Environment

The state-approved plans utilities have submitted outlining how they will prevent their equipment from sparking wildfires provide few details—and little evidence to support the companies’ claims that indiscriminately clear-cutting millions of trees and replacing hundreds of thousands of wooden utility poles with steel ones will actually reduce the risk of wildfires.

California Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson's bill to curb litter from cigarette butts and electronic cigarettes cleared the Senate but approaches its next hurdle in the Assembly. The bill aims to tackle hundreds of thousands of cigarette butts that litter the state's coasts and hold the tobacco and e-cigarette industry accountable for the mess that its products make.

Officials had to slap utilities for starting blazes—but not inflict undue financial damage or bail them out—and avoid punishing fire victims or further burdening electricity customers.

Combat climate change, or clean up the water? Legislators chose to dip into a greenhouse gas fund to fight California’s drinking water problem. The move alarmed environmentalists and legislators on both sides of the aisle — but it could soon become the norm.

As the Capitol passes the halfway point for making new laws this year, the progressive policies that are advancing amount to less of a torrent than a trickle.

For carbon-free transportation, California must cover a lot more ground soon. But by some estimates, electric truck fleets could still be a decade away.

Automakers backed Obama-era rules on car emissions and gas mileage, then asked President Trump to change them. Now the companies fear a long Washington-California court fight.

After efforts to unite the West under a carbon-trading program stalled for nearly a decade, Oregon will decide this month whether it wants to follow in California’s footsteps. This bill would make Oregon the second state after California to rely on the market for emissions reductions throughout the entire economy. Supporters say that expanding the cap-and-trade market to Oregon could increase competition, lower compliance costs, and speed decarbonization of the West. But others worry a failure in Oregon could hurt carbon trading's chances in other states.

California transportation officials warn the fight over passenger vehicle standards might affect air quality, construction jobs, the economy — and ensure Californians stay stuck in traffic.

Mary Nichols, the powerful head of the California Air Resources Board, didn’t even need to explicitly threaten a ban on gas-powered cars last week to get the attention of carmakers. The warning was only in her prepared statements for a workshop with the state Transportation Commission. But the remarks, obtained by Bloomberg, hit headlines and […]