On-Demand Webinar | Charting a Course for Offshore Wind Energy in California
[WEBINAR] Update on the California Environmental Quality Act: What’s New for 2018
[WEBINAR] Building a Solar Energy Project in 2018
How Trump's Infrastructure Plan Impacts the Energy Industry
BB&K's Charity Schiller Discusses CEQA Baseline
The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed strengthening requirements for the removal of lead-based paint dust in homes and child care facilities built before 1978. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates...more
Attorney General Bonta asks plastic bag producers to prove that bags are recyclable - San Francisco Chronicle – November 2 - On Wednesday, Attorney General Rob Bonta sent letters to seven plastic bag producers that supply the...more
County and City of Los Angeles - Los Angeles City and County Ordinances to Ban Oil and Gas Drilling - There are 26 oil and gas fields and more than 5,000 oil and gas wells (active and idle) across the City of Los Angeles. On...more
In what has become a near-annual ritual, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a large package of bills aimed at addressing the state’s glaring housing shortage. This Update summarizes two key bills in this...more
Ninth Circuit blocks permits for hydraulic fracturing off California coast Bullet Los Angeles Times - June 3 The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday blocked hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, off...more
EPA unveils strategy to regulate PFAS - Associated Press – October 18 - Michael Regan, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced on Monday that the agency is launching a broad strategy to...more
Senate confirms Biden’s pick to lead EPA - The New York Times – March 10 - The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Michael S. Regan, the former top environmental regulator for North Carolina, to lead the U.S. Environmental...more
Officials call for protection of Redwood City’s salt ponds - The San Mateo Daily Journal – February 19 - Nearly 60 Bay Area political leaders and organizations last Tuesday asked the Biden administration to protect...more
ACEEE highlights 10 building energy performance standards to help meet climate goals - Bullet Utility Dive – June 24 - The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released a white paper this Monday...more
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal found multiple defects in a Kern County EIR for a proposed ordinance streamlining the permitting process for new oil and gas wells. King and Gardiner Farms, LLC v. County Kern 45 Cal.App.5th...more
Welcome to CEQA News You Can Use, a quarterly production of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP’s Natural Resources lawyers. This publication provides quick, useful bites of CEQA news, which we hope can be a resource to your...more
In a 2-1 decision, the California Court of Appeal affirmed a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that an oil and gas company (Company) prepared for proposed modifications to a Los...more
On Tuesday, February 25, 2020, the Fifth Appellate District invalidated Kern County’s 2015 Oil and Gas Ordinance (the “Ordinance”), which was intended to streamline the permitting process for a variety of oil and gas...more
In a partially-published, 150-page slip opinion resolving appeals in consolidated cases, and filed February 25, 2020, the Fifth District Court of Appeal affirmed in part and reversed in part a trial court decision finding...more
FERC orders draining of Santa Clara County’s biggest reservoir due to risk of earthquake collapse - The Mercury News – February 25 - In a dramatic decision that could significantly impact Silicon Valley’s water...more
In a 38-page opinion filed on May 16, and belatedly ordered published on June 14, 2019, the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s judgment rejecting all of plaintiff/appellant Center for Biological...more
On February 14, 2019, the California Office of the State Fire Marshall (“OSFM”) published long awaited draft regulations to reduce the volume of pipeline oil spills in coastal areas. The proposed regulations, which implement...more
A Summary of Published Appellate Opinions Under the California Environmental Quality Act - The California Supreme Court issued its only CEQA opinion of 2018 at the end of the year. In Sierra Club v. County of Fresno, the...more
This BB&K webinar provides a brief review of the latest developments in CEQA compliance. This webinar addresses both new CEQA statutory and regulatory requirements, and also discusses recent case law interpretations affecting...more
In a March 2018 decision, the First Appellate District examined several CEQA issues pertinent to petroleum refining and hazardous materials transport. In Rodeo Citizens Association v. County of Contra Costa, the appeals court...more
Our latest post provides updates on environmental and legal developments in Los Angeles and adjacent counties, as well as the Southern San Joaquin Valley. We welcome your comments and contributions....more
Rodeo Citzens Ass’n v. County of Contra Costa, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Three, Case No. A151184 (March 20, 2018). CEQA Case Report: Understanding the Judicial Landscape for Development...more
Appeal in POET II could complicate California Air Resources Board’s proposed LCFS amendments. In the case commonly referred to as POET II, petitioner POET, LLC, a biofuels manufacturer, challenged the Low Carbon Fuel...more
Recent guidance published by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) clarifies the treatment of diesel fuels under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in light of the Court of Appeals’ May 30, 2017 decision in POET I....more
On November 21, the California Fifth District Court of Appeal issued its decision in Association of Irritated Residents v. Kern County Board of Supervisors, 2017 WL 5590096, a challenge to the County’s Environmental Impact...more