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 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
Climate change threatens to dramatically shrink the amount of water California can deliver over the next 20 years and could significantly reduce supplies available from the State Water Project according to new projections...more
8/5/2024
/ Agricultural Land ,
California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Water Resources ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Groundwater ,
Landfills ,
Reclamation ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
A coalition of 17 states led by Nebraska is suing California for creating ZEV standards for trucking fleets, saying the state’s rule violates the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation,...more
5/20/2024
/ California ,
CARB ,
Commerce Clause ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Environmental Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Oil Wells ,
Orphan Wells ,
Salmon ,
Scientific Research ,
State Budgets ,
Trucking Industry ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, California Chamber of Commerce, American Farm Bureau Federation, and other groups sued California on Tuesday in federal court over the most sweeping climate disclosure mandates in the nation,...more
2/5/2024
/ Agricultural Sector ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Dams ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Governor Newsom ,
PFAS ,
Salmon ,
State and Local Government ,
US-Mexico Border Wall ,
Wastewater
The California 2023 Legislative Session ended on September 14, 2023 and presented Governor Gavin Newsom with several important changes to California’s water-related statutes. Newsom had until October 14, 2023 to sign all...more
10/23/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
Aircraft ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
PFAS ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rising Sea Levels ,
State and Local Government ,
Water Resources Control Board
Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen significant environmental bills over the weekend, including a first-in-the-nation law requiring corporations doing business in California with more than $1 billion a year in...more
10/16/2023
/ Air Quality Standards ,
California ,
Fines ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Legislation ,
Oil Spills ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Public Notice ,
State and Local Government ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Water Supplies
The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed strengthening requirements for the removal of lead-based paint dust in homes and child care facilities built before 1978. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates...more
7/17/2023
/ California ,
CEQA ,
Conservation ,
Contamination ,
Drought ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Lead ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Wells ,
State Department of Fish and Wildlife
Facing an onslaught of criticism that water was “wasted” during January storms, Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday issued an executive order authorizing the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to “consider modifying”...more
Modesto wins $4 million in suit to clean up PCE-contaminated site - The Modesto Bee – October 27 - After 24 years in litigation, the Superior Court of San Francisco awarded the City of Modesto $4 million in damages against...more
U.S. Supreme Court leans toward limiting scope of Clean Water Act - U.S. News & World Report – October 3 - U.S. Supreme Court justices on October 3 appeared open to limiting the reach of the U.S. Environmental Protection...more
U.S. Supreme Court leans toward limiting scope of Clean Water Act - U.S. News & World Report – October 3 - U.S. Supreme Court justices on October 3 appeared open to limiting the reach of the U.S. Environmental Protection...more
EPA's new environmental justice office will oversee $3 billion in grants to polluted communities Bullet CNBC – September 26 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 24 launched the Office of Environmental...more
Governor Newsom signs SB 1137, creating a safety buffer between homes and oil wells in California Bullet Los Angeles Daily News – September 16 Governor Gavin Newsom on September 16 signed a package of environmental bills into...more
California’s top environmental regulator leaving Newsom administration Bullet Associated Press – August 12 Jared Blumenfeld, head of California's Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and a key climate adviser to Governor...more
Governor Newsom calls for boosting water supply projects to curb California drought and climate change - The Vacaville Reporter – August 11 Governor Gavin Newsom released a broad plan on August 11 seeking to expand...more
Supreme Court restricts EPA's authority to mandate carbon emissions reductions - Associated Press - June 30 - In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited the extent of the U.S....more
7/5/2022
/ California ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Drinking Water ,
Drought ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regulatory Authority ,
SCOTUS ,
Water Supplies ,
Wealth Tax ,
West Virginia v EPA
Southland air regulators threaten to sue EPA for failure to control federally-regulated emissions sources Bullet - Los Angeles Times - May 10 - The South Coast Air Quality Management District (District), which oversees a...more
5/16/2022
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
California Coastal Commission ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Toxic Substances Control ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Governor Newsom ,
Oil & Gas ,
Public Comment
Biden to crack down on polluters in poor and minority communities Bullet Associated Press - May 5 The Biden administration on Thursday announced a wide-ranging enforcement strategy aimed at holding industrial polluters...more
California plan would pay farmers to grow less to save water - Bullet Associated Press - March 29 - Under a new $2.9 billion plan announced on Tuesday, California would pay farmers not to plant thousands of acres of land in...more
UC study finds safe drinking water remains out of reach for many Californians -
NBC Bay Area – January 12 -
An estimated 371,000 Californians -- about 1% of the state's residents -- rely on drinking water that may contain...more
1/14/2022
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Aviation Industry ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Farms ,
Governor Newsom ,
Herbicides ,
Pollution Control ,
Water Supplies