Center for Law, Energy, & The Environment

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/...

CLEE Lunch & Learn_ The Impact of Recent Federal Policy Changes on Renewable Energy Development in California and How State Action Can Help

In Case You Missed It: CLEE’s recent talk, The Impact of Recent Federal Policy Changes on Renewable Energy Development in California, hosted at Orrick in San Francisco, is now available online.

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

Join experts from UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) and Next 10 for a webinar on their latest report, “Costs of Climate Change”.

🔗 Register here: berkeley.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

YouTube video by KPBS Public Media Newsom signs SB 79 to increase housing near public transit

In this discussion on KPBS, Ethan Elklind, Director of Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law Energy & Environment (CLEE), breaks down SB 79, calling it “the most significant housing bill that’s ever been passed in California.”

Listen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeCu...

Support CLEE Through Your Donor-Advised Fund A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is like a charitable investment account: you contribute cash or other assets, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants to organizations you care about [...

Happy #DAFDay! Make a commitment to a more sustainable and equitable future through your Donor Advised Fund. Learn more about how you can make a tax-advantaged gift to CLEE with your DAF. www.law.berkeley.edu/research/cle...

Billions spent, miles to go: The story of California’s failure to build high-speed rail California’s dream of building a high-speed rail system is a cautionary tale of ambition outpacing funding, planning, and federal support.

17 years ago, Californians voted for a revolutionary change within travel. A recent article by @grist.org details the progress and pitfalls of California's high-speed rail project.

🚆CLEE's Ethan Elkind comments on pathways forward. Read the article:
grist.org/transportati...

Amid a data center boom, California lawmakers pass a bill to track water use The AI-driven data center boom is adding strain on the West’s water. New legislation in California would require data centers to report how much water they use.

Michael Kiparsky, director of @cleeberkeley.bsky.social's Wheeler Water Institute, spoke to @latimes.com about the AI-driven data center strain on the West’s water. He said requiring data on water use is a good first step, but officials may not know what to do with that number alone: lat.ms/4nGIbUN

California bill would require builders to release how much water data facilities use As California's population grows, the pressure increases on its finite natural resources. And one of those, water, is the subject of some concern, with the increase in data generation in the State.

"The data centers that we see now will just multiply. And their need to cool their servers will multiply along with them." - Michael Kiparsky, director of the @cleeberkeley.bsky.social Wheeler Water Institute, spoke to @cbsnews.com about water use in data centers: https://cbsn.ws/4mD4bPr

New State Climate Plan To Reduce Energy Costs, Fortify Grid | KQED We’ll take a closer look at the changes and trade-offs and what they mean for you.

"We need to look at the bigger picture. Electricity rates have gone up about 50 percent in the last five years... high rates undermine our climate goals."

Listen to @ethanelkind.bsky.social, director of @cleeberkeley.bsky.social on @kqedforum.bsky.social: bit.ly/3IIKsjx #UCBerkeleyLaw

Costs of Climate Change Financial Impacts on California and U.S. Households September 2025 The costs of climate change are enormous and affect every sector of the economy. Disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires, and heat...

🌍 Climate change is driving up costs across every sector of the economy, with California already experiencing severe impacts.

CLEE’s latest report summarizes available research on how climate change is affecting costs to U.S. and California households and businesses.

🔗
tinyurl.com/8thw6ybr

Scientists take on Trump: these researchers are fighting back Through lawsuits, grant tracking, whistle-blowing and more, resistance to the US war on science is growing.

A recent article in @nature.com highlights how scientists are taking action through lawsuits, whistleblowing, data transparency projects, and public advocacy to challenge the research funding cuts.

📰 Read more: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Another California home insurer seeks premium hike CSAA, California's fifth-largest insurer, is asking state regulators for permission to increase its homeowners' insurance premiums.

In a recent @newsweek.com CLEE’s Dave Jones comments on the affects of #climatechange on the insurance industry.

📰 Read more > www.newsweek.com/another-cali...

Frontiers | Enhancing water security and landscape resilience through multibenefit land repurposing Achieving water sustainability in many water-scarce regions will require reducing consumptive water use by converting irrigated agricultural land to less wat...

A new article CLEE Wheeler Water Institute Director, Mike Kiparsky, co-authored in Frontiers in Water describes how, in #water-scarce regions of the world, multibenefit land repurposing offers a promising alternative to idling cropland.

🌾 Read the report: www.frontiersin.org/journals/wat...