Judges Weigh In on Greenhouse Emissions

Nossaman Partner Robert Thornton is quoted in the Daily Journal article "Judges Weigh In on Emissions," about scrutiny being faced by efforts to reduce greenhouse gases in development.  Mr. Thornton tells the paper that "appellate courts have been careful about how they address [California Environmental Quality Act] cases as they relate to climate change, 'so we're not seeing big across-the-board decisions.' "

He points to the 4th District Court of Appeal's decision in which justices "deferred to agency authority in a dispute over a hospital expansion project in June."  The court sided with the City of Santa Clarita after "a local group argued the city didn't adopt enough measures to reduce the projects greenhouse gas emissions."  That case is Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment v. City of Santa Clarita.