Julie Cress is a seasoned environmental lawyer with California regulatory experience having spent time working for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board as well as on the private side managing environmental, health, and safety programs. Julie has over 15 years of experience in California and federal environmental laws with a primary focus on air quality and climate change, assisting clients on regulatory, rulemaking advocacy, incident response, and compliance and enforcement matters. She has represented companies in various sectors including traditional energy and energy transition, auto and auto parts manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and transportation companies.
While primarily focused on California's regulatory structure including air district permitting (new source review and Title V), compliance and enforcement advice, and hearing board disputes as well as rulemaking advocacy and compliance and enforcement counseling associated with CARB rules such as the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, Cap-and-Trade Regulation, and mobile source regulations impacting transportation fleets, Julie also supports clients complying with federal fuels (traditional and Renewable Fuel Standard) and aftermarket defeat device programs. Julie also counsels clients on various emissions-based credit regimes including compliance and voluntary carbon markets with a specific emphasis on Low Carbon Fuel Standard credit generation opportunities such as CCS, RNG, and hydrogen, registration for compliance and credit trading in the Cap-and-Trade Program, and advising clients on emission credit transaction documents.
Julie's prior government experience, and her interpersonal nature with her clients and government regulators allows her to effectively and efficiently counsel clients in the day-to-day, and the not so day-to-day environmental regulatory programs with which they must comply.
When she isn't serving her clients, Julie spends time with her husband and three children as well as serving on the Board of the Mental Health Association of Alameda County.
Related Experience
Public Sector
- Prosecution of violations of regulatory requirements on behalf of CARB.
- Lead attorney on regulation development of several CARB regulations.
- Lead attorney on CARB enforcement advisories involving fuels, off-road engines, consumer products, and portable equipment/engines.
Private Sector
Request for Information/Enforcement Defense
- Represent ethanol producer in response to EPA request for information and resulting enforcement action.
- Represent manufacturers and retailers of aftermarket performance parts in response to EPA request for information and resulting enforcement action alleging manufacture/sales of defeat devices.
- Represent transportation company in response to EPA request for information related to CARB mobile source regulations including the Truck & Bus Regulation, Drayage Truck Regulation, and Transport Refrigeration Unit Regulation.
- Represent food manufacturer and its logistics arm in response to EPA request for information related to CARB mobile source regulations including the Truck & Bus Regulation, Drayage Truck Regulation, and Transport Refrigeration Unit Regulation.
- Represent foreign mobile equipment manufacturer in response to EPA request for information and enforcement action related to importation of nonroad engines.
Permitting
- Represent major oil company in pursuit of variance requests before the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
- Advise major oil company clients on complex permitting requirements related to New Source Review and Title V.
Climate Change
- Advise major oil company related to compliance with CARB's Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
- Represent ethanol producer providing general compliance advice related to EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard.
- Advise propane distributor on compliance related to CARB's Mandatory Reporting Regulation and Cap-and-Trade Regulation.
Rulemaking Advocacy
- Rulemaking advocacy on behalf of oil & gas/chemical trade group surrounding EPA's Risk Management Plan amendments.
- Advocacy on behalf of manufacturing trade group in relation to amendments to NESHAPs regulations.
- Rulemaking advocacy related to local air district regulations including the South Coast Air Quality Management District's RECLAIM program.
Incident Response
- Incident response related to industrial fire with focus on air-specific emergency reporting, seeking of enforcement relief, and compliance obligations.
Awards & Community
Recognized as "Up & Coming" by Chambers USA, 2023
News
Thought Leadership
2024 Energy Litigation Outlook
Client UpdatesEnergy Litigation Update
California's Landmark Climate Disclosure Laws - What You Need to Know
WebinarSection 40B Guidance: A Flexible Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit or an Exclusionary Standard?
Client UpdatesEnergy Transition Update
New California Climate-Related Disclosure Mandates Will Require Corporate Reporting Ahead of - and Broader than - the SEC
Client UpdatesESG Update
It's Last Call for California's Update to the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulations
PodcastEnvironmental Evolutions
Environmental Evolutions: New Signals on California's LCFS Amendments
PodcastEnvironmental Evolutions: Changes are Coming to the California LCFS
PodcastEnvironmental Evolutions: California 101 - Fast Facts on California's Air Regulatory Regime
Podcast
Environmental Justice Spotlight: What You Need in Your Corporate Toolkit
WebinarCalifornia Proposes Updates to Environmental Justice Tool CalEnviroScreen
Client UpdatesEnvironmental Update
Renewable Hydrogen Study Suggests Significant Potential in California
Client UpdatesEnergy Update
Response to CalEPA Statement on Compliance with Regulatory Requirements During the COVID-19 Emergency
Client UpdatesEnvironmental Law Update