On July 23, 2025, the White House issued an Executive Order titled “Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure.” Released alongside “America’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan,” the Order reflects a...more
8/7/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
CEQ ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Data Centers ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Consumption ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Infrastructure ,
NEPA ,
Permits
California stands at a pivotal juncture in 2025, confronting an array of environmental and housing challenges. As usual, the California State Legislature is considering numerous strategies to address these issues. This year’s...more
6/24/2025
/ Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) ,
Affordable Housing ,
California ,
California Coastal Commission ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
CEQA ,
Citizen Suits ,
Clean Energy ,
Demolition ,
Density Bonus ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Impact Fees ,
Natural Disasters ,
Natural Resources ,
New Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Sackett v EPA ,
Water Conservation ,
Waters of the United States ,
Wetlands ,
Wildfires
California’s regulatory authority over “waters of the state” continues to grow even as the federal definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) narrows under shifting legal and regulatory frameworks. In Sackett v. EPA...more
6/23/2025
/ California ,
Clean Water Act ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Policies ,
Permits ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Sackett v EPA ,
Waste Disposal ,
Water Quality ,
Waters of the United States ,
Wetlands
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) held its second meeting on the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Draft Conservation Plan) on April 16, 2025. Though no formal action was taken, the Commission received...more
“Recent federal actions limiting the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) authority under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) have created an uncertain regulatory landscape, with less clarity on how agencies will...more
On April 17, 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively, the Services) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to rescind their respective...more
Last week, several news outlets reported that the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) circulated a draft template dated April 8, 2025 among federal agencies to assist in updating their procedures for...more
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) accepted public comment on the draft Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Draft Conservation Plan) at its February 12, 2025 meeting, but no formal action was taken. As...more
On February 20, 2025, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) posted a pre-publication notice on its website of an Interim Final Rule that rescinds its regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy...more
The California Court of Appeal’s recent decision in V Lions Farming, LLC v. County of Kern provides important clarity on the use of agricultural conservation easements (ACEs) for mitigating the conversion of agricultural land...more
2/5/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Agricultural Sector ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Conservation ,
Department of Environmental Quality ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Mitigation ,
Oil & Gas ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
As detailed in our previous Legal Alert, six conservation groups filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) on March 5, 2024 to request the implementation of legal protections for five...more