California’s CEQA Reforms Offer Narrow Exemptions — With One Powerful Exception
The California legislature recently passed SB 131 and AB 130, two bills designed to streamline environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). While publicly touted as significant CEQA reform, the legal impact is more constrained, offering little relief for most industrial, commercial, or logistics-related development. SB 131 does, however, significantly expand the Governor’s discretionary power to designate certain large-scale private projects for streamlined CEQA treatment, offering potential opportunity for selected developers.
NHTSA Announces New Policies to Promote Autonomous Vehicles
On April 24, 2025, the Department of Transportation announced the new Automated Vehicle (AV) Framework from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The announcement, which was accompanied by a video from the Secretary of Transportation, included two new policy developments. First, NHTSA released a Third Amended version of its Standing General Order on Automated Driving Systems (ADS) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Second, NHTSA announced that it would expand its exemption program for autonomous vehicles that do not fully comply with NHTSA’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This update discusses both developments and their broader implications.
New York Passes Second-in-the-Nation Climate Change Superfund Act
On Thursday, December 26, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the second-in-the-nation Climate Change Superfund Act (the “Act”). The Act had first passed the New York legislature in June 2024, shortly after Vermont’s Climate Superfund Act became law. See, Sidley Update.
