disaster, the information on climate change is twice as likely to be received, without a backlash,' Fischer said. McKenna Manzo is a senior at the University of Arizona and is part of a student newsroom led by The Arizona Republic. Coverage of the Society of Environmental Journalists conference is supported by Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism, the University of Arizona, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and the Arizona Media Association. These stories are published open-source for other news outlets and organizations to share and republish, with credit and links to This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 4 things experts said about confronting climate crisis in Trump era
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jane Fonda Slams Gavin Newsom for ‘Cozying Up' to Political Rival Steve Bannon
Jane Fonda is among several Democrats slamming Gavin Newsom for 'cozying up to Steve Bannon' after the California governor had the far-right political figure as a guest on his podcast. By doing so, Fonda argued, the democratic politician 'forfeits his ability to inspire and protect the very people that elected him.' She described the moment as Newsom shifting from being Winston Churchill — the British prime minister who led the nation to an allied victory over Hitler during World War II — to Neville Chamberlain, his predecessor whose appeasement tactics were seen as caving to the Nazi leader. 'Leaders are made or broken in times like this, and we have to ask ourselves [about] our governor Newsom: Is he Chamberlain, or is he Churchill?' she told Fox L.A. anchor Elex Michaelson. 'He's Chamberlain [now]. He's been Churchill. This is what's so insane. He has been a great leader,' she continued, criticizing Newsom's willingness to let Sable Offshore restart Exxon's former oil and gas plant off the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara. Watch the full moment below: Jane Fonda sat down w/ @Elex_Michaelson. Fonda criticized Gavin Newsom over his podcast interview with Steve Bannon: 'Is he Chamberlain or is he Churchill?' Fonda said Newsom has been Churchill, but right now resembles Chamberlain. — Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) March 14, 2025 'He has been braver than most past governors. He stood up and passed a bill, Senate Bill 1137, that outlawed neighborhood drilling, kept new oil wells out of communities. Fantastic. He stood up to oil companies who were gouging us at the pump. And he's been brave about a lot of things,' she continued. 'We need him to stand up,' she said. 'We need leadership, it's a cause of concern to see him, this brave governor, suddenly gets silent and and not step up.' Michaelson asked why she thought Newsom was now sitting down with conservative media personalities like Bannon and Charlie Kirk. 'Because he's running for president?' she speculated. 'I don't know. That's what everybody assumes.' The actress and activist said she would still consider voting for Newsom as president, but 'it depends on on which governor shows up for us here.' Michaelson suggested that in talking to people like Bannon, maybe there's 'lessons to be learned' about why the Democrats lost the 2024 election. Fonda emphatically replied, 'No, you're not going to learn any lesson from Steve Bannon about why Democrats lost, or any of the other Republicans he's had. [If] anybody wants to find out why Democrats lost, talk to people in the middle of the country, or working people here. Working class people are the people that can explain to the Democrats what went wrong. Not Steve Bannon.' 'The View' co-host Sunny Hostin also slammed Newsom as 'despicable' for hosting Bannon. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear weighed in to say, 'I don't think we should give [Bannon] oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere.' The post Jane Fonda Slams Gavin Newsom for 'Cozying Up' to Political Rival Steve Bannon | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
