Assembly Bill 901, signed by Governor Brown in 2015 and codified as California Public Resources Code section 41821.5, requires that disposal, recycling, and compost facilities submit information directly to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (“CalRecycle”) on the types, quantities, and destinations of materials that are disposed of, sold, or transferred inside or […]
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the White House, Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Trump administration has ended negotiations with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) over vehicle fuel-efficiency standards. Until Thursday, the EPA, CARB, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had been engaged in talks […]
The Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld application of a Class 1 categorical exemption for a restated facilities lease in the case San Diegans for Open Government v. City of San Diego (2018) 31 Cal.App.5th 349. The case also addressed whether the lease violated city-specific requirements and found that it did not. The lease at […]
Bowing to the reality of delays, out-of-control costs, and accusations of corruption, payback, and favoritism, California Governor Gavin Newsom reversed former Governor Jerry Brown’s steadfast support of the doomed rail system in his first State of the State speech on February 12, 2019. Newsom stated that the high-speed rail project (a saga which began with […]
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday that would make a total of $8 billion available to construct a southern border wall in the face of the immigration crisis. Trump has repeatedly threatened to declare such an emergency over the last few months and said he was “not happy” with the $1.375 billion […]
The transportation sector in California accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. To combat this, on December 14, 2018, California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) adopted a regulation that sets a statewide goal for public transit agencies to transition to fully zero-emission bus fleets by 2040. There are currently 150 zero-emission buses operating in California. Under […]
The California Department of Water Resources (“DWR”) and Ecosystem Investment Partners (“EIP”), a Mitchell Chadwick LLP client, have entered into an innovative public-private partnership to launch the largest habitat restoration project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the “Delta”). EIP, a private company investing in large-scale ecological restoration projects nationwide, will restore 3,400 acres of tidal […]
Butte County sued Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (“PG&E”) in California state court over the fire that ravaged the county and killed 86 people in November 2018. The complaint explains a history of leaks, fires, and explosions surrounding PG&E’s facilities going back to 1981. PG&E has been subject to fines, penalties, and convictions over prior […]
The California Supreme Court released its long-pending opinion in Sierra Club v. County of Fresno (No. S219783) on December 24, 2018. The County of Fresno certified an Environmental Impact Report for the 942-acre, 2,500 unit project known as Friant Ranch. Project opponents challenged the project on numerous grounds. The California Supreme Court granted review from […]
The Natural Resources Agency released a “discussion draft” titled CEQA and Climate Change Advisory, on December 28, 2018. This discussion draft contains “initial thoughts” on updating the June 2008 climate change advisory. The update is intended to provide more guidance to lead agencies for evaluating and mitigating potential project impacts on climate change. Comments addressing […]