Our attorneys with expertise in environmental impact review regularly develop and implement CEQA and NEPA compliance strategies that keep projects on track and legally defensible. These attorneys are often called upon to evaluate the appropriate level of environmental review for a given project – including whether the project may be exempt from review – and to assess alternative compliance strategies. They also evaluate negative declarations, environmental impact reports, and environmental impact statements for legal adequacy, and revise those documents as needed to ensure compliance and minimize litigation risk. Our CEQA/NEPA experts provide this advice to public agencies and private applicants across a wide variety of water supply, oil & gas, renewable energy, mining, commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects throughout California and beyond.
The projects on which we advise often require integrated review under CEQA, NEPA, and other state and federal regulatory requirements, such as the Clean Water Act, Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, Fish and Game Code (Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreements), Endangered Species Act (California and Federal), Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, National Historical Preservation Act, and AB 32, to name a few. Our in-depth experience with these requirements allows us to work closely with the relevant state and federal regulatory agencies, and to deftly weave the required analysis and permitting into the environmental impact review process.