Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Berkeley Law

Transitioning buildings from natural gas to clean electricity will be key to reaching California's ambitious emissions reductions goals. The City of Berkeley has taken a lead on this issue by banning natural gas hookups in new low-rise construction. Earlier this month, the ban survived a challenge in federal court, although opponents are planning to appeal the decision. Join us next Wednesday, July 28 to discuss the path to building decarbonization in California. Panelists in...clude: Councilwoman Kate Harrison, City of Berkeley Denise Grab, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) Ethan Elkind, CLEE Registerhttps://berkeley.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iL7-WXKcREKmcvNepf1Z6g

Join our team! We're looking to hire a Digital Economy Research Fellow to explore the energy and environmental impacts of the digital economy. Learn more & applyhttps://law.berkeley.edu/resea//about/careers/ndee-fellow/

With California facing increasingly complex water management challenges, access to water rights data is key to improving decision making. Our new report offers a vision & roadmap for making a modernized water rights information system a reality Read the reporthttps://www.law.berkeley.edu//res/wheeler/water-data/wris/

Join our team! We are looking to hire a Program Administrator to support CLEE's mission of tackling pressing environmental & energy challenges through pragmatic policy solutions Learn more and apply here: https://law.berkeley.edu//ca/hiring-program-administrator/

Offshore wind could become an essential piece of California’s renewable energy puzzle. But what might the future look like, and how can we get there? CLEE's latest report provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities facing offshore wind in California https://www.law.berkeley.edu//envisioning-offshore-wind-f/

Today, CLEE and UCLA Law's Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment released a new report highlighting key policy solutions to expand access to the energy data needed to operate a fully decarbonized grid. Explore the full report!

New Report! California's ambitious carbon neutrality goals will hinge on transitioning buildings from natural gas to all-electric. Explore key challenges and policy solutions to accelerating building electrification in the latest policy report from CLEE/UCLA Law Emmett Institutehttp://bit.ly/2NL6NAh

Over the last four years, the Trump Administration has rolled back environmental protection in numerous ways, large and small, across the entire federal government. Today, CLEE is excited to announce the launch of our new website that tracks nearly 200 of these environmental rollbacks. Each one is assessed for both impact and difficulty of reversal. We have also extracted a list of the rollbacks that can be quickly reversed by the President or heads of agencies, tabulated separately as Day 2 Actions. Explore the site here!https://bit.ly/3qGIdzq

Extreme heat is a leading climate-related health risk, responsible for thousands of deaths and hospitalizations per year in the U.S., a number that will grow significantly this century. Local governments are developing resilience plans that include comprehensive extreme heat elements to help address the expansive risks posed by extreme heat. CLEE’s new report, Insuring Extreme Heat Risks, studies the potential for insurance and other financial risk-transfer mechanisms to hel...p local governments respond to and mitigate the extreme heat risk they will face with increasing regularity in coming decades. bit.ly/3o4lfjA California Department of Insurance (CDI) Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara

Join us Tuesday 11/17 for a conversation about the transition away from a fossil fuel economy and implications and strategies for facilitating a just transition. Featuring: Patrick Heller (CLEE & Natural Resource Governance Institute) Roger Lin (UC Berkeley Environmental Law Clinic)... Sarah White (California Governor's Office of Planning and Research) Register today!forms.gle/GYMk9vmWTGRUoahc6

Join us Wednesday 10/28 for a discussion of climate risks to the US financial system. Commissioner Rostin Behnam of the CFTC - U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission will share key findings from the Commission's recent report. Panelists Ilmi Granoff of ClimateWorks Foundation, Divya Mankikar of CalPERS, and CLEE's Dave Jones will provide more insight into these recommendations and how financial institutions can respond to the systemic risk of climate change. Register today! https://bit.ly/cleeclimaterisk

New report out today! With our partners at Principles for Responsible Investment & UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative, we are excited to release the latest California Roadmap. Explore California's investment landscape and over 40 recommendations for how the state can better integrate environmental, social, & governance factors into investment decision-making

