Kaela Shiigi
Kaela Shiigi

Kaela Shiigi

Associate

San Francisco

415.344.7064
kaela.shiigi@ashurstperkins.com

Introduction

Kaela advises clients on environmental and energy law issues involving project development and consumer products regulation at the federal, state, and local levels.

Kaela Shiigi counsels clients on matters related to the Clean Water Act; the Coastal Zone Management Act; the National Environmental Policy Act; the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); and municipal land use regulations. She also counsels clients on environmental, social, and governance issues related to consumer products, including extended producer responsibility, laws restricting the use of PFAS, recycling labeling laws (SB 343), and climate disclosure reporting. Her experience includes reviewing environmental reports for major infrastructure projects, collaborating with client teams on extended producer responsibility issues, and reviewing environmental aspects of corporate transactions. 

Kaela also litigates environmental issues, including challenges to project approvals brought under the public trust doctrine, CEQA, and the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act. She has also litigated constitutional, environmental, and civil rights issues on behalf of pro bono clients. 

Before her legal career, Kaela was an environmental scientist at AECOM, where she conducted environmental investigations for military and energy sector clients in accordance with CERCLA and wrote reports on investigatory findings. 

Education & credentials

  • UC Berkeley School of Law, J.D., Co-Editor-in-Chief, Ecology Law Quarterly; Associate Editor, California Law Review, 2020
  • University of California, Berkeley, B.S., Environmental Sciences, with high honors, 2015
  • California
  • Hawaii
  • Perkins Coie, San Francisco, CA, Summer Associate, 2019
  • Attorney General’s Office, State of California Department of Justice, San Francisco, CA, Natural Resources Law Section Intern, 2018
  • AECOM, Honolulu, HI, Environmental Scientist II, 2015-2017

Represent a real estate developer on Maui in a dispute over environmental approvals for a residential project under the Hawai`i Environmental Policy Act (HEPA).

  • Represent the Friends of Blue Mound State Park in federal and state cases in Wisconsin on issues related to the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA) and First Amendment violations.
  • Represented domestic violence nonprofits by filing amicus curiae briefs in Washington and California appellate courts.
California Onshore Wind Projects

Serve as permitting counsel on a large wind project in Santa Barbara County, which requires compliance with state and federal water-related permits, incidental take permits, Lake and Streambed Alteration (LSA) Agreements, and local conditional use approvals.

Offshore Wind Project in California

Represented a prospective developer of a proposed offshore wind project near Morro Bay. Researched and wrote memoranda on multifactor bidding, environmental justice considerations, workforce development considerations, and community benefit agreements. Compiled bidding documents for the California lease sale.

Offshore Wind Project in Hawaii

Serve as environmental permitting counsel for a prospective developer of offshore wind in Hawaii. Conducted policy research regarding multifactor bidding and local considerations in preparation for future lease sales.

Ocean Conservancy

Partnered with the Ocean Conservancy to draft a report on offshore wind development in the United States. Drafted sections regarding the current regulatory landscape for offshore wind development.

Reservoir Project in California

Serve as environmental counsel for a large offstream reservoir project in northern California. Reviewed and provided comments on aquatic, wildlife, and environmental justice sections of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review documents.

Land Use Development

Counsel major tech and biotech companies on land use regulatory issues and policy development in California.

Transactional

Provide counsel to Clearway Energy, Inc., a leading publicly traded renewable energy infrastructure investor, in its acquisition of equity interests in solar projects in California and Hawaii.

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