Kristen T. Castaños
Experience
Kristen Castaños is one of the firm's most respected California environmental and land
use lawyers. Known for her practical and business-focused advice, Kristen works with
commercial, industrial and energy developers on due diligence, compliance and
related litigation involving California's key environmental and land use laws, including
the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Williamson Act and the
federal National Environmental Policy Act. A former City Attorney, Kristen also works
with a number of municipal and public entity clients, having successfully represented
several California counties, municipalities and a redevelopment agency in CEQA and
related land use issues.
Kristen was selected as the Sacramento Environmental Law Lawyer of the Year in 2013
and the Sacramento Water Law Lawyer of the Year in 2012 and 2014 by Best
Lawyers®. She was also recognized by the Sacramento Business Journal as one of
Partner
Sacramento's "Women Who Mean Business" in 2013.
Sacramento, CA
Outside of her client work, Kristen is a member of the Board of Directors for the
(916) 319-4674 direct
Powerhouse Science Center and is a founding member of the Mother Attorneys
Mentoring Association of Sacramento.
Representative Work

Provide CEQA and permitting advice for development of solar, wind, geothermal,
(916) 447-4781 fax
kristen.castanos@stoel.com
Education

and natural gas energy facilities throughout California.

Provide land use and permitting due diligence opinions for acquisition of major
of Law, J.D., 1998
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thermal, solar and wind energy facilities.

Successfully defended City of Sacramento and former Redevelopment Agency in
CEQA challenge to large-scale, mixed-use redevelopment project at former
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Admissions
California

Provide advice regarding Williamson Act issues related to developing solar
U.S. District Court for the Central,
Eastern and Northern Districts of
projects on agricultural lands throughout the Central Valley, California.
California
Former City Attorney, City of Ione – provided legal advice for all City
departments and operations, including revisions to Municipal Code, update to
Zoning Code, General Plan update, Wastewater Treatment Plant Master Plan
project, subdivisions, and development agreements.

University of California, Davis, B.A.,
International Relations, 1994

Railyards site in downtown Sacramento.

University of California, Davis, School
County of Sacramento v. State Water Resources Control Board (2007) 153
Cal.App.4th 1579 (represented County in challenge to waste discharge
requirements for publicly owned treatment works).
Kristen T. Castaños

Morongo Band of Mission Indians v. State Water Resources Control Board (2007) 62 Cal.Rptr.3d 492 (reversed) (represented
Tribe in Superior Court and appellate proceedings in challenge to water rights revocation procedures).

California Farm Bureau Federation v. California State Water Resources Control Board (2007) 146 Cal.App.4th 1126 (remanded
51 Cal.4th 421) (represented water right holders in challenge to newly imposed water right fees).

California Farm Bureau Federation v. California Wildlife Conservation Board (2006) 143 Cal.App.4th 173 (represented real party
in interest in successful challenge to State's improper use of CEQA exemption for habitat conservation project on Williamson Act
lands).

County of Colusa v. California Wildlife Conservation Board (2006) 145 Cal.App.4th 637 (represented County in successful
recovery of attorneys' fees in CEQA action).

Represent Colusa County in various state and federal proceedings related to development of landfill on Tribal property.

Successfully represented Colusa County in arbitration proceedings to recover fees owed to County pursuant to reimbursement
agreement with developer.

Represent various municipalities in State's imposition of municipal storm water permits. Negotiate permit terms and
enforcement actions with Regional Water Quality Control Board, and represent agencies in lawsuits challenging permit terms.

Represented developer of proposed mixed use development in proceedings before California Delta Protection Commission.

Represented developers of two separate race track facilities regarding permitting requirements, compliance with CEQA and
defense of CEQA lawsuits.
Professional Honors and Activities

Selected by Best Lawyers® as Environmental Law Lawyer of the Year, Sacramento, 2013 and as Water Law Lawyer of the Year,
Sacramento, 2012, 2014

Listed in Best Lawyers in America© (currently: Environmental Law, Water Law), 2009-2016

Listed in Sacramento Magazine's Top Lawyers List (Environmental Law), 2015

Member, Association of Women in Water, Energy and the Environment
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Member, Women of Wind Energy (WoWE), San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego Chapters

