The number of court decisions upholding building decarbonization laws against federal preemption challenges is growing. After the Ninth Circuit’s decision in California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley (Berkeley), building decarbonization laws effectively prohibiting fossil-fuel appliances covered by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA) appeared to be […]
Cities Climate Law Initiative
56 posts
Zoning regulations have lately come under fire for making cities less dense and driving up the cost of new homes. State legislatures are increasingly responding by preempting aspects of local zoning authority. But despite its real problems, both now and historically, local zoning power remains an important tool among cities’ […]
On December 5, 2025, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a proposed rule to weaken its Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards for Model Years 2022 to 2031 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks, referred to as the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule III or SAFE Rule III. The […]
Local governments are leaders in the fight against climate change: they reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions, promote renewable energy resources, and otherwise advance climate mitigation and adaptation goals. But even as many local governments have already demonstrated their capability to tackle the climate crisis, state governments can hinder those efforts […]
Last week, the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief on behalf of the National League of Cities (NLC) and the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) in the case Association of Contracting Plumbers of the City of New York v. City of New York, No. 25-977 (2d Cir. Apr. 21, […]
[Here and at the end of this post, a template comment letter is linked for local governments to adapt for their own comments in the Endangerment Finding rule making process.] On August 1, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its proposed repeal of the “Endangerment Finding,” the scientific […]
Last Friday, July 25, the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) in support of the Plaintiff States in the case New York v. Trump. The case, brought by twenty-two states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. District Court for […]
Congress broke for summer recess last week, but not before sending the long awaited, hotly debated One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act or the Act), or H.R. 1, to President Trump’s desk for a July 4th signing. The budget measure extends tax cuts for the wealthy, slashes Medicaid and […]