California
Climate “Skeptic” Bret Stephens Cherrypicks Bad Climate Policies In The New York Times
Another misleading op-ed from the new columnist
Bret Stephens, the New York Times’ new columnist, got the climate change world into an outrage with his first column last week, which compared climate science to Hillary Clinton’s pre-election polling and argued for restraint from climate advocates. In his follow up column yesterday, he took a more measured tone, noting that he believes the …
CONTINUE READINGIt’s Environmental Law Week at the California Supreme Court
Justices to Hear Oral Arguments in Three Major Environmental Cases This Week
The California Supreme Court currently has approximately twenty pending environmental cases on its docket. This week, the Court’s justices will hear oral arguments in three of the most important of those cases. Taken together, these looming decisions raise important issues concerning the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), federal preemption, climate change mitigation and adaptation, private …
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CONTINUE READINGU.C. Davis School of Law Launches New Water Justice Clinic
Environmental Justice Expert Camille Pannu Selected to Lead Pioneering Clinic
The U.C. Davis Martin Luther King, Jr. School of Law has launched an exciting new Water Justice Clinic designed to advocate for clean, healthy and adequate water supplies for all Californians. The new Clinic is a project of the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies, in partnership with the California Environmental Law and …
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CONTINUE READINGCalifornia Gov. Brown on Climate Efforts
“California isn’t resisting—we’re pioneering an intelligent path forward”
Yesterday’s session at the annual Navigating American Carbon World conference was a bit of a California lovefest, with relief and gratitude spilling over for the state’s leadership on climate policy. The crowd was California’s choir, and Governor Jerry Brown delivered the keynote address to two standing ovations. It’s rare to hear a politician sound, by …
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CONTINUE READINGCalifornia’s Courageous Plan For Transportation Infrastructure Repair
Tough supermajority votes for legislators to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees
Two weeks ago the California legislature did what many have been hoping for at the national level: pass an infrastructure bill. The issue was the state’s nearly $60 billion backlog in deferred maintenance for our transportation infrastructure. But rather than deficit spend or raid other programs, the legislature took a politically brave step with SB …
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CONTINUE READINGWhere Should We Build New Housing In California To Meet 2030 Climate Goals?
New Report From UC Berkeley’s CLEE and Terner Center, Commissioned by Next 10, Released Today
California isn’t building enough housing to meet population growth, while the new housing that does get built is happening too often in the wrong places, like on open space far from jobs. Meanwhile, new climate legislation for 2030 will likely rely on the average Californian reducing his or her driving miles by allowing residents to …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Future Of Energy In 2030
Register now for the California State Bar Environmental Law Conference in Los Angeles on April 12th
How we generate, distribute and use electricity is key to meeting California’s environmental and greenhouse gas reduction goals. We need to be much more efficient with the electricity we use, while ensuring that it comes from greenhouse gas-free sources, like solar, wind, and geothermal, coupled with energy storage technologies. We also will need to electrify …
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CONTINUE READINGWhat is the “Left Coast” Doing About Climate Change?
Quite a lot, as it turns out. But stronger coordination is needed.
The three West Coast states have a lot in common, including strong commitments to address climate change. They are all taking action on this front, but so far coordination efforts seem weak. Given the situation in D.C., it would make sense for these states to go further in terms of making a collective effort. It …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Car Industry’s Rollback Effort — Disappointing But Not Surprising
The struggle to force the car industry to cut pollution goes back six decades.
The car industry is appealing for President Trump’s help against stricter carbon standards for cars. The industry’s action is disappointing for those who believed industry claims to embrace sustainability and technological innovation. There’s no good excuse for the industry’s about-face on a regulation it had originally agreed to. As one of the architects of the …
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CONTINUE READINGCan California keep its federal lands public?
SB 50, introduced in State Senate, seeks to retain public ownership of federal lands in the state
There’s been a fair amount of national debate lately about whether federal public lands in the West should be transferred to state or private ownership. Rep. Chaffetz (R) from Utah had introduced a bill to transfer millions of acres of federal land in a range of Western states to private or state ownership – he …
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