Opinion | Gun Manufacturers Won the Ultimate Legal Shield. Big Oil Wants That, Too.

Oil companies knew their products would drive climate change, but as lawsuits grow, they’re pushing for legal immunity. CLEE’s Dave Jones argues against this, urging accountability.

Read the full article: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/o...

With gas prices spiking, consumer interest in EVs is now surging. What's the future for the EV market?

We'll discuss on Your Call today w/Ken Alex @cleeberkeley.bsky.social & @davereichmuth.bsky.social

Post your q's here & stream live 10am PT @kalwradio.bsky.social! www.kalw.org/show/your-ca...

The 2026 Ecology Law Quarterly Banquet has sold out! Special thanks to our Berkeley Blue Sponsor, Orrick, and our Medalist Sponsors: William Chamberlain, Kaplan Kirsch Rockwell & Lieff Cabraser. Learn more about how Banquet proceeds support future environmental law and policy leaders:

Supply-Side Regulations to Accelerate Clean Truck Deployment March 2026 As governments around the world seek to boost clean vehicles and improve vehicle fuel economy, they are increasingly relying on supply-side regulations. These policy approaches include fuel...

Our report finds supply-side regulations for zero-emission trucks are a preferred policy tool for governments globally. These regulations reduce GHG emissions, improve air quality, decrease fuel consumption and accelerate clean vehicle adoption.

Read the report: www.law.berkeley.edu/research/cle...

“I Counter These Cuts”: A Donor Speaks Out On Supporting Science Amidst Federal Rollbacks By Keemia Zhang David E. Anderson is a Berkeley alum (B.S.‘79, B.A. ‘81), a software engineer, and a generous supporter of the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE). […]

Meet David Anderson, a Cal alum whose generosity is helping lift students up the economic ladder through paid jobs at CLEE while fortifying our efforts to advance climate policy.
“I’m countering these cuts." Anderson says. "I’m enabling things that I believe are important.” bit.ly/40CY858

The Bay Area Considers the Unthinkable: Life Without BART

BART is facing a fiscal crisis that could lead to major service cuts across the Bay Area. Ridership has yet to recover even 50% of pre-pandemic levels, a shift Ethan Elkind calls the “post-Covid keyboard economy.”

Read more: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/u...

Trump’s Repeal of Climate Tool Deepens Vehicle Emissions Fight The Trump administration’s repeal of the endangerment finding that allows EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions throws another complicated factor into ongoing lawsuits over vehicle emissions standa...

Transportation is the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. In Bloomberg Law, CLEE’s Ted Lamm explains how the repeal of the EPA's Endangerment Findings can reduce requirements for manufacturers to produce and sell EVs.

Read the full article: news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...

“A Force in California Scholarship and Policy”: Attorney Martin Mattes on His Partnership With CLEE By Keemia Zhang and Judith Katz CLEE Emeritus Advisory Board member Martin “Marty” Mattes was first admitted to Berkeley Law in 1968, but it was his determined journey to secure […]

CLEE Donor Martin Mattes went from editing Berkeley Law's Ecology Law Quarterly in the 1970s to shaping California’s energy, water & telecom policy. More recently, he annotated 900+ pages of #Project2025 for our monograph series. Read more about Marty here: 🔗https://tinyurl.com/4kvtrrjh

2026 Ecology Law Quarterly Banquet Seats are limited, get your tickets now! Sponsor!  About Professor Claudia Polsky Proceeds from the Banquet directly support students by: Providing direct funding for ELQ and other environmental stude...

Get your tickets for Ecology Law Quarterly’s 2026 Banquet today! This year, we're honoring Claudia Polsky, Director of the Environmental Law Clinic. Proceeds support the next generation of environmental law leaders. Join us in celebrating ELQ’s 55th anniversary here: tinyurl.com/4u8vzfks

Droughts are getting worse. Is fog-farming a fix? Tapping low-hanging clouds could be a cheap way to boost dwindling water supplies, according to new research.

