Work to find and stop methane emissions is getting a $100-million boost, with an investment aimed at expanding satellite monitoring and helping countries adopt policies to rein in releases of the potent greenhouse gas....more
11/10/2025
/ California ,
CARB ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Methane ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Permits ,
Preemption ,
Recycling ,
Satellites ,
State and Local Government ,
Wastewater
Exxon Mobil last Friday filed suit in federal court challenging two California laws that would require the oil company to report greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the use of its products globally. The 30-page complaint,...more
11/3/2025
/ California ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Groundwater ,
Hazardous Waste ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Water
California Senate Bill (SB) 415, signed into law on October 3, provides much needed clarifications to the state’s 2024 landmark law, Assembly Bill (AB) 98, which provides comprehensive standards for the siting and operation...more
10/20/2025
/ Air Pollution ,
California ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
CARB ,
Climate Change ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Logistics ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Warehouses ,
Water Supplies
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) on October 8 granted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) a six-month extension to complete its status review of the March 5, 2024 petition to list the...more
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released a list of more than 4,000 companies that may be required to comply with the state’s new climate reporting laws mandating disclosures on climate-related risks and...more
10/6/2025
/ California ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Government Agencies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
Governor Gavin Newsom on September 19 signed into law a slate of climate and clean energy bills designed to “lower electricity costs, stabilize the petroleum market, and slash air pollution.” The measures include legislation...more
9/26/2025
/ California ,
Cap-and-Trade ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Claims ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Ports ,
Public Health ,
Railroads ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Trump Administration ,
Wildfires
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved last Friday, September 12, to stop requiring thousands of coal-burning power plants, oil refineries, steel mills, and other industrial facilities across the country to...more
9/22/2025
/ Clean Air Act ,
Comment Period ,
Contamination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Lead ,
Oil & Gas ,
Permits ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Water
The Trump administration said Wednesday that it is planning to eliminate a key public lands rule that gave conservation equal standing with oil drilling, logging, mining, and other activities on Bureau of Land Management...more
9/15/2025
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
California ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
Cap-and-Trade ,
CARB ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Comment Period ,
Conservation ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Land ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Trump Administration
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