Focus
CBS News – January 27
President Trump has signed an executive order seeking to move certain permitting authority from California and Los Angeles to the federal government, saying California and local agencies are moving too slowly on helping residents rebuild their homes and businesses in the aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton fires. The order authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to set regulations and sign off on certifications that builders have met “state and local substantive health, safety, and building standards.”
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The Maritime Executive – January 26
This Monday, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management began the process for an offshore oil and gas lease sale off California with the publication of two call areas, covering the southern and central portions of the state. Charts accompanying the notice show that the call areas encompass the majority of the Chumash Heritage, Cordell Bank, Greater Farallones, and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries, as well as large segments of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The call is a request for interest and information and is not necessarily indicative of a final plan for leasing opportunities. The announcement suggests that the first lease sales would occur next year. Vigorous local opposition is expected.
SFGate – January 27
The U.S. Department of the Interior approved a major California water project on January 23, clearing a key obstacle for a massive new reservoir. The proposed 1.5 million acre-foot Sites Reservoir would store water from the Sacramento River and distribute it during droughts to several parts of California. The next steps in the project are securing water rights from the state and getting local agencies to officially sign off on funding, according to the executive director of the Sites Project Authority. Construction is expected to start in late 2026, and the reservoir will be fully operational by the end of 2032, the project website shows.
OverDrive – January 28
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this Tuesday announced its final disapproval of California’s Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance regulation as it applies to trucks registered out-of-state. The regulation has required truck owners to conduct emissions tests and pay a compliance fee since 2023, and applies to all non-gasoline combustion vehicles above 14,000 gross vehicle weight rating operating in California. The California Air Resources Board, however, said it will continue to enforce the regulation in full at the state level, stating that “EPA has no authority over this program, and we will continue to enforce the law to ensure that all trucks coming into and operating in California abide by the same rules — even if EPA doesn’t want to give us credit.”
Courthouse News Service – January 23
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed suit in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the federal government’s December claim that it has exclusive jurisdiction over the Las Flores pipeline and a subsequent restart plan enabling its return to service. The suit claims that the federal government’s action improperly usurps jurisdiction from the Office of the State Fire Marshall and the assertion of exclusive federal jurisdiction would permit the pipeline to restart prior to completion of requirements set forth in a consent decree entered following the “catastrophic” oil spill near Refugio State Beach northwest of Santa Barbara in 2015.
San Francisco Chronicle – January 27
A new bill, Assembly Bill 1642, would require California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control to create emergency regulations by July 2027 to guide the environmental testing and cleaning of homes, schools, and businesses impacted by wildfires. The proposed law follows a San Francisco Chronicle investigation that revealed how insurance companies and their experts have at times downplayed or minimized high levels of lead and other substances found in fire survivors’ homes, including by claiming comprehensive testing is a poor practice and “unnecessary.”
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