Focus
California air board approves first rules for corporate climate disclosures
The Sacramento Bee – February 28
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) on February 26 approved the initial rules to implement the state’s corporate climate disclosure laws, setting August 10 as the first reporting deadline to begin reporting greenhouse gas emissions. Subject to limited exceptions, Senate Bills 253 and 261 require large companies doing business in California to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks. CARB’s approval establishes the initial rules needed to implement those laws ahead of their first reporting requirements this year.
News
Ninth Circuit rebuffs EPA’s relaxed freshwater pollution limits
Courthouse News Service – March 3
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit this Tuesday rejected the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendation to relax criteria for cadmium levels in fresh water, compelling the agency to revisit its guidance under the Clean Water Act. The panel — upholding a lower court order vacating the guidance — found the agency violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service before issuing the recommendations in 2016.
California warns federal government that proposed Colorado River plans may violate century-old water compact
Imperial Valley Press – March 4
In a comment letter submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Monday, California’s Colorado River Commissioner issued a formal warning to the federal government that current draft plans for managing the Colorado River after 2026 lack a sound legal basis and unfairly shift the burden of drought onto Lower Basin states, including California, Arizona, and Nevada. The letter argues that the government’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement fails to analyze whether its proposed “shortage” scenarios comply with the 1922 Colorado River Compact. The Bureau of Reclamation is expected to review comments from all seven basin states before issuing a final environmental impact statement later this year.
Goleta West Sanitary District settles with water board over sewage spill
Noozhawk – March 2
The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board on February 27 reached a settlement with the Goleta West Sanitary District over a 2024 spill that released more than 1 million gallons of raw sewage into the Goleta Slough and the Pacific Ocean. The settlement includes a $1.55 million civil penalty. Investigators attributed the February 2024 spill to external corrosion on a section of underground pipe. In a statement released after the settlement agreement, the district detailed various voluntary actions it has taken since the spill, including upgrades to flow metering, alarm systems and an updated maintenance plan.
Toxic vapors linger beneath a shuttered Watts scrap yard
Los Angeles Times – March 5
When a Los Angeles County judge ordered the closure of S&W Atlas Iron & Metal’s scrap metal yard in Watts last year, many thought that it might bring an end to the facility’s pollution. However, according to court filings, a contractor hired by Atlas recently measured toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, in the soil and groundwater beneath the site at orders of magnitude above California’s environmental screening standards. Currently, there is no approved final remedy for the site.
Santa Barbara judge upholds stop to Sable Offshore’s oil restart plans
KEYT – February 27
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna Geck on February 27 upheld an injunction imposed on Sable Offshore in July 2025 preventing the restart of the company’s onshore pipelines, despite the intervention of federal regulators. The Office of State Fire Marshal has been assigned oversight of the plans to restart the onshore pipelines since the Refugio Oil Spill of 2015. Under the injunction, Sable Offshore, which purchased the oil production infrastructure from ExxonMobil in 2024, must notify the court and involved plaintiffs when it receives all approvals necessary to restart the use of onshore pipelines at least ten court days before restarting.
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