[JURIST] California Jerry Brown [official website] signed [press release] the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 [text] on Wednesday, which lays out plans to reduce air pollution and increase energy efficiency. To double the amount of energy efficiency in the state, the bill creates efficiency targets for electrical and gas companies and requires that at least 50 percent of electricity sold to retail customers annually come from renewable energy resources. The act fulfills promises made by Brown in his 2015 inaugural address and expands previous energy legislation enacted in 2011.

In recent years California has also enacted water restriction legislation as it struggles with one of its most severe droughts on record. In July, drought regulators proposed [JURIST report] a first-of-its-kind $1.5 million fine against an irrigation district that allegedly took water illegally. Brown issued Executive Order B-29-15 [text, pdf] in April, which mandates water-use restrictions throughout the state and which will remain in effect through February 28, 2017. JURIST Guest Columnist Griffen Thorne, Student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, argued that the legal framework these restrictions establish could produce lasting effects [JURIST op-ed] in the state by incentivizing water reductions and innovation. The order also incentivizes investment in energy-efficient technology, in a step towards ensuring that future generations of Californians will have better access to water. In May the State Water Board approved new rules [JURIST report] limiting how water may be used during the state’s drought.