Grist explores “fog farming”, a method of collecting water from fog. This approach is being tested in Alto Hospicio, a drought-prone coastal city in Chile. Michael Kiparsky emphasizes the urgency of diversifying water sources to sustain long-term habitation.

💧 Read more: grist.org/climate/drou...

California needs to step up on clean trucks to counter federal rollbacks | Opinion Even though state-level transportation policy faces federal headwinds, California still retains significant autonomy to make progress.

After federal rollbacks hit California’s clean truck rules and EV incentives, state leaders are weighing next steps. CLEE’s Ethan Elkind and Marie Grimm say the state must advance without waiting for federal change.

Read more in The Sacramento Bee: www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...

Join us Thursday, March 5th, 2026, at UC Berkeley Law, for a Lunch & Learn hosted by CLEE: Repeal of the Endangerment Finding: What it Means for Federal and State Climate Action

🔗 RSVP for the event: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
🎥 RSVP for virtual attendance: berkeley.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Trump canceled EV incentives. Newsom has a $200 million plan to make up for it A new proposal outlines California’s $200 million EV rebate plan, including who qualifies, how it works and how far the money could go.

CalMatters article outlines Gov. Newsom’s proposed $200M EV rebate plan, giving instant rebates and requiring automakers to match state funds.

Ethan Elkind of CLEE says structuring incentives as grants would give the state leverage over car manufacturers.

Read more: calmatters.org/environment/...

In Case You Missed It:

CLEE, California Environmental Voters, and The Climate Center Action Fund hosted a gubernatorial forum highlighting climate policy in the CA GOV race.

Watch the Recording: www.climatevote.org/candidates-f...
Read the Climate Issue Briefs: www.climatevote.org/climateissues

In case you missed it: CLEE’s recent Lunch & Learn, Driving Demand: Solutions to Increase the Market for Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicles, is now available online.

🎥 Watch the full recording:
www.kaltura.com/index.php/ex...

New Center for Law, Energy & the Environment report w/ The Nature Conservancy finds:

New single-family attached homes in existing urban areas are ~30% cheaper than detached homes outside cities and ~18% cheaper than detached homes in urban areas.

Read here: www.law.berkeley.edu/research/cle...

Join a Forum with California Gubernatorial Candidates!

🗓️Wednesday, January 28
🕰️4:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Sign up for the livestream: envirovoters.org/gubernatoria...

CLEE has also developed briefing materials that you can access on our project website: climatevote.org.

Three renowned experts join Center for Law, Energy & the Environment as affiliate advisers Dan Adler, Craig Segall, and Alexis Pelosi ’00 bring deep expertise to help the center forge effective and equitable policy solutions.

🌱Facing an increasingly urgent climate crisis, CLEE has strengthened its capacity to deliver policy solutions by welcoming Dan Adler, Craig Segall, and Alexis Pelosi ’00 as new affiliate advisors. Read more about each of them here: tinyurl.com/54akk8yw

Driving Demand: Solutions To Increase The Market for Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicles 🚚

January 13 | 2–3 PM PT

Join us for a discussion on policy pathways to scale zero-emission trucks in California and beyond.

Register for the webinar: lnkd.in/gAvJncPn
Read the full report: lnkd.in/gNxHSDBt

Environmental impact: Berkeley Law center plays vital role in shaping new California climate bills The school’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment guides several key policy advancements.

The Center for Law, Energy & the Environment @cleeberkeley.bsky.social provided research, data, drafting language, and technical assistance to propel key policy advancements across the climate landscape. https://bit.ly/43YwZM3 #BerkeleyLaw

Environmental impact: Berkeley Law center plays vital role in shaping new California climate bills The school’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment guides several key policy advancements.

