John Muir Archives - Legal Planet

John Muir

A(n Admittedly Subjective) List of America’s Very Best National Parks

(This is the fourth in a series of posts this week commemorating the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service.) I love lists. Whether it’s a compilation of the year’s top movies, the best restaurants in California (out-doing even the best restaurants in Bozeman where I grew up), or the best rock …

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The Battle to Restore Hetch Hetchy Valley Moves to the Courts

New Lawsuit Claims Dam and Reservoir in Yosemite National Park Violate California Constitution

This week, the longstanding battle over the dam and reservoir that have for a century flooded Yosemite National Park’s storied Hetch Hetchy Valley moves to the courts. A new lawsuit, filed by conservationists on the 177th anniversary of John Muir’s birth, asserts that the City of San Francisco’s continued operation of O’Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir …

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An Unhappy Anniversary for Hetch Hetchy

Is It Time to Consider Restoring Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley?

December 19th marks a sad event in American environmental history. It was 100 years ago today that President Woodrow Wilson signed the Raker Act, authorizing the City of San Francisco to build a dam that would flood the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park in order to deliver water supplies to San Francisco. Contemporary …

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Draining Hetch Hetchy — Some History for San Francisco’s “Measure F”

San Franciscans will be voting next week on Measure F to study the draining of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. Hetch Hetchy, for those who don’t know, is a spectacular, glacier-formed valley of equal proportion to its neighbor Yosemite Valley. Congress authorized a dam in 1913 to provide public hydroelectric power and a …

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John Muir’s Birthday

If environmentalism had saints John Muir, born on April 21, 1838, would surely be on the list. He is best known for founding the Sierra Club and fighting to save Yosemite.

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Reflections on “Yes they can control the weather.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene is wildly wrong about government scientists controlling hurricanes. There is a rich history of weather modification experiments that make that false claim more dangerous.

Why You Should Read CA’s ExxonMobil Plastic Lawsuit

California’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil for lying about plastic recycling is the latest example of the state using old-fashioned legal tools to address more modern harms.

The Election, Vehicle Emissions, and State Climate Plans

If the California car waiver survives a possible Trump presidency, we may have the overruling of Chevron to thank.

How to Make Trees Worth More Standing Than Cut Down

The Katoomba Group is celebrating 25 years of pioneering new approaches to realizing value in nature. Here’s what we’ve learned.

Climate, Energy, and Environment on the Ballot

Ballot measures in Washington and California are especially important but others are worth noting.

Model Uncertainty in Politics and Climate Policy

The polls could be systematically off, not just due to random error. That’s a worry with climate models as well.

Still Crazy After All These Years

There’s been an alarming growth of conspiracy theories, often antisemitic ones, to explain extreme weather events.

We Need a Circular Economy for EV Batteries

California got close to making suppliers ensure EV batteries are managed responsibly at end of life. Here’s why 2025 should be the year California creates a circular economy for EV batteries.

The Dangerous Embrace of Convenient Narratives Over Inconvenient Truths

As it turns out, Nature doesn’t care what stories you post on social media or spin on TV.

New Environmental Laws Focus on Public Health

Many of the environmental-focused bills that the governor signed this year involve ways to alleviate the health disparities faced by frontline communities.

John Muir

New Lawsuit Claims Dam and Reservoir in Yosemite National Park Violate California Constitution

Is It Time to Consider Restoring Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley?

Join Our Mailing List

Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.

TRENDING

California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard has been successful. CARB should update the program without undermining its fundamental features.

The global transformation to an economy fueled by clean energy can’t be stopped. Trump could slow down U.S. progress though.

New CLEE Report Identifies Key Challenges and Opportunities in the State’s Adaptation Funding Landscape

Laws like the Inflation Reduction Act may have more sticking power than regulations.

New CLEE Report Release & Webinar on Wednesday, November 13th at noon PT

Several California laws prohibiting dangerous chemicals from household products go into effect on or after January 1, 2025.

Pretty or scary or brave? There’s a climate costume to suit all tastes and all ages.

Reframing Infrastructure Investments to Realize an Equitable Transition

The Presidential, Senate & House elections will have immense repercussions in terms of energy and environment.

A Trump victory would increase the odds that we will ultimately need to start blocking solar radiation as a last resort to limit climate change.