Civic Engagement and Water Data: How Can California Make Data Work for Decision Makers? As California water resources continue to face pressing challenges, such as climate change and population growth, data will play a critical role in empowering decision makers to adapt quickly. Read the latest issue brief from Alida Cantor and Michael Kiparsky to explore how a range of stakeholders view the role of civic engagement in #waterdata and the best path forward for #CAwater. Read the full brief here bit.ly/3bI8sP0

New report out today from CLEE and the Natural Resource Governance Institute outlining policy priorities to Improve the electric vehicle battery supply chain. Last November, CLEE & NRGI convened industry representatives, nonprofit leaders, and government officials to discuss the biggest challenges in making the supply chain more sustainable and how to chart a path forward. Learn more about these findings and the EV battery supply chain in "Sustainable Drive, Sustainable Supply: Priorities to Improve the Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chain by Ethan Elkind, Patrick Heller, & Ted Lammbit.ly/2WGVutG

Join our team! CLEE is looking to hire a full-time Climate and Ocean Research Fellow. The fellow will work on domestic and international law and policy issues, roughly splitting their time between projects within the Climate Program and projects within the Ocean Program. Learn more about the position and how to apply: law.berkeley.edu//open-posi/climate-ocean-research-fellow/

Join us next week for a webinar about ride-hailing and the future of sustainable transportation Thursday / July 16 / 11 AM PT Featuring:... Deepak Rajagopal, UCLA Joshua Skov, University of Oregon Adam Stocker, UC Berkeley & The Sustainable Economies Law Center Panelists will look at the current and potential sustainability of ride-hailing, including questions surrounding sector emissions and the utilization of electric vehicles, systemic fit with public transportation, and labor and economic equity. Learn more & register bit.ly/ridehailing2020

Join us next week for a special Lunch & Learn with Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen from the California Public Utilities Commission! He will be discussing California's energy future and the role of natural gas with CLEE's Project Climate Director Ken Alex. TUESDAY / JUNE 23 / 12 PT Hosted by CLEE & Orrick... Register today!

"But to truly meet the imperative of climate change and remain competitive with other countries in a global automobile market, the United States needs a proactive federal government to develop a strong national policy to reduce vehicle emissions." CLEE's Climate Director Ethan Elkind argues that rollbacks in federal fuel-efficiency standards undermine U.S. competitiveness and progress on climate change in The Regulatory Review. Read the full article here!

Still looking for how the make the most of your summer? Check out some of the great online summer classes offered by our friends at the Rausser College of Natural Resources - UC Berkeley!

New today! Read the latest report from CLEE's Ethan Elkind and Ted Lamm about policy options for a phase-out of fossil fuel production in California. Interested in learning more? Register today for our May 12 webinar for a discussion of the new report and policy solutions!

What are the sustainability challenges associated with the EV battery supply chain? CLEE's new FAQ report with the Natural Resource Governance Institute is the first part in an ongoing project to address these challenges and find equitable solutions. https://www.law.berkeley.edu//building-a-sustainable-elec/

Catch up on what CLEE has been up to and get a preview of what's ahead with our new 2020 Snapshot report! From advancing research on some of today's most pressing environmental challenges to launching groundbreaking new initiatives, read about it all here:

Today is UC Berkeley's Big Give! Please consider donating to CLEE so that we can continue to focus on the most pressing environmental & energy policy research and support our law students! https://biggive.berkeley.edu/

Congrats to CLEE Project Climate Director Ken Alex for being awarded the "Order of Merit of the State of Baden-Wurttemberg" Germany, its highest award. It reads: "In recognition of your services to the State of Baden-Wurttemberg as a major supporter of the establishment of the state partnership between California and Baden-Wurttemberg, especially the Under2 Coalition" Learn more about the Under2 Coalition:... https://www.under2coalition.org/ See more

In order to meet the 21st century demands, innovation is needed in municipal wastewater treatment. The innovation ecosystem in municipal wastewater treatment, however, is highly complex, and regulations at multiple levels are intended to ensure that new technologies will not result in detrimental impacts to water quality. Past research from the Wheeler Water Institute has suggested that many wastewater utility managers see these regulations as a barrier to innovation. In order to better understand these perspectives, we are pursuing multiple research projects that examine the relationship between innovation and regulation in municipal wastewater. Check out Part 1, recently published in The Journal of Environmental Management. https://www.sciencedirect.com//arti/pii/S0301479719317438