Listed in Northern California Super Lawyers® (Environmental Law), 2010-2015
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Executive Committee, California State Bar Environmental Law Section, 2004-2010; Chair 2008-2009; Vice Chair 2007-2008;
Secretary 2006-2007
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Member, Sacramento County Bar Association, Environmental Law Section, 1999-present
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Editor, California Land Use Law and Policy Reporter, 2007-present

Editor, California Water Law and Policy Reporter, 2004-2007
Kristen T. Castaños
Presentations

"The Virtues and Vices of Ballot Box Planning," California Land Use Law & Policy, March 10, 2015

"Issues in Environmental Permitting for Bioenergy Facilities," Bioenergy Association of California and American Bioenergy Council
Webinar, Oct. 15, 2014

"Growing Growing Gone: Energy," McGeorge School of Law Symposium, Sacramento, California, April 11, 2014

"Privilege and the CEQA Administrative Record," Association of Environmental Professionals Annual Conference, Huntington
Beach, California, Mar. 25, 2014

"A View to the Future: Anticipated Legislation and Regulation Impacting Land Use," Land Use Law and Policy Conference,
Sacramento, California, Jan. 10, 2014

"Siting Renewable Facilities on State and Private Lands," Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov. 7-8,
2013

"Planning for California's Distributed Generation Future," APA California Annual Conference, Visalia, California, Oct. 7, 201 3

"Utility-Scale Solar Projects in California - The Keys to Development Permits in Desert Areas and on Farmland," EUEC 2012,
Phoenix, Arizona, Feb. 2012

"CEQA Court Cases and Other Legal Challenges in Wind Development," Women of Wind Energy, San Diego, California, Feb. 2011

Program co-chair, Second Annual Solar Power Project Development Conference, San Diego, California, Nov. 9, 2010

"Understanding and Avoiding Potential Environment Pitfalls," Infocast Solar Power Finance & Investment Summit, Mar. 2010

"The California Water Deal of 2009," Stoel Rives Webinar Series, Nov. and Dec. 2009

"Introduction to CEQA," 2009 Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite, Fish Camp, California, Oct. 16, 2009

"CEQA Update: A Perennial Favorite," 2009 Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite, Fish Camp, California, Oct. 18, 2009

"Roundtable Discussion: Advanced CEQA Litigation Tactics," 2009 Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite, Fish Camp,
California, Oct. 18, 2009

Annual Spring Roundtables, (land use program cochair), State Bar of California Environmental Law Section, June 12 -14, 2009,
June 27-29, 2008, June 9-11, 2006

Sacramento County Environmental Law Section and State Bar of California Environmental Law Section Joint Luncheon (program
co-chair), Sacramento, California, Jan. 29, 2009, Jan. 18, 2008, Jan. 25, 2007, Jan. 19, 2006

"Development in the Delta: The Old Sugar Mill Specific Plan," California Water Law & Policy Conference, San Francisco,
California, June 11-12, 2007
Publications

"Exemptions Topic Paper," reviewer, California Association of Environmental Professionals (California AEP), updated Mar. 23,
2016

"Will Recent Groundwater Law Impact California Development?," North American Windpower, Jan. 2015
Kristen T. Castaños

"Siting Renewable Facilities on State and Private Lands," (coauthor), Renewable Electric Energy Law, Development, and
Investment, Paper 3, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, 2013

"Wind Projects Enter New Permitting Reality: Policies addressing wind development on federal lands may favor the easiest –
rather than the best – projects" (coauthor), North American Windpower, Oct. 2011

"CEQA Realities for Project Developers" (coauthor), The Law Journal 2011 Supplement, Fresno Business Journal, July 29, 2011

"Section 2 - Permitting" Case Study: A Wind Development Project in the State of California (coauthor), Stoel Rives LLP, June
2011 (PDF - available in English and Chinese)

"State Water Resources Control Board Initiates First Step Toward Developing Flow Criteria for the Delta Ecosystem," Stoel Rives
Water Law Alert, Dec. 2009

"The California Water Deal of 2009: An Historic Turning Point," Stoel Rives Water Law Alert, Nov. 2009

"Ailing California Works to Solve Wind Slowdown" (coauthor), North American Windpower, Oct. 2009

"Notice of proposed CEQA regulations on Greenhouse Gas Emissions," Stoel Rives Environmental Law Alert, Aug. 2009

"California Water Rights Fees Overturned," The Water Report, Apr. 15, 2007
Civic Activities
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Board of Directors, Powerhouse Science Center, 2014-present
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Founding Member, Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Sacramento (MAMASacramento)