Energy

Some rural California communities are resisting efforts to streamline permitting for wind and solar farms and battery storage for environmental or safety reasons.

Capturing and storing carbon underground is a big part of California’s efforts to tackle climate change but community members and environmentalists say it prolongs the life of fossil fuels.

A plan by California regulators overseeing the long-delayed cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory fails to fully address soil contamination. Advocates hope residents take notice and ramp up public pressure while there's still time.

Despite such high prices, gasoline is still a relatively small segment of what it costs to live in California. Nevertheless, gas prices command an inordinately high level of public attention as a symbol of anxiety about living costs in general, and therefore are ripe for political exploitation.

California oil companies will have until July, 2030 to monitor wells near homes and schools for leaks into air and water. The decision came after last-minute negotiations.

The author pulled the Assembly utility bill from consideration a day before the Legislature’s deadline.

Consumers would get a small credit on electric bills if the legislation passes. Solar companies say the energy measures might not be effective in streamlining projects.

Inflation keeps biting Californians, and politicians at the federal and state level are scrambling to align themselves with the angst that voters feel.

Fossil fuels are still a large source of electricity, but California has made progress with renewables while keeping the lights on.

The billions of dollars being spent on hydrogen technologies in California must be used in a way that reduces emissions and doesn't harm vulnerable communities. Unfortunately, that's not happening.