Building Decarbonization Update: Local Governments in California Consider Strategies to Reduce Natural Gas Use in Buildings
Following up on the October 2019 and February 2020 editions of In the Public Interest, this article provides an update regarding strategies proposed by several cities and counties to encourage or require existing buildings to go all-electric.
Mid-Cycle 2022 CALGreen Building Code Update Re: Changes Coming in 2023 to State Energy Code and Green Building Standards
California Building Standards Commission adopts updates to electric vehicle charging requirements for new multifamily buildings Since we first wrote about the latest Energy Code and energy-related CALGreen updates that went into effect statewide in January 2023, some additional important updates have been made to CALGreen. Following this regular triannual update, the California Building Standards Commission […]
Job Announcement: Associate Attorney, Renewable Energy Practice
Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP is seeking to hire an Associate Attorney to support its renewable energy practice. The firm is located in San Francisco, although candidates wishing to work remotely full-time from other locations will be considered.
SMW Halts “Underground Regulation” Threatening Solar and Storage Projects
In a settlement with SMW client the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA), a state licensing board rescinded regulations that would have prohibited solar contractors from installing solar panels paired with batteries for energy storage. The regulations would have been devastating to California’s solar contractors and their workers, as well as to consumers who are […]
Planning for Environmental Justice: Implementing SB 1000
A Valuable Tool for Equity Due in part to a long history of unequal land use planning and discriminatory housing and industrial policies, communities of color and low-income communities bear a disproportionate burden of environmental harms. Large polluting industries tend to be sited in or near these communities, leading to higher rates of long-term health […]
New Toolkit Guides Regulators and Utilities in Improving Energy Storage Interconnection
Energy storage has a unique and pivotal role to play in the transition to a low-carbon economy because it can help the electric grid accommodate more renewable energy. However, a number of barriers currently impede the process of connecting energy storage systems to the energy distribution grid. A new suite of actionable recommendations for regulators […]
Optimizing the Siting and Design of Distributed Energy Resources
Utilities provide integration capacity maps that can help customers and developers optimize the placement of distributed energy resources like solar generation and electric vehicle chargers. The California Public Utilities Commission recently decided to require improvements to the maps, which will unlock new uses that can aid public agencies’ decarbonization efforts.
Colorado River Indian Tribes Secure Crucial Revisions to New Transmission Line Project
In order to serve urban customers with solar energy generated in the Southwest desert, DCR Transmission LLC proposed building a 125-mile transmission line across parts of Arizona and California. The Firm assisted the Colorado River Indian Tribes in participating before state and federal agencies in multi-year approval proceedings. Ultimately, the Tribes secured a revised route […]
All-Electric Reach Codes
In 2019 the Firm advises a number of local jurisdictions and NGOs, including the Building Decarbonization Coalition, the Rocky Mountain Institute, Redwood Energy, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Peninsula Clean Energy, the City of Cupertino, and the City of San Luis Obispo, on the authority of local jurisdictions to phase out natural gas in buildings. […]
Reducing Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Distribution
The firm represents the Environmental Defense Fund in proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission, successfully advocating EDF’s position that utilities be required to implement best available technology and practices to reduce methane emissions from the natural gas distribution systems. In 2019 the Commission adopts a decision reducing utilities’ rate recovery for these emissions.