California Solar Energy Industries Association v. Contractors State License Board

Solar energy groups, along with an individual solar contractor, the California Public Interest Research Group, Inc., and Center for Biological Diversity, filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court challenging a Contractors State License Board rulemaking that prohibited, with limited exceptions, solar contractors from installing, connecting, modifying, maintaining, or repairing battery energy storage systems. Petitioners alleged that the rule violated the California Administrative Procedure Act and that CSLB “compounded these legal failures” by refusing to conduct a review of the rule under the California Environmental Quality Act. The petitioner alleged that the rule would result in changes to the physical environment, largely because of the “chilling effect” the rule would have on solar and battery installations. They alleged that potential impacts included increased use of carbon-based energy, additional greenhouse gas emissions, air quality impacts, and conflicts with state and local plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.