California

President-Elect Trump vs. California: What Lies Ahead?

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Will It Be Environmental Law & Policy Deja Vu All Over Again? Or Even Worse?

Californians who care about the environment likely–and justifiably–feel whipsawed this week.  Former President Trump (#45) has re-emerged as President-elect Trump (#47), interrupted by the intervening four years of the Biden-Harris presidential administration.  (Actually, this presidential whipsaw has been going on for decades: think Bush Sr.-Clinton-Bush Jr.-Obama-Trump-Biden-Trump redux.) In general, California’s progressive environmental laws and policies …

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The Dangerous Hypocrisy of Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to slash government and regulations for a Trump administration—even though California regulations helped build his companies.

Our chances of helping avoid the most catastrophic climate disruptions just dimmed dramatically. Donald Trump’s victory and self-declared mandate means a lot of things—among them, that crucial climate and environmental policies are threatened like never before. There will be plenty to say in coming days about what this means for America’s role in the world …

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California Must Not Abandon its Climate Leadership

Scenes of air pollution and regulated vehicles

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

On November 8, the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, is slated to consider approving amendments to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The program has been so successful in replacing high carbon petroleum-based fuels with lower emissions vehicle fuels that interest groups from all sides of the political spectrum have come forward to demand radical …

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Is California’s Climate Resilience Funding Ready for the Future?

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

As climate change accelerates, California faces increasingly severe threats to its communities, economy,  and environment. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, sea-level rise, and worsening wildfires are among the risks stretching State and local resources and driving demand for adaptation funding. California has utilized its longstanding leadership in climate policy to confront these challenges, including developing the …

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Reducing Financing Costs for New Transmission in California

An electric tower with solar panel in view.

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

California will need a significant build-out of new high-voltage transmission lines to meet state goals for renewable energy deployment and a decarbonized grid by 2045, which requires quadrupling its current in-state solar and wind capacity. But if this new infrastructure is paid for solely through electricity rates, it could increase them significantly, when they have …

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No More ‘House of Horrors’ Thanks to These New Laws

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

Halloween is the one time when we welcome ghouls, ghosts, and goblins coming to our homes (and, if your neighborhood is anything like mine, a variety of tiny superheroes). This season, however, the Legislature is dealing with a different kind of house of horrors: dangerous chemicals in everyday products that affect millions of Californians’ health. …

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The Yankees Already Beat the Dodgers at One Thing

A collage of photos in Dodger Stadium with the 76 logo prominently displayed

The Yankees recently dropped Hess Oil from their outfield scoreboard. But in LA, the Dodgers’ Big Oil sponsorship with 76 gas is on full display in the 2024 World Series.

The Dodgers and the Yankees in the World Series. That’s the zenith of baseball rivalries and I’m rooting for the home team.  Which is why I hate to say it, but the Yankees have already beaten the boys in blue at one thing: their climate commitment. As of this season, the Yankees dropped their most …

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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.

The California State Legislature is now finally in its off-season. Governor Newsom had until Monday, September 30th to sign or veto bills that the legislature passed and sent to his desk. In a final tally of bills, according to CalMatters, Governor Newsom vetoed approximately 18% of the nearly 1,000 bills that landed on his desk …

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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.

California continues to make significant headway toward its target to eliminate in-state sales of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. About one in five new cars sold in California are battery-powered. And it’s not just California: Battery-powered car sales are up globally, with projections showing 17 million will be sold worldwide in 2024. As …

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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.

If one single thing about the election keeps state environmental regulators up at night, it’s how much a Trump victory would impact their ability to cut transportation emissions. As it turns out, Trump’s leverage would be reduced, ironically enough, because his conservative Supreme Court appointees  helped overrule the Chevron doctrine.  Trump can still cause a …

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