Climate Law Blog

On June 30, 2022, the State of California joined the State of New York in adopting legislation that allows state authorities to bypass local laws in permitting large-scale renewable energy projects. California’s new law, AB 205, gives the California Energy Commission (the “commission”) exclusive authority to issue a certificate for any: (a) photovoltaic solar facility, […]

By Michael Burger and Hillary Aidun Last week the Sabin Center and the American Bar Association held an event on addressing landowner concerns in renewable energy siting. Wind and solar farms often spark siting battles between local residents who welcome renewable energy projects and their neighbors who are concerned about visual or other impacts. But […]

On Monday, July 27, the Sabin Center filed comments with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in support of the proposed Vineyard Wind energy facility offshore Massachusetts on behalf of the group Win with South Fork Wind (“Win with Wind”). Win with Wind is a client of the Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative, a […]

Each month, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP (APKS) and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law collect and summarize developments in climate-related litigation, which we also add to our U.S. and non-U.S. climate litigation charts.  If you know of any cases we have missed, please email us at columbiaclimate at gmail dot com. HERE ARE THE ADDITIONS TO […]

by Romany Webb and Justin Gundlach There has been much talk in recent weeks about pricing carbon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Earlier this month, a group of former Republican cabinet members proposed adoption of a nationwide carbon price, starting at $40 per ton. That seems unlikely, however. Even the proposal’s main architect, former Secretary […]

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Marrakech for the 22nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as COP22. Hundreds queued for hours in the hot Marrakechi sun for an opportunity to hear Secretary Kerry speak at what will […]

Morocco isn’t often thought of as an environmental leader. But, having spent the last few days in Marrakech, I now realize that it should be. On checking into my hotel, I was told that all lights are on a timer, “so we save electricity.” Riding on one of the city’s “100% electric zero emission” buses, […]

Each month, Arnold & Porter and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law collect and summarize developments in climate-related litigation, which we also add to our U.S. and non-U.S. climate litigation charts.  If you know of any cases we have missed, please email us at columbiaclimate at gmail dot com. Here are the additions to the U.S. Climate Litigation […]

Jessica Wentz Associate  Director and Fellow On March 14, the New York State Senate released a FY 2017 budget proposal that would divert $138 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction proceeds to the state budget, including $23 million to the general fund, $100 million to subsidize the operations of certain nuclear power […]

By Nancy Rader, Executive Director of the California Wind Energy Association, and Michael B. Gerrard, Columbia Law Professor and Director of the Sabin Center The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ move to ban utility-scale wind turbines and to impose severe restrictions on utility-scale solar in unincorporated areas of the county is not compatible with averting […]