Center for Biological Diversity v. Town of Yucca Valley

Wal-Mart entered into a settlement whereby it agreed to install rooftop solar systems and take other steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their stores in a settlement resolving two lawsuits filed by CBD. The retailer agreed to installing a rooftop solar system of at least 250 kW each at three proposed stores, to build state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures into the design of each of the planned stores, to conduct an audit to measure the energy efficiency of refrigeration units in existing stores in California, and to contribute $120,000 to the Mojave Desert Land Trust for land conservation purposes.  As part of the settlements, both cases were dismissed.

A California state court overturned a town’s approval of a 185,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter near Joshua Tree National Park, holding that an environmental impact review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) did not take into account the impacts of the project’s projected greenhouse gas emissions. The court found that the review violated CEQA because it did not provide evidence that the proposed store complied with strategies to reduce climate change as required by state law.  The court ordered the town to revise its environmental impact review to include an analysis of climate change impacts from the proposed store and ways to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.