114th Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced that the County of Sonoma Fleet Operations located in Santa Rosa has been selected by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Clean Air Excellence Award winner. The Clean Air Excellence Awards Program periodically recognizes and honors outstanding innovative efforts to help make progress in achieving cleaner air. Award-winning entries must directly or indirectly reduce pollutant emissions, demonstrate innovation, offer sustainable outcomes, and provide a model for others to follow.
A second group of federal lawmakers has introduced legislation to regulate the transport of crude oil by rail.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) yesterday introduced the Crude-By-Rail Safety Act (H.R. 1804), which the congressman said would set new safety and security standards to address growing concerns that current standards fail to address the threat posed by transporting crude oil by rail.
Thompson said the bill would "establish new, common sense federal safety standards for railcars transporting oil across the country.".
An emergency order requiring trains hauling crude oil and other flammable liquids to slow down as they pass through urban areas and a series of other steps to improve the safety were announced Friday by the Department of Transportation.
Washington, DC – U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), vice-chair of the task force today led more than 100 of their bipartisan colleagues in calling on House Speaker John Boehner and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to not include legislative language, or "riders" that would block efforts to reduce and prevent gun violence in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 appropriations bills.
House Democrats on Thursday vowed to fight any attempt by Republicans to tuck gun provisions into government spending bills.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today co-authored and introduced the Crude-by-Rail Safety Act which establishes comprehensive new safety and security standards for the transport of crude oil by rail. The legislation is designed to help protect communities along the nation's railway networks. The legislation comes amid growing concerns that current standards do not address the threat posed by transporting crude oil by rail.
Another bill concerning the transportation of crude oil by rail was introduced Wednesday, following at least two others in the past month. With a pending Valero Refinery crude-by-rail project in the works, concerned Benicians and activists said though they acknowledge the effort in the bill, they'd like to see more.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, coauthored the Crude-By-Rail Safety Act, which would "establish new, common sense federal safety standards for railcars transporting oil across the country," according to a release from Thompson's office.
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, introduced a bill Wednesday setting new safety standards for transporting crude oil by rail, citing concerns that current regulations do not adequately protect the public from a dramatic rise in oil shipments by railroad tank cars.
Four derailments in the United States and Canada in less than a month earlier this year "underscored the urgency of action to curb the risks of transporting crude oil," Thompson said in a news release.
Members of Progressive Women of Napa Valley set off a spark this week that they hope will inspire a fire in Napa Valley residents who support an increase to the local minimum wage.
Residents and a handful of local elected officials attended a panel discussion Thursday at Napa County Library moderated by Rep. Mike Thompson to learn about how they said a higher minimum wage could not only bring economic benefits to the valley but social gains as well.
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-5) and John Garamendi (CA- 3) today announced a $939,062 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant for Lake Family Resource Center. The funding will be used for the center's Early Head Start program which provides expectant mothers and low-income families with children up to 3 years old with services and resources such as child development, prenatal education, family services and parent involvement activities.