Loeb & Loeb’s Los Angeles-based Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability team is positioned to assist clients involved in California real estate development and leasing projects with compliance issues arising from the many new environmental laws and guidelines in effect or under consideration at the state, county or city level.
The state’s cutting-edge environmental laws regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, green building practices, energy conservation and protection of air, water and land resources have traditionally been among the nation’s most comprehensive and stringent.
The formation of the firm’s Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability team was triggered by a number of regulations and guidelines throughout the state enacted to address the threat of global warming. Some of these new laws simply strengthen the provisions of environmental legislation that has been in effect for decades. Others are newly passed acts designed to phase out inefficient practices and equipment by raising the bar on emissions and sustainability standards over a multi-year time period.
Today, the impact of these laws and their integration into every aspect of economic and social fabric is evident. From San Francisco to LA, Silicon Valley to the agricultural heartland connecting Modesto to Fresno, commercial and residential developers must address sustainable building practices and limiting GHG emissions.
Service Approach
Clients rely on our Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability team attorneys for guidance in interpreting agency guidelines and adhering to the many facets of state and local regulations. Our attorneys help clients identify and prepare to meet these environmental mandates and guidelines, including those involving the following:
- California AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, which established a statewide GHG emissions reduction program and legislated reduction of GHG levels to 1990 levels by the year 2020.
- California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental review requirements.
- California Air Resources Board (CARB) and its role in evaluating GHG emissions and their sources.
- SB375 and the incentives it provides for sustainable land use strategies.
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and green building practices.
Our familiarity with the many programs in effect in local jurisdictions is also vital to clients as they pursue development projects in counties and cities across the state. One of the most aggressive plans, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Green Building Ordinance, is of particular significance to Loeb & Loeb clients with roots in the city. This ordinance seeks to cut the city’s carbon emissions by more than 80,000 tons by 2012 and reduce its carbon footprint by 35% below 1990 levels by 2030.
As real estate developers, commercial landlords and tenants, manufacturers, transportation and health care officials, manufacturers and others seek new and expanding opportunities in California, it is crucial to retain counsel with a deep understanding of these new regulations and their impact on real estate use and development in the state.
Leadership in Law
The attorneys and advisors who make up our Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability team are veterans when it comes to these issues. Their deep knowledge and tenure in environmental matters is a combination of first-hand experience in courtrooms; working closely with legislators; the knowledge gained from public service as elected officials; positions with government agencies at the local, state and federal levels; and serving on a variety of commissions, advisory boards and review teams.