Third DCA: Responsible Agencies Must Issue Their Own Findings and Cannot Rely On The CEQA Lead Agency.

The Third District Court of Appeal recently held that a responsible agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) must make independent findings regarding potential impacts of projects and related mitigation measures when issuing ancillary permits, and cannot rely solely on the findings of the lead agency in an Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”).

We Advocate ...Read More

CEQA Case Update: First District Holds the Scope of CEQA Review Should Be Tailored to the Scope of Agency Discretion – Affirms Approval of 43-Unit Residential Subdivision in Marin County After Nearly 50 Years of Opposition

By
Braiden Chadwick and Daniel Warren

On May 12, 2022, the First District Court of Appeal (Court)
affirmed a trial court judgment in a 108-page opinion and upheld the approval
of 43 single-family residential units on a 110-acre parcel located atop a hill
in Marin County (County). The County’s approval of the residential subdivision concludes
the property owner’s efforts – totaling ...Read More

In Face of Record Gas Prices, Biden Cancels Oil-and-Gas Drilling Leases in Gulf of Mexico, Alaska Coast

The Biden administration canceled plans to auction drilling rights in three regions off the U.S. coastline later this year, adding more friction to an uneasy relationship with the oil industry during a period of high gasoline prices.

The decision to cancel lease sales for two regions in the Gulf of Mexico and one off the coast ...Read More

In Era of Record Gas Prices, Biden Limits U.S. Energy Production

On April 25th, the Biden Administration cut oil and gas leasing and prohibited all infrastructure over 13,000 square miles, reversing a 2020 Trump policy that opened up most of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) to exergy exploration and production.  The NPRA is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and was originally ...Read More