Author

Jacob Fischler

Jacob Fischler

Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.

Manchin earned $476K in 2022 from family coal company, congressional disclosures show

By: - July 12, 2023

U. S. Sen. Joe Manchin III, the centrist West Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, continued to earn a substantial sum from his family coal company last year, according to the annual financial disclosure report he filed in May. Members of Congress are required to file personal financial disclosures every […]

The Supreme Court court recently struck down the EPA’s definition of waters of the United States, or WOTUS, the term for what waters and wetlands the federal government had authority to regulate under the Clean Water Act. (Photo courtesy of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources)

U.S. House Dems want data on impact of Supreme Court ruling on wetlands protection

By: - July 12, 2023

Top Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee asked federal agencies Monday to track possible negative effects from a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limited federal authority to regulate clean water. Washington’s Rick Larsen, the ranking Democrat on the committee, and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee ranking member Grace Napolitano of California, […]

Opponents of liquid carbon pipelines rally Nov. 9, 2022 in Cowles Commons in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Thanks to federal tax credits, it’s boom time in the Midwest for carbon dioxide pipelines

By: - July 5, 2023

Thousands of miles of carbon dioxide pipelines planned in the Midwest have been spurred, in part, by a major expansion of federal tax credits in Democrats’ 2022 climate law. That could lead to billions of dollars per year in federal tax credits benefiting the powerful Midwest ethanol industry, even as the proposals create intense conflicts between […]

Traffic signal. (Askolds Berovskis / EyeEm/ Getty Images)

Roads, bridges, trails, ports: White House awards $2.2B in transportation grants

By: - June 29, 2023

The U.S. Department of Transportation will send more than $2.2 billion in grants to state, tribal and local governments under a grant program that was expanded under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. The $2.26 billion for 162 projects provides funds for each of the 50 states, two territories and the District of Columbia. It is […]

Federal public lands rule would be yanked under bill passed by U.S. House panel

By: - June 23, 2023

The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee on a party-line 20-16 vote Wednesday approved a bill to force the Bureau of Land Management to drop its proposed rule that would allow the agency to lease parcels of land for conservation. The committee vote allows the bill, written by Utah Republican John Curtis, to get a vote […]

Former President Donald Trump speaks on May 28, 2022, in Casper, Wyoming. Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images.

U.S. judge sets mid-August date for Trump trial in classified documents case

By: - June 21, 2023

Former President Donald Trump is set to face a jury trial on federal charges of mishandling classified information, after the Miami judge overseeing the case signed an order Tuesday scheduling the trial to begin Aug. 14. U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, whom Trump appointed to her seat on the federal bench in the Southern […]

CAPTION: MIAMI, FLORIDA – JUNE 13: Former U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he makes a visit to the Cuban restaurant Versailles after he appeared for his arraignment on June 13, 2023, in Miami. Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges including possession of national security documents after leaving office, obstruction, and making false statements. (Photo by Alon Skuy/Getty Images)

Trump pleads not guilty in federal documents case, heads back out on campaign trail

By: - June 14, 2023

Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court in Miami on Tuesday to 37 felony counts of taking highly classified national security documents from his time in office and obstructing efforts to recover the documents, according to media reports from inside the courtroom. Trump, the first former president charged with a federal crime, […]

Former President Donald Trump speaks on May 28, 2022, in Casper, Wyoming. Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images.

Questions and answers about Trump’s indictment on federal criminal charges

By: - June 12, 2023

A federal judge in Florida unsealed an indictment that accuses former President Donald Trump of hiding classified national security documents after he left the White House, improperly storing them and sharing sensitive information with people who lacked security clearance. Though he’s not the only former federal official to improperly take classified documents with him after leaving office, […]

A default on the U.S. debt would be far worse than a government shutdown. Here’s how.

By: , , and - May 22, 2023

WASHINGTON — A U.S. default on its debt would have a significantly broader impact on federal operations, financial markets and the global economy than recent government shutdowns that have left ordinary Americans largely untouched. While the two have been confused frequently during debate over the debt limit, the federal government has had considerable practice with […]

Overhaul federal permitting as part of the debt limit deal? Not as easy as it sounds.

By: - May 22, 2023

Congressional leaders negotiating a deal to avoid a catastrophic default on the nation’s debt are talking about including an overhaul of how the federal government reviews projects for their environmental impact. There is bipartisan support for changes to the lengthy environmental approval process among climate-minded Democrats eager to speed construction of renewable energy projects, as […]

PJM, which coordinates the flow of electricity from power generators to utility companies in 13 states and the District of Columbia, is facing complaints about how it ensures it will have enough capacity to keep the electricity flowing during a winter storm or summer heat wave (fhm/Getty Images).

Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loans

By: - May 17, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. Congress approved the federal spending — $9.7 billion for a grant and loan program the department is calling the New Empowering Rural America program, or […]

Speedier permitting of energy projects gains bipartisan backing on U.S. Senate panel

By: - May 15, 2023

Members of both parties on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voiced their support Thursday for reforming the federal process for approving energy projects, saying it should be prioritized to secure domestic energy supply and boost renewable energy. There is bipartisan interest in revising the permitting process and members of both parties have […]