By Amy Turner Recent efforts by states to preempt local greenhouse gas or energy requirements have not only stymied climate action, they have also been wielded in an undemocratic way that undermines equity in climate policymaking. State preemption of local law is nothing new, but its impact on procedural equity and distributional equity in city […]
Posted in: Buildings, Cities Climate Law Initiative, Local Law, State Law | Comment (0)
By Amy Turner This week, the Massachusetts State Legislature passed S.2995, An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (the “Act”), which sets sweeping climate policy for the state, including greenhouse gas reduction targets of 50 percent by 2030, 75 percent by 2040 (both relative to 1990 levels), and net-zero by 2050, along […]
Posted in: Buildings, Cities Climate Law Initiative, Local Law, Municipal Activity, State Law | Comment (0)
By Hillary Aidun On Wednesday, December 2, the Sabin Center filed comments with New York’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) to support scaling up renewable energy capacity throughout the state. ORES was created pursuant to the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, which was enacted in April to streamline the process for […]
Posted in: Energy, Renewable Energy, State Law | Comment (0)
By Christine Weniger In April 2019, both houses of the New York legislature voted to add a new section to New York’s constitutional Bill of Rights declaring: “ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS: EACH PERSON SHALL HAVE A RIGHT TO CLEAN AIR AND WATER, AND A HEALTHFUL ENVIRONMENT” (capitalization in original). If the amendment is passed by both houses […]
Posted in: Human Rights, public health, State Law | Comment (0)
By Hillary Aidun and Daniel Metzger Americans of all walks of life are working together to slow the spread of COVID-19 by practicing social distancing. Public agencies are doing their part by closing offices to the public, canceling or postponing hearings, and shifting services and proceedings to virtual formats. In this post we look at […]
Posted in: Local Law, Municipal Activity, State Law | Comment (1)
By Dena Adler Last month the Midwest faced historic floods that devastated rural communities, drowned farms, contaminated water supplies, and resulted in billions of dollars in damages. As climate change exacerbates the risk of these catastrophic flooding events in the Midwest and throughout the U.S., a growing number of citizens will need support rebuilding their […]
Posted in: Adaptation, Climate Disclosures, FEMA, Local Law, Managed Retreat, Migration & Displacement, Natural Disaster Response, Publications, State Law | Comment (0)
By Jessica Wentz On December 28, 2018, California adopted comprehensive amendments to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, which include a suite of provisions aimed at improving the analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change impacts in state environmental reviews. These provisions touch on both climate change mitigation and adaptation, providing more […]
Posted in: Environmental Impact Review, State Law | Comment (0)
By Dena Adler New research from the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reveals that nearly half of states do not have regulatory or statutory requirements for sellers to disclose a property’s history of flood damages to a homebuyer. As a consequence, many homeowners may never learn their […]
Posted in: Adaptation, FEMA, Natural Disaster Response, State Law, Uncategorized | Comment (1)
By Michael Burger Climate change nuisance litigation is entering a new and dynamic phase. Tomorrow, Thursday, May 24, Judge William H. Alsup in the federal district court in San Francisco will hear oral argument on motions to dismiss filed in City of Oakland v. BP P.L.C., a consolidated case in which Oakland and San Francisco […]
Posted in: Litigation, Municipal Activity, Nuisance Actions, State Law, Uncategorized | Comment (0)
By Jeffrey Hammons Introduction Over the past few months, the Michigan Public Service Commission (“MPSC”) issued a series of orders updating how it implements its obligations under Section 210 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (“PURPA”).[1] These orders could spur new development of solar energy facilities in Michigan. Due to the lower costs of […]
Posted in: Energy, Solar Power, State Law | Comment (0)