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Building Food and Nutrition Security and Sovereignty

Development impacts many aspects of the food system, including where food is grown, how far food must travel, where distributors and retailers are placed, and who has access to fresh and nutritious food. By viewing development and its associated impacts through a sustainability and life-cycle lens, we can rethink the role of development and how communities can grow while fostering a strong, inclusive, affordable, accessible, and healthy food system. This Article focuses on the way local governments regulate development and how that impacts the food system.

Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2023

In China, the year 2023 witnessed the further evolution of environmental protection and development of legislation and rulemaking. This mainly included adoption of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Ecological Protection Law, revision of the Marine Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, and adoption of a series of judicial interpretations. This Comment summarizes some of the year’s major developments.

89 FR 46682

FERC amended its regulations governing applications for permits to site electric transmission facilities under the Federal Power Act, as amended by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, and amended its NEPA procedures.

89 FR 40477

DOE announced the availability of the preliminary list of potential national interest electric transmission corridors, the designation of which would focus public and policymaker attention on the areas of greatest transmission need and unlock valuable federal financing and permitting tools to advance transmission development.

89 FR 35312

DOE amended its regulations for the timely coordination of federal authorizations for proposed interstate electric transmission facilities pursuant to the Federal Power Act.

89 FR 35384

DOE established energy performance standards for the new construction and major renovation of federal buildings per the Energy Conservation and Production Act, as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

89 FR 35634

BLM updated procedures governing the Bureau’s renewable energy and right-of-way programs, focusing on two main topics: solar and wind energy generation rents and fees; and agency discretion to process applications for solar and wind energy generation rights-of-way inside designated leasing areas.

89 FR 31201

EPA announced an opportunity for public input on ENERGY STAR product specification development activities.

89 FR 27502

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed to establish two new federal motor vehicle safety standards specifying performance requirements for all motor vehicles that use hydrogen as a fuel source.

Putting the Ban Back Together: A Critical Look at California Restaurant Association v. Berkeley

Concerned by methane’s potent climate-altering emissions, a growing number of states and municipalities have embraced the phaseout of natural gas as a tool to mitigate climate change. But in April 2023, the California Restaurant Association successfully petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to overturn the city of Berkeley’s ban on natural gas infrastructure in new buildings. The three-judge panel found the ban preempted by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and in January 2024, the Ninth Circuit denied Berkeley’s petition for rehearing.