On July 1, 2026, the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee voted to pass AB 2494 (Rogers) with a 5 - 2 partisan split.

Today, conservation groups and a fishing guide filed suit in federal court in San Francisco to challenge the Trump administration’s new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that “harm” to species does not include destroying their habitat. The decision reverses 50 years of bipartisan agreement that protecting species’ habitat is at the heart of the ESA and, without it, many species will go extinct.

Next week AB 2494 (Rogers) will be heard and voted on by the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. The hearing will start at 9 AM on July 1, 2026, and will be held at the State Capitol in Room 113, 1315 10th St, Sacramento, CA 95814.

The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) urges Caltrans to adopt a more robust mitigation package for the Last Chance Grade Project. The project, which would bypass the notorious slide at Last Chance Grade on Highway 101 by tunneling under the active landslide area, will remove 144 mature trees, including 16 old-growth redwood trees in Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP).

The Forest Service has released an Environmental Assessment proposing large-scale commercial logging and mechanical treatment across 12,805 acres of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Northern Trinity County. The project runs along the Highway 3 corridor between Trinity Lake and the Trinity Alps Wilderness, a low-elevation forest that is some of the most wildlife-rich public land in Northern California. Public comments are due Friday, June 5.

Great news! AB 2494 made it out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now up for a floor vote at the Assembly level, which will occur by May 29th.

On over 10,000 acres of the Mendocino National Forest, there are roughly 2,000 known invasive plant infestations. Species like Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry, and cheatgrass threaten native ecosystems, increase wildfire risk, and harm water quality. In the draft Invasive Plant Treatment Project Environmental Assessment, the agency proposes three alternatives: the Proposed Action, which includes multiple herbicides; Alternative 2, no herbicides; and Alternative 3, No Actio