Blog

What matters to me today is Expertise, Evidence, and the Discipline of Restraint. On the eve of a high-stakes hearing, project opponents submitted a last-minute “expert” letter—two pages, no citations, no engagement with the thousands of pages in the administrative record, and no grounding in governing law. Yet it...

What matters to me today is War Abroad, Deregulation at Home. The escalating conflict involving Iran is already being invoked domestically to justify extraordinary federal intervention in the ordinary operation of environmental law. The clearest example is this week’s meeting of the Endangered Species Committee—the so-called “God Squad”—to consider...

What matters to me today is that reliability issues have and will continue to “Trump” any energy transition. California’s accelerating transition toward a lower-carbon economy is no longer theoretical—it is policy and regulatory reality. Whether one views that trajectory as justified or not, the underlying facts remain: climate considerations...

What matters to me today is Climate Disclosure Isn’t Going Away. Despite aggressive efforts at the federal level to dismantle climate-related regulatory regimes, climate disclosure mandates remain a significant risk-management and compliance issue for private businesses. The most important drivers today are not federal regulators, but states—particularly California and...

What matters to me today is NIMBYism at Its Worst. In my legal practice, I regularly represent residential development projects. Anyone in that field becomes familiar with NIMBYism—the instinct to oppose change simply because it is nearby. It is unfortunate, but it is common. What is...

What matters to me today is Land Use Decision-Making: Who Decides? “Land use, who decides?” The answer, of course, is “all of the above.” Land use decisions necessarily involve local decision-making, state decision-making, and federal decision-making. When we try to elevate one above the others, we...

What matters to me today is the Endangerment Finding Is Dead. Massachusetts v. EPA May Be Next. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized and will publish tomorrow (2/18/2026) its rescission of the 2009 Endangerment Finding—the legal foundation for federal regulation of greenhouse gases from motor vehicles. That single...

What matters to me today is The Endangerment Finding: Yes, You Care. Reports in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and elsewhere state that the Administration’s final repeal of the Endangerment Finding is imminent. Yet, for now, the federal government websites that climate-policy wonks like me refresh compulsively...

What matters to me today is the ongoing AB 130 debate. California’s AB 130 CEQA exemption has become one of the most debated housing tools in recent memory, and the conversation is far from settled. In just the past two weeks, I had the privilege of moderating a panel...

“Lions and tigers and bears”?  Try: “Lions and bees and owls”!!  OH MY!!! If you’re a frequent reader of my humble little blog, you know there has been disproportionate focus on species of late.  Never my intent!  But the inescapable fact is that since launching my own shop last...

What matters to me today are CEQA and species. California law is clear: the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) must comply with CEQA before issuing an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) for a protected species — including candidate species. Problems arise when a city or county previously served as...

What matters to me today is the [NOT] 40th Annual [NOT] UCLA Land Use Law and Planning Conference. One of the most personally impactful milestones of my legal career was three icon mentors in my legal practice inviting me to co-Chair what I considered the preeminent conference in my...