California energy regulators last Friday postponed plans to impose penalties on oil companies for excessive profits. The California Energy Commission’s postponement of this determination until 2030 comes after two oil...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) took formal steps this week to rescind a decades-old rule that protects 58.5 million acres of wild areas in national forests, including 4.4 million acres in California. The agency...more
9/2/2025
/ California ,
CARB ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Flooding ,
Forest Service ,
Landfills ,
Notice of Intent ,
Rollbacks ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Trucking Industry ,
Trump Administration ,
USDA ,
Water ,
Wildfires
The California Fish and Game Commission took final action to approve the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan at its August 13, 2025 meeting. The Conservation Plan sets forth management practices and guidelines for the...more
8/22/2025
/ California ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
California Fish and Game Commission ,
Climate Change ,
Conservation ,
Critical Habitat ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Incidental Take Permits ,
Infrastructure ,
Motor Vehicles ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Oil & Gas ,
Water
A group of truck manufacturers filed a lawsuit on August 11 against California regulators contending that the state lacks the authority to enforce its heavy-duty vehicle emissions standards, which are stricter than federal...more
8/18/2025
/ California ,
Cap-and-Trade ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Energy Storage ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Preemption ,
State and Local Government ,
Trucking Industry ,
Trump Administration ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
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
8/11/2025
/ California ,
CERCLA ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Data Centers ,
Drinking Water ,
Energy Consumption ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Hazardous Waste ,
NEPA ,
Permits ,
Superfund
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 29 proposed to repeal its landmark finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health. The EPA’s so-called endangerment finding, issued in 2009, is a formal...more
8/4/2025
/ California ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Methane ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government
The California Air Resources Board (CARB), the agency tasked with enforcing the state’s climate disclosure rules, published guidance this Wednesday on how companies can comply with Senate Bills 253 and 261 (which govern...more
7/18/2025
/ California ,
CARB ,
Climate Change ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Flooding ,
Marin County ,
New Legislation ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pesticides ,
Public Health ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
The Trump administration will uphold a Biden-era ban on the ongoing use of asbestos after previously saying it would reconsider the rule. The rule requires companies to phase out their use of chrysotile asbestos, which is the...more
On June 30, 2025, Governor Newsom signed two budget trailer bills into law: Assembly Bill 130 and Senate Bill 131, which reform the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) effective immediately. As explained by the...more
7/7/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
California ,
CEQA ,
CEQA Reform ,
Environmental Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Housing Developers ,
Infrastructure ,
New Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State Legislatures
The Trump administration’s plan to repeal a rule prohibiting logging and road construction in undeveloped parts of national forests would remove protection from more than 4 million acres of forestland within California’s...more
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
Owners and operators of facilities damaged or destroyed by the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires should be aware of the risks posed by toxic contaminant releases during cleanup and, in particular, the regulatory requirements...more
6/23/2025
/ Asbestos ,
Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
CEQA ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Construction Industry ,
Contractors ,
Demolition ,
Government Agencies ,
NESHAP ,
Penalties ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renovations ,
SCAQMD ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Wildfires
California is often the vanguard of climate-related policies and programs. From legislation requiring the state to reduce overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and procure electricity from renewable and carbon-free sources...more
6/20/2025
/ California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Legislation ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
Each year, many California businesses receive letters from private entities, typically environmental nongovernmental organizations (Citizen Groups), alleging that those businesses’ facilities are in violation of applicable...more
6/20/2025
/ Best Management Practices ,
California ,
Citizen Suits ,
Clean Water Act ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Violations ,
NPDES ,
Penalties ,
Permits ,
Pollution Control ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Stormwater Discharge Permits
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved this Wednesday to erase limits on greenhouse gases from power plants and to weaken restrictions on other hazardous power plant emissions, including mercury, arsenic, and...more
6/16/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
California ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Government Agencies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court held that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — which requires federal agencies to analyze the environmental impacts of projects that they perform, fund, or approve — does not...more
6/9/2025
/ Air Pollution ,
California ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Government Agencies ,
Hazardous Substances ,
NEPA ,
Pollution Control ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SCOTUS ,
State and Local Government
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of an alliance of local counties that support a planned 88-mile railroad project in Utah, concluding that the federal environmental review process did not have to consider...more
6/2/2025
/ California ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Review ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Plastics ,
Recycling ,
SCOTUS ,
Water Pollution ,
Wetlands
The Senate on Thursday blocked California’s landmark plan to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles, setting up a legal battle that could shape the electric car market in the United States. The consequences of...more
5/27/2025
/ California ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will rescind much of the Biden administration’s first nationwide drinking water standard aimed at protecting people from PFAS, which are found in hundreds of consumer and...more
The House passed resolutions last week to rescind federal waivers that allow California to set stricter vehicle emissions standards than the rest of the country. California’s standards currently require the sale of most...more
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) circulated a draft template, dated April 8, 2025, to assist federal agencies in updating their procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)....more
5/2/2025
/ Air Quality Standards ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CEQ ,
Clean Air Act ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Government Agencies ,
Kinder Morgan ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
SCOTUS ,
Water
The Trump administration is moving to effectively eliminate a crucial protection in the half-century-old federal Endangered Species Act by redefining a single word: harm. A proposed rule, issued this Wednesday from the U.S....more
4/18/2025
/ California ,
Clean Water Act ,
Critical Habitat ,
Deregulation ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Government Agencies ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
NOAA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pollution Control ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health ,
Refineries ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
President Trump issued an executive order this Tuesday taking aim at state and local climate change laws and policies, including California’s landmark market program for reducing greenhouse gases. The order directs U.S....more
As part of a continued effort to expedite rebuilding after Los Angeles' devastating firestorms, Governor Gavin Newsom this week suspended California environmental laws for utility providers working to reinstall key...more