San Francisco

Navigating California’s complex environmental regulatory regime.

Beveridge & Diamond represents clients throughout California on environmental, health, and safety issues affecting their facilities, operations, and products. We also represent clients in litigation matters before California and federal courts.

Clients benefit from our deep understanding of how California’s complex statutes and regulatory programs intersect with federal environmental regulations and enforcement. We help clients navigate the State’s regulatory maze of environmental agencies and regional authorities, including evolving rulemaking and legislative initiatives.

We maintain strong working relationships with California’s key environmental, energy, natural resources, utility, and land use regulators, as well as federal officials at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9. We regularly engage with these agencies regarding permitting, rulemaking, compliance, enforcement, and litigation.

Air

For decades, we have represented clients on California air issues, including before California’s air districts (the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and Bay Area Air District in particular) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Our work includes rulemaking advocacy and challenges, compliance counseling, defending enforcement actions, and negotiating settlements for alleged noncompliance.

Climate Disclosures

We counsel on mandatory GHG emissions reporting, climate-related financial risk disclosures, and voluntary carbon market disclosures, including those imposed by California’s climate-related disclosure laws (SB 253 and SB 261) and Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act (AB 1305).

Contaminated Properties

We have handled many contaminated site matters in California, including those involving interactions with the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCBs) throughout the State and strategies to manage liability at complex contaminated sites.

Project Development

We assist builders, developers, property owners, and municipalities to secure and defend project permits and approvals in California. Our work focuses on CEQA, NEPA, land use, natural resources, species law compliance, and environmental justice.

Products Regulation

We are well-versed in the array of California regulations that impact companies’ products, including plastics and packaging, green marketing, material restrictions, and right-to-repair laws. We advise clients on California’s waste laws that impact electronic, hazardous, and food waste producers, and we counsel both industry clients and product stewardship organizations on the range of EPR issues in the State. We regularly advise on requirements related to product supply chains, including disclosures pursuant to the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act.

Waste

We help clients navigate California’s complex hazardous and solid waste requirements, including engagement with DTSC on waste classification, generator obligations, recycling and disposal issues, transportation requirements, facility compliance, permitting, and enforcement defense.

Water

We have decades of experience representing both industrial and municipal clients in obtaining water discharge permits, defending enforcement actions and addressing potential violations, managing spill incidents, and defending related investigations and litigation in California. We also advise on water rights and water supply issues.

Litigation & Enforcement

We have litigated in California appellate, trial, and administrative forums for decades, including arguing environmental cases in the California Supreme Court, California Court of Appeal, the Ninth Circuit, and federal and State trial courts across the State. Our experience includes toxic torts, citizen suits, enforcement actions, and criminal matters under environmental statues, as well as commercial and land use disputes.