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Can We Reduce Silos in California Government?
By US Department of Labor - L-22-05-03-H-032, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=126353040
Suggestions for the Next Governor
About now, Governor Bacerra and his team are receiving lots of advice about policies, priorities, appointments, and best practices – some of which may even be helpful. CLEE has added its two cents with CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, PROCESS, AND GOVERNANCE: Advice for California’s Next Governor. We have approached the topic with humility, understanding that …
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CONTINUE READINGAn On-the-Ground Report from COP31 in Turkey
The Drain is a roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
Presidents and prime ministers from around the world are meeting today in Turkey to discuss climate change, global electrification goals and (maybe, but maybe not) proposals for the much-needed transition away from fossil fuels. A Turkish cab driver I met this week thinks it’s all a charade. “Look, these conferences, these meetings are all about …
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CONTINUE READINGNext steps towards clarity on data center water use
Governor Newsom recently signed AB 2619 (Papan) and AB 2469 (Papan), bills which will require data center developers to provide California with additional information about their potential and actual water usage. This is great progress, especially since the Governor vetoed similar legislation last year. And it’s not too early to look forward to further improvements. These …
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CONTINUE READINGHow Would Gov. Xavier Becerra’s ‘Power Hour’ Work?
The incoming governor will have to confront rising energy costs. As a candidate he proposed a program for free midday electricity.
Welcome to the “Becerra Era.” Surprising no one, Xavier Becerra was overwhelmingly elected to be California’s next governor. Now, he will be thrust immediately into the fray on some of the most challenging environmental and energy issues facing the state — including rising energy costs. (Some advice for the next governor here.) The energy component …
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CONTINUE READINGL.A. Says “Oil Drilling Has No Place Where We’re Living”
The Drain is a roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
After more than a decade of activism by Angelenos and a years-long legal battle followed by new state legislation, the Los Angeles City Council has approved a plan to end oil drilling within city limits once and for all — making LA the largest city in the nation to do so. The City Council voted …
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CONTINUE READINGAn Overview of BAAJA
All my posts (to date) on the permitting reform bill before the Senate
There’s a lot to ponder in the permitting reform bill before the Senate. I’ve tried to work through what I think the important issues are in Titles I through IV of the bill (which focus on environmental law). As a reference, in case it’s useful to others, here are my blog posts discussing the various …
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CONTINUE READINGA Major Problem with “Permit Certainty”
The permit certainty provision in the permitting reform bill appears to (inadvertently) change the basic standard for enforcement of most federal law
I’ve flagged an additional issues from the permit certainty provision (Section 1401 of the bill) that I think are quite important and worth considering in assessing the merits of the permitting reform bill. As I noted in my prior post on Section 1401, it has potentially sweeping scope because it prohibits any federal agency action …
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CONTINUE READINGWould You Believe That, by Law, Renewables are a National Defense Priority?
Support for Clean Energy from an Unexpected Direction
The National Defense Act was a Korean war measure. As behooves a wartime law, it seems to contemplate fairly heavy-handed economic control by the government. (If we were ever to get a truly socialist president, they’d do well to give the DPA a careful read.) Even though it’s been amended since then, it’s not a …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Endhó Dam: One of the World’s Least Known Sacrifice Zones
It’s well past time to end sacrifice zones, including the area that has been treated as “Mexico’s toilet bowl” for decades.
Last week, about halfway down the New York Times’ Monday morning newsletter, there was a video titled “Living Next to Mexico’s Toxic Reservoir.” I watched it, appalled not only by the dangerous conditions described in the video and accompanying article, but also by the fact that I had never heard of this enormous environmental justice …
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CONTINUE READINGThree Cheers for Two Clean Energy Victories for California
Gov. Newsom signed SB 1359 and AB 2313, two bills that the UCLA Emmett Institute had identified as clear winners for ratepayers.
After a suspenseful few weeks, we’re excited to see that yesterday, Governor Newsom signed into law two key bills that will help reduce costly gas bills and help households transition to a cleaner energy future: SB 1359 and AB 2313. We’ve written about both of these bills before, in multiple reports and blog posts. It’s …
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