CEB Contributor
Mary Catherine O'Connor
ClimateBrief Reporter, News at Mary Catherine O'Connor
Mary Catherine O’Connor is an award-winning reporter whose beats include climate change, energy, material circularity, waste, technology, and recreation. She is a climate reporter for KALW Public Media in San Francisco, where she was a 2022 to 2023 Audio Academy Fellow. Ms. O’Connor covers climate policy for CEB News and waste and circularity issues for Waste Dive and Packaging Dive. She has reported for Outside, The Guardian, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera America, and many other publications.
CEB Region:
Bay Area RegionPractice Areas:
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources
Content by Mary Catherine O'Connor
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Data Center and Liability Questions Swirl Around Prop. 45, the Latest CEQA Battleground
October 15, 2026
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation
It would be reasonable for any California voter to grow fatigued reading the 176-page 2026 General Election Official
How the Near-Catastrophe at Garden Grove Inspired a 'Cleanup Bill' for Last Year’s CEQA Reforms
August 20, 2026
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, CEQA & Other Environmental Regulation, Hazardous Waste, Site Selection, Due Diligence & Planning, State & Local Government
It was supposed to be a relaxing Memorial Day weekend in Garden Grove, an Orange County city of 170,000 mostly Asian and Hispanic residents. But on the afternoon of Thursday, May 21, the Orange County Fire Authority responded to reports of a hazardous materials incident along a stretch of the city’s industrial corridor. The incident would turn into a major crisis involving nine different agencies and a massive evacuation, impacting 50,000 residents in Garden Grove and five neighboring towns.
Federal and Local Agencies' Meddling in Dam Removal Highlights Ongoing California Water Rights Debate
July 29, 2026
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Water Supplies , State & Local Government
Late last October, salmon were found in the headwaters of the Klamath River, which flows from southern Oregon to northern California, for the first time in a century. The discovery came just one year after the last of four dams was removed from the Klamath River — the largest such project ever undertaken in the U.S. — and as the rate of dam removals gained speed across the country.
UCLA Law’s Alejandro Camacho’s ‘Eras Tour’ of U.S. Environmental Law: From Precolonial Times to Trump 2.0
May 22, 2026
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Administrative Law, Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources
Alejandro Camacho thinks a lot about learning from the past.
California Agency Report Recommends Reforms to Inverse Condemnation and Subrogation for Wildfire Resilience
April 28, 2026
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Insurance Law
Culturally, politically and economically, California and wildfire are inextricably linked. Fire is also one of the most stark indications of how climate change has impacted the Golden State.
With Proposed Bills and a Dedicated Insurance Task Force, California Searches for Better Ways to Manage Wildfire Smoke Damage in Wildland-Urban Interface
March 10, 2026
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Insurance Law
California’s deadly 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires have forced the California Department of Insurance, insurers and consumer advocates to reckon with a lack of environmental safety standards related to smoke damage.
Can Plug-In Panels Shine New Light on Residential Solar in California?
February 5, 2026
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Construction , Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Alternative Energy Sources, Real Property
Energy affordability has become a major issue facing consumers across the country, with states including Virginia, New Jersey and Washington state seeing the highest rate increases last year. Rates in California have long been among the highest in the nation, and though PG&E customers are seeing lower electricity rates in 2026, the cost of energy remains a major concern.
California Greenlights Intrastate Carbon Removal Pipelines Before Federal Safety Regulations Are Set
December 17, 2025
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources
The year 2022 was a consequential one for climate and energy policy in California. In the California Climate Crisis Act (
ClimateBrief: How Will the New CEQA Exemption for Advanced Manufacturing Play Out?
August 4, 2025
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Business Transactions, Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Real Property
It happened slowly — far too slowly for many pundits who support housing and a return to domestic manufacturing — and then, all at once. On June 30, the California state legislature faced a choice: Pass major reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), or Gov. Gavin Newsom would repeal the state’s $320 billion budget agreement.
How Will the New CEQA Exemption for Advanced Manufacturing Play Out?
August 4, 2025
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources
It happened slowly — far too slowly for many pundits who support housing and a return to domestic manufacturing — and then, all at once. On June 30, the California state legislature faced a choice: Pass major reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), or Gov. Gavin Newsom would repeal the state’s $320 billion budget agreement.
With Its Emissions Waiver Kneecapped, What's the Outlook for California's EV Future?
July 10, 2025
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources
On December 18, 2024, President Joe Biden
ClimateBrief: With Its Emissions Waiver Kneecapped, What's the Outlook for California's EV Future?
July 10, 2025
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources
On December 18, 2024, President Joe Biden
California Air Districts Are Slowing Their Roll Toward Heat Pump Regulations
May 12, 2025
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Real Property
In early 2022, heat pumps were thrust into the national conversation via an unlikely topic – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The environmentalist Bill McKibben wrote a post called “
ClimateBrief: California Air Districts Are Slowing Their Roll Toward Heat Pump Regulations
May 12, 2025
Mary Catherine O'Connor
Environmental, Land Use & Natural Resources, Real Property
In early 2022, heat pumps were thrust into the national conversation via an unlikely topic – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The environmentalist Bill McKibben wrote a post called “
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