As one of CA’s most influential climate policy centers, CLEE has helped shape this year’s state legislative outcomes. Learn how our research became real policy impact: tinyurl.com/mt56a4a3

Register for Dec. 5: A Convening on Science, Democracy & the Environment In-Person Registration for Dec. 5: A Convening on Science, Democracy & the Environment Flyer that reads, "A Convening on Science, Democracy, and the Environment: Developing a Community of Practice for Strategy and Action. Friday, December 5, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. International House, UC Berkeley School of Law Also available via livestream" Features keynote speaker headshots, names and titles, and CLEE and Edley Center logos.

Join us on 12/5 for a convening on science, democracy & the environment! Hear from expert speakers, including Wade Crowfoot, Martha Guzman Aceves, and Liane Randolph, as we explore what is needed to protect science for democracy and environmental protection. Register here: forms.gle/9dSu4FucPJxM...

The Promise and Growing Pains of Managed Aquifer Recharge - Legal Planet Around the world, groundwater mismanagement is a major driver of water crises. An emerging method for addressing such mismanagement, called managed aquifer recharge, has generated excitement among sch...

As climate change accelerates drought cycles and stresses water supplies, Managed Aquifer Recharge has emerged as a promising strategy to rebuild groundwater reserves.

Read the Legal Planet Article: legal-planet.org/2025/11/18/t...

Read the article: ngwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

What California's Record Shows About Newsom’s Claims to Climate Leadership As the US retreats on climate policy, the governor is pitching himself as a global leader.

“California has one of the most robust climate frameworks and has been quite successful in delivering on its goals,” Louise Bedsworth, executive director of @cleeberkeley.bsky.social told @bloomberg.com https://bloom.bg/4o6ceVJ #BerkeleyLaw

Nell Green Nylen’s desire to translate her science background into the public policy realm is what drove her to embark on a twelve-year career as a leading water researcher at CLEE. Find out more about her dynamic career path here: tinyurl.com/5n82n36c

If Trump’s EPA abandons climate policy, could California take over on greenhouse gases? California, the state that helped define U.S. clean-air policy, is once again considering how far it can go without Washington’s permission.

UC Berkeley Law Professor Daniel Farber and Ethan Elkind, director of @cleeberkeley.bsky.social spoke to @calmatters.org about regulation of greenhouse gases: https://bit.ly/4nMBD6V #BerkeleyLaw

Snapshot: CLEE 2025 Annual Report This year, we faced unprecedented challenges – increasing climate disasters on a global scale, efforts to dismantle environmental protections, rollbacks in federal funding, and threats to the rule of ...

This year brought rising climate disasters, funding rollbacks, and threats to environmental protections. Amidst these challenges, CLEE’s mission is more vital than ever.

Read the Snapshot 2025 Annual Report:
www.law.berkeley.edu/research/cle...

#EnvironmentalJustice #BerkeleyLaw

Introducing the 2025 Grist 50 list Climate solutions are more important now than ever. Read about 50 leaders shaping the future of climate progress.

Congrats to Dave Jones, Director of CLEE’s Climate Risk Initiative, named to the 2025 #Grist50!

🌍His work helps insurers and regulators adapt to climate risk through policy and market tools.

🔗 grist.org/fix/grist-50/2025
🔗 law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/research/climate/climate-risk-initiative/

Oakland students leave school to join climate justice protest at City Hall - Oakland North Oakland students walked out of classes on Friday to join a climate justice protest at City Hall, aimed at passing a superfund bill.

In a recent walk out, Oakland high school students rallied in support of the proposed Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025, which is currently under committee review in the California State Legislature.

📖 Read the full article: oaklandnorth.net/2025/10/27/o...

Trump administration cuts more than $8.8M in UC Berkeley-led climate and energy research Three UC Berkeley-led research projects — totaling more than $8.8 million in funding — have been cut by the Department of Energy, or DOE, since the start of the government

As part of DOE's recent funding rollbacks, CLEE lost federal funding for its community-focused carbon removal research.

Louise Bedsworth, CLEE’s Executive Director, shares: “Renewable energy has a place in the future and hopefully a very large one.”

🔗 www.dailycal.org/news/campus/...