Renewable Energy
Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo helped conceive, draft and negotiate California’s groundbreaking Renewable Portfolio Standard legislation and each of the subsequent legislative expansions of the program. Working to align environmental, climate, labor and ratepayer interests, ABJC helped devise and draft the legislation that produced the most ambitious and successful renewable energy program in the United States. The California RPS program has more new renewable energy and more green union construction jobs than any other.
ABJC regularly participates in all aspects of the regulatory review and permitting of renewable energy power plants and conventional power plants. The firm represents labor organizations, public interest and community groups in the power plant siting process at the California Energy Commission and in cities and counties throughout California. ABJC has successfully negotiated innovative and precedent-setting agreements to significantly reduce air pollutant emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater use and impacts on wildlife from new power plants. These agreements have set new standards for minimizing the environmental impacts of all types of power plants.
ABJC has also successfully worked to ensure that new clean energy generation creates good jobs. ABJC has negotiated hundreds of project labor agreements that establish industry wide labor standards ensuring that California’s leadership in a new green infrastructure also produces good jobs. These standards maintain area wage standards, ensure local workers are hired, advance meaningful, career-path apprentice training in the construction trades, and provide job and training opportunities for disadvantaged and underrepresented populations and for returning military veterans.