The South Coast Air Quality Management District (“South Coast AQMD”) launched the Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (“RECLAIM”) program in 1994 as a market-based approach to air quality regulation. It replaced traditional “command-and-control” regulations with a flexible “cap and trade” style system designed to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx) emissions. Participation in […]
July 31, 2026 | Category:
NewsWe are pleased to share that G. Braiden Chadwick, Patrick G. Mitchell and Ryan W. Thomason have been recognized as 2026 Northern California Super Lawyers by Super Lawyers, which is a part of Thomson Reuters, for their high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. G. Braiden Chadwick has been recognized by Super Lawyers for ten consecutive […]
The California Air Resources Board, tasked with enforcing the state’s climate disclosure laws, will require companies to report scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by August this year. Full Story HERE. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups led litigation in the Ninth Circuit resulting in a preliminary injunction on SB 261. While […]
A North Dakota judge on Friday finalized a $345m judgment against Greenpeace in a lawsuit pursued by pipeline company Energy Transfer (ET.N) over the environmental group’s role in protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The final judgment by judge James Gion was in line with a decision he issued in October, in which he slashed by almost half […]
The case could determine whether climate suits are heard in state or federal court. The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear a significant climate lawsuit in which oil companies are seeking to avoid being tried in state court. The fate of several dozen climate lawsuits brought against oil companies by state and local […]
On June 30, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the two most recent California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) amendments, Assembly Bill 130 (“AB 130”) and Senate Bill 131 (“SB 131”). The bills collectively create new categories of CEQA exemptions, remove sunset dates applicable to the Permit Streamlining Act, and create a new process for environmental review […]
June 17, 2025 | Category:
NewsCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a proposal to accelerate housing development by removing regulatory barriers and streamlining the permit approval process. This initiative, part of the May Budget Revision, attempts to address delays in housing construction, particularly in high-demand coastal and urban areas. A central feature of the proposal is the alignment of the […]
Earlier this year, the First District Court of Appeal issued the first published opinion interpreting Assembly Bill 52 (AB 52), which governs tribal consultation procedures under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In Koi Nation of Northern California v. City of Clearlake (Cal. Ct. App., Mar. 14, 2025, No. A169438), the Court held that the […]
Newly inaugurated President Trump placed a hold on all new and pending federal regulations. The order says federal agencies may not initiate regulations, have to halt those in process, and consider not enforcing for 60 days those recently enacted. See the Executive Order HERE.
January 21, 2025 | Category:
NewsAfter a one-year absence, Ryan Thomason rejoins Mitchell Chadwick as Senior Counsel. Ryan is an experienced attorney specializing in environmental law, natural resources development, and land use entitlements. He offers comprehensive guidance to clients in various aspects of project development, including securing conditional use permits, amending general plans, changes in zoning, subdivision maps, and specific […]
