California has set ambitious clean energy standards, mandating that 100% of the state's electricity be supplied by renewable and zero-carbon resources by 2045, with interim targets of 60% by 2030 and 90% by 2035. In order to...more
The California Energy Commission (“CEC”) and Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (“Black & Decker”) entered into a May 21st Settlement Agreement and Release (“Agreement”) addressing alleged violations of the California Appliance...more
Manufacturers and sellers of consumer products in California should be aware that the California Energy Commission (CEC) continues to bring more enforcement actions and assess large civil penalties for violations of its Title...more
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on October 14 signed into law Assembly Bill X2-1, significantly increasing the authority of the California Energy Commission (CEC) to create requirements for the state’s oil refiners to preserve...more
On October 14, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into effect ABX2-1, which was developed and passed in a special legislative session. The aggressive new law — ostensibly designed to prevent the sort of supply...more
California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta announced a $50 million settlement with Vitol, Inc. (Vitol) and SK Energy Americas Inc. along with its parent company SK Trading International (collectively SK), to resolve a lawsuit...more
On Thursday, May 9, 2024, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) issued an addendum to its Interconnection Process Enhancements (IPE) Track 2 Final Proposal, and issued a revised version of that addendum on May...more
California Independent System Operator (CAISO) released its draft 2023-2024 Transmission Plan (the 2023-2024 Plan) on April 1, 2024. As expected, the 2023-2024 Plan incorporates projections for significant new generation of...more
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is reviewing 20 major renewable energy projects — mostly solar — across the West that would cover as much as 193,000 acres of federal land, and generate 13,845 MW of electricity, or enough...more
The California Energy Commission (CEC) last Friday released a draft strategic plan for offshore wind development, which estimates a potential generation capacity of up to 59.6 GW off the state’s coast and lays out strategies...more
The offshore wind industry now has California’s answer to a pressing concern—how might the state procure this generation resource? California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a suite of bills that create a mechanism for...more
Governor Newsom, on October 7, 2023, signed AB 1373 into law. The bill authorizes the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to serve as a central procurement entity to procure diverse clean energy resources in order to help the...more
Figures from the California Energy Commission (CEC) highlight California’s continued progress toward building a more resilient grid, achieving 100% clean electricity, and meeting the state’s carbon neutrality goals. Analysis...more
The State of California has officially launched a new Division of Petroleum Market Oversight within the California Energy Commission, and appointed a seasoned antitrust prosecutor to lead it....more
The California Energy Commission (“CEC”), on April 28, 2023, released an Offshore Wind Energy Permitting Roadmap that builds on the Draft Conceptual Permitting Roadmap the CEC published in December 2022... AB 525 requires the...more
The California coast is home to some of the best offshore wind resources in the country. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that California's coast has a resource potential of 201,000 megawatts (MW) of...more
The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently released drafts of two key work products required by AB 525: a Conceptual Permitting Roadmap and a Report on the Preliminary Assessment of Economic Benefits of Offshore Wind...more
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”). Heralded as a “transformative” legislative package, the IRA provides eye-popping incentives to drive clean energy development and...more
The auction: First of its kind for five West Coast offshore lease areas - The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), completed its first west coast offshore wind lease auction on Wednesday.1 The auction covered...more
The highly anticipated emergency regulations describe how the direct permitting process will work under AB 205 - The California Energy Commission (“CEC”) recently finalized its highly anticipated emergency regulations...more
On September 21, 2022 the California Energy Commission (CEC) issued its draft report of the Lithium Valley Commission, which includes 44 recommendations concerning the opportunities and challenges associated with the...more
The California Energy Commission (CEC), on August 10, adopted a report establishing offshore wind planning targets of 2-5 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045. An earlier draft report in May had proposed planning goals of...more
Offshore wind development off the California coast took another step closer to reality on August 10, 2022 with the California Energy Commission’s release of a report setting maximum feasible capacity and megawatt goals for...more
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 205 into law on June 30, 2022. This legislative effort significantly expands the California Energy Commission (CEC)’s jurisdiction and encourages the development of new clean energy projects....more
California has long been a leader in the development of renewable energy and the transition to a carbon-free economy. The State recently demonstrated its continuing leadership with the enactment of a new law that may...more