The world continues to shift for the energy sector in California. On Monday, U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy announced the highly anticipated proposed CO2 standards for existing power plants in the U.S.  The proposed rules would affect existing power plants undertaking changes, as well as those not contemplating any modifications.  What’s more, states can meet the proposed standards through implementation of…

Yesterday, Senate Bill 1132 failed in the Senate.  In a 18-16 vote, SB 1132 fell three votes short of the necessary majority.  The bill was introduced by Senators Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) and Mark Leno on February 20, 2014, as reported here.

Through amendments to Public Resources Code (“PRC”) §§ 3157, 3160, 3161…

Last Friday, May 23, 2014, Senate Bill 1017, the Oil Severance Tax Law, failed to pass through the Senate Appropriations Committee.  As a result, the bill is effectively dead for the year.  SB 1017 was introduced by Senator Evans on February 14, 2014 and passed the Education Committee on April 24, 2014, as reported…

This past Tuesday, May 20, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a permanent moratorium on oil and gas exploration and development.  Santa Cruz becomes the first county in the state of California to approve such a moratorium, which includes a ban on hydraulic fracturing.  The permanent moratorium in Santa…

At last, the new Supervisor of the California Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources (“DOGGR”) has been announced.  Steven Bohlen, currently Program Director at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, will replace recently-retired former Supervisor Tim Kustic.  Mr. Bohlen’s background spans numerous academic, teaching, and research positions, including stints at Texas…

The California High Speed Rail Authority’s (the “Authority”) Board of Directors unanimously voted on Wednesday to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the Fresno to Bakersfield alignment of the high-speed rail project (the “Project”) and approve the selected alignment.  Click HERE for a map of the approved alignment.  The Federal Railroad Administration…

There are a number of California State Senate and Assembly bills that could impact oil and gas operations this year, if passed.  Stoel Rives has a dedicated team of professionals tracking these bills.  Below you will find summaries of each piece of oil and gas-related legislation.

SENATE BILLS (Status as of May 2, 2014)

SB…

This past Tuesday, the Carson City Council voted against a local moratorium on new oil and gas activity within its city limits.  Last month, Carson passed a 45-day ban on all oil and gas operations, as reported in our March 20, 2014 post.  The City Council could have continued the ban for up to two…

The Los Angeles City Council voted to ban well stimulation treatments within city limits by a unanimous vote in February, and is in the process of drafting ordinances to put that decision into effect.  Carson, California has temporarily halted all oil and gas activity (including all new drilling and any well stimulation treatments) in response…

About Stoel Rives Environmental Law

Learn More

Few firms view their Environment, Land Use, and Natural Resources practices as core legal services. Stoel Rives is one of them. The firm ranks #8 in the United States according to Law360’s list of the largest practices of its kind. Our sophisticated compliance counseling, permitting, regulatory development, and litigation practices continue a long tradition of specialization and deep experience. Our environment, land use, and natural resource attorneys incorporate prior agency experience, technical acumen, and industry knowledge into their legal advice. They also build strong relationships with agency officials and industry associations. Our litigation successes include landmark decisions. More than 60 attorneys, paralegals, and compliance analysts comprise Stoel Rives’ nationwide Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources practice.