As California works toward its ambitious clean energy vision, an almost counterintuitive challenge has emerged: The state is, at times, generating more solar energy than it can handle. According to data from California’s...more
A U.S. district judge has dismissed claims by Native American tribes and environmentalists who sought to halt construction along part of a $10 billion energy transmission line that will carry wind-generated electricity from...more
6/14/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
BOEM ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
California ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Assessments ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
State Budgets ,
Transmission Lines ,
Tribal Lands
On May 3, 2024, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW or Department) published a Notice of Proposed Action (Proposed Rule) to update its regulations for Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreements (LSAAs). As...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent executive order, calling on state agencies to create a comprehensive Water Resilience Portfolio, has set goals for recycling at least 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030 and...more
Governor Gavin Newsom said on April 25 that California continued to rapidly add the battery storage that is crucial to the transition to cleaner energy, but admitted it was still not enough to avoid blackouts during heat...more
5/8/2024
/ Batteries ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Storage ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
IRS ,
New Jersey ,
Offshore Wind ,
Power Grid ,
Public Utility ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits ,
Transfers ,
U.S. Treasury
The Biden administration on April 25 finalized a rule meant to speed up federal permits for major transmission lines, part of a broader push to expand America’s electric grids. Administration officials are increasingly...more
The U.S. Department of Treasury on March 22 issued guidance that further defined what qualifies as an “energy community” under the Inflation Reduction Act, clarifying where developers can site projects to qualify for the...more
3/29/2024
/ California ,
Coal Mines ,
CPUC ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Projects ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Offshore Wind ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Wal-Mart
California energy regulators, during their meeting on February 15, approved a sweeping plan to reduce the state’s yearly electric sector greenhouse gas emissions to 25 million metric tons by 2035, down nearly 60% compared to...more
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) last Thursday asked federal regulators for permission to cancel its annual interconnection study process for any interconnection requests submitted this year so it can deal...more
2/19/2024
/ Amazon ,
BOEM ,
CAISO ,
California ,
Department of Water Resources ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Geothermal Energy ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Interconnections ,
Offshore Wind ,
Power Purchase Agreements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Wind Farm
President Joe Biden announced Monday a $1.3 billion federal investment to build three new interstate power lines in an effort to upgrade the nation’s outdated electric grid and transition to clean energy....more
11/3/2023
/ BOEM ,
CAISO ,
California ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Information Association (EIA) ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Federal Funding ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Offshore Wind ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits ,
Wind Farm
The Biden administration is putting almost $3.5 billion into improving the strength and resiliency of the U.S. electric grid, government officials said on Wednesday. The money is coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,...more
10/23/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
California ,
Clean Energy ,
Conservation ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Storage ,
Environmental Policies ,
Hydropower ,
Infrastructure ,
New Jersey ,
Offshore Wind ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Tribal Lands
In recognition of the substantial effect that widespread use of electric vehicles (EVs) will have in reducing carbon emissions, the state and federal government have set ambitious goals to increase the number of EVs on the...more
10/18/2023
/ California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Storage ,
Offshore Wind ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Solar Farm ,
Solar Panels ,
State and Local Government
In recognition of the substantial effect that widespread use of electric vehicles (EV) will have in reducing carbon emissions, the state and federal governments have set ambitious goals to increase the number of EVs on the...more
The California State Senate has passed Senate Bill 605, which directs the California Energy Commission to evaluate the feasibility, costs, and benefits of using wave energy and tidal energy in the state, sending the bill to...more
9/25/2023
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
California ,
Dams ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Storage ,
FERC ,
IKEA ,
Offshore Wind ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Tidal Energy
The California Legislature voted Thursday to give Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration permission to buy massive amounts of electricity, a move aimed at avoiding blackouts by shoring up the state’s power supply while...more
9/21/2023
/ BOEM ,
California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Conservation ,
Energy Storage ,
Hydropower ,
Offshore Wind ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Solar Farm ,
State and Local Government ,
Supply Chain ,
Wind Power
When ranchers violated an emergency order to stop pumping water from the Shasta River in 2022, state officials fined them $4,000, or roughly $50 each. Now California legislators are weighing a bill that would triple fines for...more
Environmental groups have sued California regulators over new rules they say will discourage the growth of rooftop solar installations, in violation of state law. Three groups filed a petition asking the California Court of...more
5/15/2023
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
California ,
Clean Energy ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Governor Inslee ,
Offshore Wind ,
Power Grid ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
State and Local Government
How does California’s drought — or on the other end of the spectrum, an overabundance of water — impact our economy, infrastructure, and real estate development? David Osias and Barry Epstein, both partners at the law firm...more
In last year’s update, we provided an overview of federal and California regulatory actions designed to protect public health and the environment from the impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These actions...more
5/2/2023
/ California ,
CEQA ,
CERCLA ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Site Assessment ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Housing Developers ,
Office Space ,
Offshore Wind ,
PFAS ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
State and Local Government
The amount of new power generation and energy storage in the transmission interconnection queues across the U.S. continues to rise dramatically, with over 2,000 GW of total generation and storage capacity now seeking...more
With torrential rains drenching California, state water regulators have endorsed a plan to divert floodwaters from the San Joaquin River to replenish groundwater that has been depleted by heavy agricultural pumping during...more
California utility regulators on Thursday approved major changes to the state’s booming rooftop solar market that they say will more evenly spread the cost of energy and help reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels in the...more
12/22/2022
/ California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Geothermal Energy ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Oregon ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Solar Farm ,
Texas
In early November, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case brought by the Navajo Nation that could have far-reaching impacts on tribal water rights in the Colorado River Basin....more
California legislators reject bill to curb agricultural groundwater pumping -
The Bakersfield Californian – September 4 -
California lawmakers have rejected proposed legislation seeking to rein in agricultural...more