Three years after a massive spill at a Los Angeles wastewater facility sent millions of gallons of sewage into Santa Monica Bay, the city has agreed to spend more than $20 million on improvements to remedy the environmental...more
The Michigan Senate recently introduced legislation in an attempt to join several North American jurisdictions that have established clean fuel standards. The Michigan Clean Fuel Standard aims to reduce the average carbon...more
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association said on Thursday that they had reached an agreement, referred to as the "Clean Truck Partnership," that gives new flexibility for...more
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday narrowed the scope of the 1972 Clean Water Act by ruling that an Idaho couple's property does not include wetlands subject to federal oversight under the law. The decision in Sackett v. EPA...more
The climate bills championed by Governor Newsom stand to alter the state’s climate policy for years to come. On August 31, 2022, the last day of its 2021-2022 session, the California Legislature passed four climate bills...more
After significant lobbying by California Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Legislature passed a flurry of climate bills last week and approved nearly $54 billion in climate spending. Included in the suite of bills sent to...more
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted on August 25, 2022, to approve the Advanced Clean Cars II rule that prohibits the sale of new gasoline-fueled cars by 2035. The rule sets forth a plan whereby automakers must...more
What’s Next in the Regulation of Methane Emissions? Previously in our sessions, I have discussed carbon dioxide and what policymakers should do about it. Last month I explained it in full in a speech to the Independent...more
After extensive collaboration with other state agencies and nearly a year’s worth of public workshops on scoping plan topics and modeling, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released its Draft 2022 Scoping Plan Update...more
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
California Air Resources Board Significantly Expands Air Emissions Reporting Requirements - On November 19, 2020, CARB amended its “Regulation for the Reporting of Criteria Air Pollutants and Toxic Air Contaminants” (CTR)...more
CARB Finalizes Amendments to At-Berth Vessel Rules - On August 27, 2020, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted new emission reductions requirements for At-Berth Vessels. These regulations will require...more
Focus - New EPA policy would offer alternative to penalties for some oil and gas polluters - The Hill - January 29 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon unveil a finalized audit policy that will offer...more
California Air Resources Board (CARB) Proposes Amendments to its Cap-and-Trade Program - On September 4, 2018, CARB proposed amendments to its greenhouse gas (“GHG”) cap-and-trade program to implement the changes required...more
BAAQMD Developing Rules to Regulate Methane Emission - The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (“BAAQMD”), as part of its Methane Strategy, is pursuing rules to address methane emissions from several source categories....more
In March 2017, the California Air Resources Board (“ARB”) adopted regulations for Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards for Crude Oil and Natural Gas Facilities (“Methane Regulations”), which impose emission controls for oil and...more
Sustainable Development Focus - $1 billion program will bring rooftop solar to California renters - San Jose Mercury News - Dec 16 Over the next decade, roughly 150,000 low-income renters in California will see their...more
In a previous post, we described how potential delays in the resolution of the case commonly known as POET I could create uncertainty regarding the future of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). On August 23, 2017,...more
Stoel Rives’ Oil & Gas Team has been monitoring bills introduced by California legislators since the beginning of the 2017-2018 Legislative Session. Below are the latest updates on a list of bills, summarized pursuant to the...more
Stoel Rives’ Oil & Gas Team has been monitoring bills introduced by California legislators since the beginning of the 2017-2018 Legislative Session. June 2, 2017 was the deadline by which the Legislature was required to pass...more
This is the third update on environmental regulatory and legal developments in Los Angeles and adjacent counties, as well as the Southern San Joaquin Valley. ...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - D.C. Circuit grants EPA’s request to delay 2015 smog rule case - Washington Post - Apr 11 - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday granted a...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - U.S., in reversal, issues permit for Keystone oil pipeline - New York Times - Mar 24 - The Trump administration announced on Friday that it would issue a permit for...more
This presentation to the Northwest & Intermountain Power Producers Coalition (NIPPC) reviews the current direction of carbon-reducing public policy and legal trends and their impacts on power producers and developers both...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Governor Brown signs into law two landmark climate bills - San Francisco Chronicle - Sep 8 - Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed SB32, the nation’s toughest climate law,...more