Environmental Democracy Project v. City of Oakland

The City of Oakland agreed to a settlement of $41,354 to be paid to the plaintiffs, Environmental Democracy Project, regarding the city's indoor cannabis cultivation projects. The City has also agreed to consider amendments to their ordinances to increase community notice of these projects, ensure that energy loads are within facility capacity, and consider cumulative impacts in project approvals.

A lawsuit filed in California Superior Court alleged that the City of Oakland and related respondents unlawfully approved major indoor cannabis cultivation projects in East Oakland without analyzing their environmental impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Among the environmental concerns raised in the petition was the amount of energy required for indoor cannabis cultivation and the associated greenhouse gas emissions. The petition alleged that indoor cannabis production consumes three percent of total electricity in the state and that one kilogram of final cannabis product is associated with 4,600 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions. The petition also alleged that the City “[i]nexplicably” did not apply its Equitable Climate Action plan to indoor cannabis cultivation facilities.