The Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) channels the expertise of the Berkeley Law community into pragmatic, creative policy solutions to critical environmental and energy challenges.
Spotlight
We’ve won the Imagine H20 California Water Policy Challenge
Effective administration of California water resources requires a water rights database that includes all water rights and their terms, a system that doesn’t yet exist. We will now be undertaking a pilot project to push forward this effort for a searchable database that supports managements decisions and fosters sustainability. The water rights database is complementary to other work we are conducting on water data. |
CLEE, and our partners at Research Areas
Planning for Utility-Scale Solar PV in the San Joaquin Valley: What Does the Future Hold?
When: Tuesday, June 6, 2017, 5:30-7:30pm
Where: Farella Braun + Martel, San Francisco
CLEE will co-host a a panel with the Environmental Law Institute and Farella Braun + Martel to discuss how stakeholders and policy makers can ensure that future solar PV deployment occurs only in “least-conflict” (land on which solar development is least likely to engender objections and possibly litigation) lands in the San Joaquin Valley region and beyond. Panelists will discuss some of the findings from last year’s influential CLEE report, A Path Forward: Identifying Least-Conflict Solar PV Development in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Register now to join us at this special event in San Francisco!
We’re hiring a Water Law & Policy Fellow
We’re looking for a talented and passionate individual to join our water law and policy program. This is a terrific opportunity to join a dynamic team and help build a more sustainable California.
To find out more, take a look at the job posting.
Environmental & Energy Law Certificates Ceremony
When: Thursday, May 11, 10am-12:30pm
Where: Warren Room (295 Boalt Hall)
Students, faculty, staff and the broader Environmental and Energy law community joined us to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and award Certificates of Specialization in Environmental and Energy & Clean Technology Law. We thanks everyone who attended and helped to make this such a special annual event.
Real Estate Choices Help California Meet Climate Goals and Grow Local Economies
Our new report Right Type, Right Place: Assessing the Environmental and Economic Impacts of Infill Residential Development through 2030 finds that encouraging new housing development in infill areas would spur economic growth, reduce monthly housing costs, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
A collaboration with the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley and commissioned by Next 10, this is the first comprehensive academic study of its kind.
Reviewing the Year and Looking Ahead
Highlighting our efforts over the past months and providing a look forward to our projects in 2017, we are delighted to share our 2016 Annual Report.
With a summary of all of our research projects over the past year, from efforts to spur innovation in wastewater management and new methods to find the best lands for solar photovoltaic development, we hope that you will enjoy a quick look!
California Climate Policies Bringing Over $13 Billion to San Joaquin Valley
While climate programs are under political attack in California and nationally, we find that these programs have a total economic benefit of more than $13 billion on the San Joaquin Valley including the creation of over 30,000 jobs.
Our report, The Economic Impacts of the California’s Major Climate Programs on the San Joaquin Valley, examines the impact of cap-and-trade, renewable energy, and energy efficiency programs in the Valley.
Also see our op-ed in the Sacramento Bee and our webinar discussion of these findings.
Recent Publications
CLIMATE & ENERGY
- The Economic Impacts of California’s Major Climate Programs on the San Joaquin Valley (Jan 2017)
- Wasting Opportunities: How to Secure Environmental & Clean Energy Benefits from Municipal Solid Waste Energy Recovery (May 2016)
- Powering the Savings: How California Can Tap the Energy Efficiency Potential in Existing Commercial Buildings (Mar 2016)
- Climate Actions for California: Recommendations for Governor Jerry Brown’s Final Term (Dec 2015)
- Planting Fuels: How California Can Boost Local, Low-Carbon Biofuel Production (Dec 2015)
WATER
- Citizen Enforcement and Sanitary Sewer Overflows in California (Apr 2016)
- Barriers to Innovation in Urban Wastewater Utilities: Attitudes of Managers in California (Envt’l Mgmt, Mar 2016) [sub. req’d]
- Designing Effective Groundwater Sustainability Agencies: Criteria for Evaluation of Local Governance Options (Mar 2016)
- Beyond User Acceptance: A Legitimacy Framework for Potable Water Reuse in California (ES&T, 2015)
- A Riparian Conservation Network for Ecological Resilience (Biological Conservation, 2015)
- Accelerating Cost-Effective Green Stormwater Infrastructure: Learning from Local Implementation (Feb 2015)
LAND USE