California
America the Beautiful — Not Beautification Projects
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
If you braved one of America’s most iconic national parks this weekend, you may have a new appreciation for the meaning of Jean-Paul Sartre’s famous line that “hell is other people.” At Yosemite, visitors reported waiting up to two hours just to enter the park and once they made it through, they were greeted by …
Continue reading “America the Beautiful — Not Beautification Projects”
CONTINUE READINGHate the Gas Tax? Get to Know the Road Usage Charge
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
We Californians glide on a network of more than 394,000 miles of roadway, which includes 51,000 miles of state highways, and 25,737 bridges. Our state highway system is one of the largest in the country and requires serious maintenance. Whether you usually travel by gas-powered car, EV, public transit, bicycle or on a sidewalk, you …
Continue reading “Hate the Gas Tax? Get to Know the Road Usage Charge”
CONTINUE READINGProtecting Consumers in the Electric Vehicle Transition
Paul Hanaoka via Unsplash
UC Berkeley paper highlights opportunities for California to strengthen consumer protections in the EV transition.
Guest contributor Jackie Dall is a UC Berkeley School of Law student (J.D. Candidate, ’27) Personal vehicles are one of the most significant financial commitments American households make, providing mobility and access to economic opportunity in most communities. The electric vehicle (EV) transition is underway and has the potential to directly impact consumers through the entire …
Continue reading “Protecting Consumers in the Electric Vehicle Transition”
CONTINUE READINGReforming CEQA Part 6
Providing for quicker, more expert dispute resolution
This is the sixth in a series of blog posts on reforming the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The first post, discussing different paradigms for CEQA, is here. The second post, discussing the conceptual framework for reform, is here. The third post, discussing designating a state agency to set binding, clear standards for CEQA implementation, …
Continue reading “Reforming CEQA Part 6”
CONTINUE READINGReforming CEQA Part 5
Creating greater clarity for thresholds of signficance, and default methodologies and mitigation measures
This is the fifth in a series of blog posts on reforming the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The first post, discussing different paradigms for CEQA, is here. The second post, discussing the conceptual framework for reform, is here. The third post, discussing designating a state agency to set binding, clear standards for CEQA implementation, …
Continue reading “Reforming CEQA Part 5”
CONTINUE READINGReforming CEQA Part 4
Providing greater clarity on the types of impacts covered by CEQA
This is the fourth in a series of blog posts on reforming the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The first post, discussing different paradigms for CEQA, is here. The second post, discussing the conceptual framework for reform, is here. The third post, discussing designating a state agency to set binding, clear standards for CEQA implementation, …
Continue reading “Reforming CEQA Part 4”
CONTINUE READINGReforming CEQA Part 3
Adding more binding clear standards for CEQA plus focusing alternatives analysis
This is the third in a series of blog posts on reforming the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The first post, discussing different paradigms for CEQA, is here. The second post, discussing the conceptual framework for reform, is here. In this post, I will discuss two ways to reform CEQA: designating a state agency to …
Continue reading “Reforming CEQA Part 3”
CONTINUE READINGReforming CEQA, part 2
Concepts for reforming CEQA as a backstop environmental law
This is the second in a series of six blog posts on reforming the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The first post, discussing different paradigms for CEQA, is here. What reforms might be needed in orienting CEQA around a paradigm as a backstop environmental law? The criticism of environmental review that I believe has the …
Continue reading “Reforming CEQA, part 2”
CONTINUE READINGReforming CEQA Part 1
Thinking about CEQA as a backstop statute
The qualification for the November ballot of the California Chamber of Commerce ballot initiative rewriting CEQA does create an opportunity, if the legislature is so inclined, to strike a deal with the proponents and do an overhaul of CEQA. As I noted in the last of my series of blog posts on the initiative, there …
Continue reading “Reforming CEQA Part 1”
CONTINUE READINGThe Other Half of Climate: Policy, Capital, and the Race to Scale Superpollutant Solutions
Learn how California is using satellite data to pull the emergency brake on global warming.
Methane and other short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) are responsible for nearly half of today’s net global warming. Because they exit the atmosphere quickly, reducing them can serve as an ‘emergency brake’ on rising temperatures. At the San Francisco Climate Week, UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE) and the Institute for Governance …
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
