California’s Gas System Is Crumbling. SB 1359 Charts a Path to a Clean Energy Future.
California’s aging natural‑gas network is draining over $10 billion of ratepayer funds each year, prompting lawmakers to act. Senate Bill 1359, introduced by Sen. Henry Stern, directs the CPUC to align gas system planning, ratemaking, and capital investments with the state’s net‑zero by 2045 goal. The bill imposes new safeguards—such as a shareholder‑funded decommissioning trust and prohibitions on ratepayer recovery for avoidable leaks—to curb stranded‑asset risk. It also shifts the cost of new residential gas extensions to developers, accelerating the shift toward an all‑electric grid.
Community Benefits Aren’t Impossible – They Just Take Work
California is moving toward its 2045 net‑zero goal by advancing offshore wind projects, and a new Statewide Strategy for the Coexistence of California Fishing Communities and Offshore Wind Energy outlines how community benefits funds will mitigate residual impacts on fishermen,...
Lessons for a Warming Planet: A Vital History of U.S. Environmental Law
Law professors Alejandro Camacho and Brigham Daniels released “Lessons for a Warming Planet” on Earth Day, offering a sweeping history of U.S. environmental law. The book traces how 19th‑ and 20th‑century social movements turned scientific evidence into landmark statutes, from...
How, Exactly, Has Trump Gone After EVs?
The Trump administration and Congress have dismantled the federal framework supporting electric vehicles. A 2025 tax bill stripped away the $7,500 new‑EV credit, the $4,000 used‑EV credit, and commercial incentives, while also removing penalties for fuel‑economy violations. Simultaneously, EPA rescinded...
Harmful Activities, the Duty to Rescue, and Climate Change
The article argues that tort law’s duty‑to‑rescue principle can frame climate‑change responsibility. When a party’s activity creates a risk of harm, the law imposes an affirmative duty to provide reasonable assistance, even if the harm isn’t wrongful. Applying this to...
Climate Issues in the 2026 Governor’s Race: Wildfire
California’s wildfire crisis has intensified, with 18 of the state’s 20 most destructive fires occurring in the past 25 years. The 2025 Los Angeles blazes alone killed at least 31 people and generated $95‑$164 billion in property and capital losses. Utilities are...
California Has a Neighborhood Decarbonization Law. How Does It Work?
California’s CPUC is drafting guidelines for Senate Bill 1221, a pioneering program that shifts building decarbonization from individual appliances to whole‑neighborhood electrification. The law allows utilities to retire gas pipelines and replace them with zero‑emission alternatives if at least 67 %...
‘Smog and Sunshine’: Achieving Clean Air in California
Ann Carlson’s new book, “Smog and Sunshine,” chronicles how Los Angeles transformed from a smog‑choked metropolis to a model of air‑quality improvement. The narrative traces early scientific breakthroughs, such as Arie Haagen‑Smit’s ozone research, and highlights pivotal policies like the statewide...
The Promise of Non-Pipeline Alternatives to Gas Lines
California is moving faster to eliminate natural‑gas service lines, highlighted by Assemblymember Marc Berman’s Home Energy Choice Act (AB 2313). The bill would compel utilities to offer financial incentives for homeowners to electrify, letting participants forgo gas service and avoid costly...
Never Give Up! Every Ton of Carbon We Can Cut Still Matters
The article argues that despite the United States exiting international climate talks and most nations missing Paris targets, every ton of carbon dioxide avoided still matters. It explains that each additional ton produces roughly the same amount of warming, but...
What Does Wildfire Resilience Cost?
A new UCLA Emmett Institute report titled *The Price of Resilience* examines how wildfire‑related costs are allocated between transmission customers and retail ratepayers. In California, wildfire mitigation and liability expenses now represent roughly a quarter of residential electricity bills, driven...
The War and the Energy Transition
The Iran‑War has sent oil and gasoline prices soaring, with Brent crude climbing from roughly $70 to $115 a barrel and U.S. gasoline up about 30%. Natural‑gas costs have surged 50% in Europe and Asia, while U.S. prices remain flat...
The Path to Abundance, Part I
The "abundance" movement is gaining momentum as advocates push legal and policy reforms to expand housing, energy and other infrastructure. YIMBY activists have leveraged this framing to demand zoning changes across multiple states, while a best‑selling 2025 book and...
Harming Species
The Trump administration has proposed repealing the Endangered Species Act’s definition of “harm,” effectively removing the federal prohibition on habitat destruction for listed species. A recent study by Berry Brosi and colleagues shows that 42.4% of known habitat patches for...
Why Do Governments Around the World Use Supply-Side Regulations to Boost Clean Transport?
Governments worldwide are increasingly adopting supply‑side regulations—fuel‑economy standards, emission limits, and zero‑emission vehicle quotas—to accelerate clean‑transport adoption, especially in heavy‑duty trucks. A new UC Berkeley CLEE report maps jurisdictions using these tools and highlights their ability to compel automakers to invest...