Julie Cress

Practice Areas

Air Quality (California and nationwide)

Climate Change (California and nationwide)

Energy Transition

Environmental Enforcement Defense

Career

Julie Cress is a seasoned environmental lawyer with a unique 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.

Publications

Environmental Evolutions: https://www.bakerbotts.com/thought-leadership/publications/2023/march/environmental-evolutions-its-last-call-for-cas-update-to-the-advanced-clean-fleets-regulations

Environmental Evolutions: New Signals on California's LCFS Amendments

https://www.bakerbotts.com/thought-leadership/publications/2022/august/environmental-evolutions-changes-are-coming-to-the-ca-lcfs

https://www.bakerbotts.com/thought-leadership/publications/2021/august/environmental-evolutions-california-101-fast-facts

Personal

J.D., Golden Gate University School of Law 2006

with distinction

Certificate of Specialization: Environmental Law, Public Interest Law

Dean’s List

Witkin Award for Academic Excellence, Legal Writing & Research

B.S., Environmental Health, Illinois State University 2001