Will Brieger Fights for Science-Based Climate Solutions With Environmental Lawyer's Expertise

When Will Brieger researched and drafted the complaint in the nation's first climate lawsuit more than a quarter century ago, he learned enough about global warming to permanently alter his career trajectory. The case exposed him to a troubling truth: humanity already knows how to solve the climate crisis. What remains is enacting the legal and economic policies to actually do it.

"The warming planet, and knowing that we already know how to solve the problem, clarified for me that what remains is simply enacting legal and economic policies that will get us there," Brieger explained during a recent interview about his career.

That realization launched Brieger on a journey through all three branches of California government, from enforcing environmental laws under Governor Pete Wilson to specializing in air quality and climate law under three Attorneys General to serving at California's lead climate agency.

Today, as advocate for Climate Action California and 350 Sacramento at the California Legislature and agencies, the UC Davis School of Law graduate brings decades of experience in environmental prosecution, regulatory enforcement and legislative advocacy to bear on what he calls "practical laws and programs that mitigate harms from global heating or facilitate decarbonizing our economy."

For Brieger, whose grandmothers devoted significant time as volunteers to protect the environment and democracy respectively, public service was never optional. His mother was passionate about the outdoors, civil rights and social justice. She and several generations before her served the United States as naval officers since before the Civil War.

"Public service was a given for me, as well as my brother and sister," Brieger shared.

The intellectual and sometimes competitive nature of legal work suited him well. But it was the role lawyers played in the civil rights movement that truly inspired him as he grew up. His career as an environmental prosecutor eventually exposed him to the legislative process, which had always fascinated him. Now, advocating for good climate policy at the California Legislature draws on all of his experience, skills and passion.

Building Credibility Through Three Branches of Government

Will Brieger's career trajectory reads like a masterclass in environmental law and policy.

After graduating from Amherst College and UC Davis School of Law, he clerked for the Honorable Caroline Glassman, Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine. He practiced civil litigation and appeals in the labor law group at Lillick & Charles in San Francisco, where he worked on wind energy arbitration, providing an early glimpse of his future focus on energy policy.

In 1992, Brieger joined the Sacramento District Attorney's Office as a Deputy District Attorney handling criminal jury trials. The following year he moved to the California Department of Justice as a Deputy Attorney General, where he would spend 17 years conducting civil and criminal litigation representing the People in environmental enforcement matters involving air quality, water quality and hazardous waste.

During this tenure, Brieger represented state environmental agencies and conducted independent investigations on behalf of the Attorney General. He spent two years as a Legislative Advocate for Attorney General Bill Lockyer, gaining invaluable insight into how policy is actually made in Sacramento.

Between 1995 and 1996, Brieger served as Acting General Counsel and Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement at the California Environmental Protection Agency, a cabinet level position with responsibility to oversee environmental law enforcement statewide. The role gave him a comprehensive view of how California's various environmental agencies coordinate and enforce regulations.

In 2010, Brieger joined the California Air Resources Board as Senior Attorney, where he spent nine years responsible for enforcing California's climate and air quality regulations. He advised on regulatory drafting and implementation and worked closely with the Low Carbon Fuel Standard program, one of the state's most ambitious climate initiatives designed to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels.

"It's fun to bring to bear the experience I gained working in all three branches of government," Brieger said of his current advocacy work. "I enforced environmental laws for Governor Pete Wilson before specializing in air quality and climate law under three Attorneys General and California's lead climate agency."

From Enforcement to Entrepreneurship to Advocacy

In 2019, Brieger co-founded Pacific Fleet Charging LLC, a small business working on electric vehicle fleet charging solutions. The venture, which operated until 2021, provided turnkey solutions to electrify truck and bus fleets, giving Brieger hands-on experience with the practical challenges of implementing the clean transportation policies he had helped shape and enforce.

The experience reinforced what he had learned throughout his career: good policy requires understanding both the regulatory framework and the real world implementation challenges businesses face. It is a perspective he now brings to his advocacy work with Climate Action California and 350 Sacramento.

Since January 2020, Brieger has worked for these two climate focused groups, which he describes as "effective at developing and advocating pragmatic solutions." Climate Action California is an active community of individuals, organizations and groups working together to promote science based climate solutions. The organization engages at every level of government, local, regional, state and federal, advancing science based climate policy to speed the transition to what it calls "a just, equitable low carbon economy and a healthy planet."

What distinguishes Climate Action California from many environmental and climate organizations is its volunteer driven model. While many partner organizations pay staff to support their positions and implement their policies, Climate Action California's two dedicated staffers support the volunteers, who are the organization's public face and do the work that builds its credibility and reputation.

"Our standards are high, our work is professional, and it's all thanks to our inspiringly wonderful community of dedicated climate activists," the organization noted.

Brieger's role involves pressing for practical laws and programs that mitigate harms from global heating or facilitate decarbonizing California's economy. His theory of change depends on strong, mutually respectful relationships with legislators and regulators as he advocates for bold and effective action.

Integrity, Service and the Long View

When asked about his personal and professional values, Brieger's answer is succinct: "My personal and professional values are 100% aligned. Integrity and service."

Those values extend beyond his climate work. For more than a decade, Brieger has empowered youth through the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. He has served on several nonprofit boards in education, environment and youth sports organizations. He defines success not by personal achievement but by "helping others achieve."

When asked about stress management and work life balance, Brieger emphasizes "carving out time for loved ones and outdoor exercise, preferably on or in the water." His greatest source of pride is not his impressive legal career but "raising three thoughtful children who contribute to society and gave me incredible grandchildren."

The advice he would give his younger self reflects a hard won confidence: "Be more confident. I belong at the front of the pack."

Brieger points to a legion of entrepreneurs and investors, like Jigar Shah, who have steered their businesses and careers in directions that serve the world as his greatest inspirations. These are leaders who recognize that business success and planetary health are not competing interests but complementary goals that require creative legal and policy frameworks to achieve.

After more than three decades working on environmental law and climate policy, Brieger remains motivated by the same realization that redirected his career after that first climate lawsuit. We know how to solve this problem. What remains is the work of enacting the policies that will get us there, building the political will to implement them and holding institutions accountable when they fall short.

It is work that demands the kind of patience, persistence and institutional knowledge that comes from spending a career moving between courtroom, regulatory agency and legislative halls. It requires understanding how laws are made, how they are enforced and how they can be improved. Most of all, it requires the kind of integrity and commitment to public service that Brieger inherited from generations of family members who devoted their lives to protecting democracy, the environment and the public good.

As Climate Action California continues pressing for science-based solutions at every level of government, Brieger's decades of experience in all three branches provide both credibility and clarity about what it takes to turn knowledge into action. The tools exist. The science is clear. What remains, as he learned a quarter century ago, is simply doing the work.

"The warming planet, and knowing that we already know how to solve the problem, clarified for me that what remains is simply enacting legal and economic policies that will get us there," Brieger explained. "Advocating for good climate policy at a legislature draws on all of my experience, skills and passion."