In the Summer 2013 volume of Hasting
West Northwest Journal of Environmental Law & Policy, Emmett/Frankel
Fellow Megan Herzog and Environmental Law Center Executive Director
Sean Hecht discuss how Southern California local governments can seize
sea-level rise adaptation opportunities while minimizing legal risk.
|
In the Harvard Law Review Forum, Professor Ann Carlson explains how a focus on California can help President Obama to fulfill his pledge to combat climate change through executive action.
|
|
|
In this two-page recap of our report from August 2011, we review the California cap-and-trade program as adopted and find our conclusions still apply: the California Air Resources Board has designed a cap-and-trade program that should avoid gaming and market manipulation problems sometimes seen in other programs.
|
The Emmett Center partners with NRDC on a new study analyzing the benefits of smart roofing options for Southern California. Looking Up
concludes that green roofs and cool roofs would save energy and money,
reduce global warming pollution, and relieve stress on California’s
limited fresh water supply. Coauthored by Cara Horowitz, the study quantifies these benefits and makes policy recommendations for promoting smart roofs.
|
On March 9, 2012, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA Schools of Law hosted a convening at UC Berkeley on Senate Bill 226 (Simitian), California’s 2011 law to streamline environmental review for eligible infill projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This report provides a brief overview of SB 226 and its implementation and a summary of the March 9, 2012 discussion.
|
California faces crucial questions about how to spend proceeds from its cap-and-trade auctions. This paper assesses legal constraints on AB 32 auction revenue allocation that derive from the statute itself or from California’s constitutional restrictions on the use of regulatory fees. We make recommendations about the relative risks of approaches to allocating AB 32 state auction proceeds
|
Approximately 27 trillion pounds of chemicals are produced or imported into the United States every year, more than one trillion of them in California alone. In the face of relative inaction at the federal level, state governments have moved to address hazardous chemical use. Our third Pritzker Brief evaluates California's green chemistry legislation (AB 1879), identifying four critical flaws that threaten to undermine its success. Recommended revisions to the law are discussed. These recommendations include: review of new chemicals and new uses before introduction into commerce; required disclosure of chemical data by product manufacturers; and authorization of a regulatory fee to adequately fund California's green chemistry program.
|
In our second Pritzker Brief, Cara Horowitz explains how installing cool roofs in Los Angeles could improve public health, combat climate change, reduce energy demand, and save money.
|
Our ninth paper of this series discusses how California can steer large-scale renewable development without depleting the state's prime agricultural and biological resources.
|