On May 20, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the “Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021,” also known as SB 7, which is chaptered as Sections 21178 to 21189.3 of the Public Resources Code. (https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB7/id/2401530SB.) SB 7 replaces a previous similar law, the “Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental […]
On May 25, 2021, the Biden Administration announced it has identified two areas along the central and northern coasts of California which the Administration plans to open for commercial scale offshore clean energy projects. This announcement is part of the Biden Administration’s larger and more ambitious goal of producing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy […]
In the recent California Third District Court of Appeal decision, Alliance for Responsible Planning v. Taylor, — Cal.Rptr.3d —-, Case No. 085712 (May 4, 2021), the Court determined that an initiative measure requiring new development projects to mitigate both the individual project’s traffic levels of service (“LOS”) impacts, and also the cumulative traffic LOS impacts […]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to ban hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as ‘fracking,’ by 2024 in an April 23 press release. As part of his personal longer-term goal to end all oil extraction in the state by 2045, the governor directed the California Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management (CalGEM) Division to immediately […]
The First District Court of Appeal published its holding in the case Schmid v. City and County of San Francisco (2021) 60 Cal.App.5th 470 on February 1, 2021. This case involved various claims objecting to the City of San Francisco’s decision to remove a bronze sculpture, including claims pursuant to CEQA. The San Francisco Historic […]
The San Francisco Chronicle issued a positive article interviewing Ben Mossman, CEO of Rise Gold Corp., and discussing the Idaho Maryland Mine’s history and local supporters. Mitchell Chadwick is helping permit this historic mine in Nevada County. The mining project will bring over 300 high-paying jobs to the County, and have a very minimal impact […]
The case cited below is a stark reminder to developers: make sure to hire experienced CEQA counsel before you embark on a development in California! On February 18, 2021, the California Second District Court of Appeal filed an unpublished opinion, Building a Better Redondo v. City of Redondo Beach (2021) Case No. B294328, 2021 WL […]
Four state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently signed the Bank Enabling Instrument (“BEI”) for the Riverpark Mitigation Bank. Ecosystem Industrial Partners (“EIP”), the Bank Sponsor for Riverpark, hired Mitchell […]
The Second District Court of Appeal issued an unpublished decision in the case Los Padres Forestwatch et al., v. County of Ventura on May 1, 2019, addressing the preparation of an EIR addendum for a 2015 CUP allowing the continued operation of existing oil and gas wells and the addition of new wells. The case […]
The case Ione Valley Land, Air, and Water Defense Alliance, LLC v. County of Amador (33 Cal.App.5th 165) was certified for partial publication by the Third District Court of Appeal, and addresses res judicata in the CEQA context. The controversy originated with the County of Amador certification of an EIR for an aggregate quarry project […]
