California Carbon Permits Sell Above Expected Clearing Price

Taking another step in the implementation of its landmark cap-and-trade program, the Air Resources Board last week conducted its second auction of greenhouse gas emission allowances. The auction price was $13.62 each, more than a dollar above analysts' expectations.

Feds, states explore fracking regulation

As the debate over hydraulic fracturing becomes a central energy policy issue, a key question emerges for the Obama administration and the next Environmental Protection Agency administrator: what do they plan to do about it? Steve Everley, a spokesman for Energy in Depth, a research and public education program of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, finds in President Barack Obama’s recent State of the Union address a clear indication that the federal government plans to promote hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking.

Fracking Bubble? Report Warns Shale Gas And Oil Won't Solve Energy Crunch

Governments and financial analysts who think unconventional fossil fuels such as bitumen, shale gas and shale oil can usher in an era of prosperity and energy plenty are deluded, concludes a groundbreaking report by one of Canada’s top energy analysts. In a 181 page study for the Post Carbon Institute, geologist David Hughes concludes that the U.S. “is highly unlikely to achieve energy independence unless energy consumption declines substantially.”

Enron-Era Ruling Signals $1.6 Billion California Refunds

California energy regulators said that a preliminary ruling by a U.S. agency may bring as much as $1.6 billion in refunds for consumers harmed during the state’s electricity crisis more than a decade ago. An administrative law judge at the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 15 determined that companies including Powerex Corp. and a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc violated market rules in 2000, when California’s electricity prices reached their peak.

Ruling stands in UCSC water case: Appeals court holds environmental report flawed

A three-judge panel of the state's 6th District Court of Appeal has reaffirmed an earlier ruling invalidating Santa Cruz's environmental analysis of a proposed water expansion to UC Santa Cruz.

Beverly Hills Fights L.A. Subway Extension

Beverly Hills sued two federal agencies for approving a 9-mile subway extension beneath homes and 80-year old Beverly Hills High School. The City of Beverly Hills sued the Federal Transit Administration for approving funding for the subway, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, in Federal Court. It alleges violations of environmental, administrative and transit laws.

Judge hears case against Ocotillo wind project

A Federal District Court judge heard arguments last week that construction on Pattern Energy’s Ocotillo Express Wind facility, already delivering power in the western Imperial Valley, should be halted until the BLM addresses alleged deficiencies in its approval of the project. The lawsuit, filed in 2012 by the San Diego-based Desert Protective Council, argues that the Interior Department inadequately addressed the project’s impacts to Peninsular bighorn sheep and golden eagles when it amended the California Desert Conservation Area plan.

Settlement is announced in lawsuit challenging approval of industrial project in Mira Loma Village, located south of Fontana

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris recently announced a settlement in a lawsuit challenging the approval of an industrial project in Riverside County that would cause additional diesel truck traffic near a community already disproportionately affected by diesel exhaust and noise pollution.