Public Utility Commissions Archives

Public Utility Commissions

Carrots and Sticks for Utilities

Utilities control a lot of the power system. How can we get their support for the energy transition?

Investor-owned utilities supply almost three-quarters of U.S. electricity. With some notable exceptions, they’ve tended to drag their feet on the energy transition. In order to push the transition forward, we need to get them on board. This post will try to diagnose the problem and sketch some possible remedies. The proposed Clean Energy Standard is …

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Institutional Capacity Building for the Energy Transition

State agencies will need help to deal with a fast-changing energy system.

The COVID pandemic has provided a vivid picture of what happens when ill-prepared governments are suddenly hit with huge responsibilities. Underfunded state and local public health agencies were overwhelmed, while governors and local officials found themselves struggling to obtain and distribute vital supplies, from respirators to vaccines. Efforts to accelerate the transition away from carbon, …

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Funny, It Doesn’t Look Bluish

Strong Push for Renewables in the Land of Enchantment – But Is It a Bailout?

Although it reliably votes for Democratic Presidential candidates, has two Democratic United States Senators, and a trifecta of Democratic control in the state house, blue-state New Mexico is not usually thought of as a progressive environmental leader. The State Public Regulation Commission — one of only 13 directly elected by voters — has been plagued …

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The Politics of State Energy Deregulation: A Hypothesis

If you are interested in environmental policy, state public utility commissions might be the important agencies you’ve never heard of. PUCs determine how much power capacity there will be and even more importantly, what the mix of energy sources will generate it. Sometimes pundits will speak of “national energy policy”, but that is essentially a null set: …

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How To Botch A CEQA Analysis

LA Metro’s draft EIR for the crucial Sepulveda Transit Corridor is thorough and careful, but it misses a key point: heavy rail is environmentally superior.

Public Utility Commissions

Utilities control a lot of the power system. How can we get their support for the energy transition?

State agencies will need help to deal with a fast-changing energy system.

Strong Push for Renewables in the Land of Enchantment – But Is It a Bailout?

Join Our Mailing List

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

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The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

The UCLA Emmett Institute helps sponsor and organize the Degrees Global Forum, the largest event of its kind to date.

California has long leaned heavily on CEQA to cover gaps in other environmental laws. That will have to change when we reform CEQA.

Trump replaced a coherent set of rules governing the executive branch with a welter of agency-specific regulations.

The Founding Fathers were more environmentally aware than we give them credit for. Woke, even.

According to the D.C. Circuit, the answer is no.

The latest failed effort at privatization of federal lands shows the modern political weakness of land transfer movements

The Fuel Emissions Freedom Act may be a stunt, but it’s worth examining

The Court left open a variety of workarounds. At least for the now.

Guest Contributor Emma Rose Shore, a UCLA Law student, reflects on the current administration’s attack on civil servants and the cancellation of summer internships.

LA Metro’s draft EIR for the crucial Sepulveda Transit Corridor is thorough and careful, but it misses a key point: heavy rail is environmentally superior.

Woolsey Fire survivors reflect on the rebuilding process and what might help rebuild more resiliently after the January fires.

New developments in Deep Sea Desalination hold important promise for the freshwater crisis – and might require an amendment to Clarke’s Third Law.

Here’s how the APA bolsters the rule of law and protects the environment.

The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

In a year defined by affordability and climate crises, several bills aimed to alleviate pressures on both fronts are advancing in the Legislature.

In partnership with UCLA, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery has released its final recommendations.

Overall a good bill, but the definition of natural and protected lands is inadequate

New UCLA report “Power Struggle: California’s Electric Utility Ownership Dilemma” by Sylvie Ashford, Mohit Chhabra, and Ruthie Lazenby

How did EPA get to the absurd conclusion that 1.5 billion tons of carbon emissions aren’t significant? Well might you ask.