Region: California
How Can Cities Ensure EV Charging Accessibility for Lower-Income Drivers?
Watsonville, California as a Case Study for Policymakers
California’s ambitious goal to end the sale of internal combustion engine passenger vehicles by 2035 will require addressing the challenges faced by lower- and moderate-income drivers in accessing battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs). Chief among these concerns is their need to have a convenient and affordable place to charge the vehicles. Currently these residents too often …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Year Ahead in California Climate Laws
Facing a $37.9 billion deficit, California’s 2024 legislative session is likely to be about minor fixes, cleanup bills, and the ballot box. Plus: Will 2023’s disclosure bills get funded?
Though I do not have a crystal ball — wish I did! — there are some clear markers we can evaluate to foresee environmental priorities, and possibilities, as we start another exciting year in the California Legislature. The California Legislature kicked off the 2024 session on January 3 with notable changes in leadership. Robert Rivas, who …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Bumper Crop of New State Climate Policies Since July.
State governments aren’t sitting on their hands. Far from it. The pace of climate action is picking up.
State climate policy is a big deal. State governments began cutting emissions at a time when the federal government was essentially doing nothing about climate change. Since then, more states have become involved, and state policies have become more aggressive. it’s not for nothing that 2023 has been called a banner year for state climate …
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CONTINUE READINGHow are California Cities Planning for the EV Transition?
Some leaders are emerging, but plenty of room for more equity-centered programs
With California’s 2035 zero-emissions vehicle transition target now just over a decade away, state and local leaders face an urgent need to ensure that sufficient electric vehicle charging infrastructure is available to meet the needs of all drivers. Electrified vehicles constituted nearly a quarter of all new sales in 2023, but publicly accessible chargers still …
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CONTINUE READINGCalifornia Courts Foil Westlands Water District’s Grinch-Like Water Grab
Westlands’ Efforts to Permanently Privatize California Water Opposed by Unique Coalition & Rejected by Skeptical Judges
While there’s a great deal that’s dysfunctional and downright wrong about water law and policy in California, occasionally there are positive developments to report. So it’s most satisfying to end 2023 with some good news regarding water in the Golden State. This is the saga of how the Westlands Water District tried to privatize a …
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CONTINUE READING2023: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Here’s what happened in the world of energy and environment.
A lot has happened this year, with political turmoil in the House of Representatives, indictments of Donald Trump and associates, and a close scrape with default on the national debt. In the world of energy and environment, the picture has also been mixed, but with more good than bad. The Good. California enacted two major …
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CONTINUE READINGCOP28: “The Methane COP”
Methane was at the center of COP28. Here are some of the most relevant announcements of this year’s Conference of the Parties.
By far, the most ubiquitous figure at COP28 was that of John Kerry. The U.S. climate envoy strolled through the labyrinthine and confusing alleys of Dubai’s Expo City wearing an impeccable suit despite the almost 100-degree Fahrenheit winter weather of the United Arab Emirates. When he wasn’t walking, he was talking about methane, earning him …
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CONTINUE READINGA Big Year on Legal Planet
Here are the 12 most popular topics in environmental law and climate policy on Legal Planet based on our most-read posts from 2023.
It’s an understatement to say that 2023 was a transformative year for the U.S. climate movement. We saw rapid implementation of landmark federal climate laws, a series of big actions on methane emissions, a deal on Colorado River water usage, and bigger-than-expected climate victories in Sacramento. EPA’s control of toxic chemicals was tested, the U.S. …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Year in California Climate Laws
Looking back at California’s 2023 legislative session, our new environmental laws represent a solid step forward—bigger than expected.
If 2022 was a Rivian with all the bells and whistles, this past year was more a Ford Lightning. After a landmark 2022—a record $54 billion committed to climate spending and legislation that codified the state’s goals of carbon neutrality by 2045 and 90 percent clean electricity by 2035—a significantly gloomier budget forecast gave rise …
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CONTINUE READINGWhen Communities Take Over Their Energy Systems
Is Local Control A Good Thing? It’s Complicated . . .
This Post was Co-Authored by Sharon Jacobs and Dave Owen. For many decades, most people in the United States have obtained their electricity from a large investor-owned utility company (IOU). They had no real choice. Much of U.S. energy law was built on the belief that the best way to provide electricity was to give …
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