[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Allayaud
State Director, Sierra Club California

For a number of years, the California Building Industry Association (CBIA) has roamed the halls of the Capitol, shouting “Housing Crisis, Housing Crisis.” This was part of their well-planning campaign to weaken California’s environmental protection and planning laws. Of course, with the median house price in California going through the roof, it was easy to get the attention of legislators who were well aware that more and more of their constituents were being priced out of the housing market.

And because of this valid concern, the developers saw their opportunity. They introduced a series of bills to solve the “housing crisis” by blaming the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the “red tape” a builder had to go through to get new housing approved.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

Listening carefully to what Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez and Assembly Republican Minority Leader Villines have said and reading between the lines, it appears that a budget deal may be hashed out today that will not make major changes to the version passed out by the Assembly a month ago. But making any definitive statements about what exactly is being proposed and how it will fare in both houses is fraught with difficulties.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Legislation Being Held up by State Budget Hostage Taking

By Gary A. Patton
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

Welcome to day fifty-oneof the state budget stand-off. More press conferences have been held, names have been called, and battles of rhetoric have been waged in the newspapers. Amongst all the press flurry, PCL last week participated in one particularly fiery press conference to keep the fire on the Senate Republicans who are continuing to hold the budget hostage. The gang of fourteen Senate Republicans to insist that the Legislature carves an “ostrich exemption” out of the California Environmental Quality Act to allow builders to overlook the potential global warming pollution that projects built over the next five years will generate.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

There is an overarching lesson to be learned from the attempt by Republican California State Senators to change California's basic environmental law and using the leverage of a state budget stalemate they are causing to do so.

On the surface, these Senators are trying to link it to the budget--California's laundry list appropriating money for the various activities of state government. They say that changes in a 1970 law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) are needed to spend bond money for construction of transportation projects and other items the voters approved money for in last year's bond measures. There is ample reason to dispute this contention, and we've had articles on these pages that refute this claim.

But, if you probe just a bit deeper, you see that there is a much larger picture: Large developers want to build massive housing projects and to be able to do these unfettered by complying with California law and to have the lawyer we have elected, Attorney General Jerry Brown, be able to enforce the law through the courts.

But this ploy goes even deeper and involves disrespect for the basic rule of law and our system of government. It goes beyond Jerry Brown and the particulars of the moment.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Senate Floor Memo

To: All Members of the California State Senate
From: The Planning and Conservation League
RE: Reject Republican Caucus Budget Proposals on CEQA
Date: July 27, 2007

A recently- released State Senate Republican Caucus memorandum claims that “California’s need for vital infrastructure” is being threatened by the Attorney General’s efforts to use the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to help address the global warming crisis. This is not true. Implementing the current Republican Caucus proposal would be an attack not only on the Attorney General, but on California’s most powerful environmental law – and would fundamentally cripple the state’s efforts to address global warming.

There is no need to “amend” CEQA. Nothing in CEQA is going to prevent infrastructure and other projects from proceeding. This is just hysteria – and, again, it’s UNTRUE!

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Kassie R. Siegel
Director
Climate, Air, and Energy Program
Center for Biological Diversity

Let’s be clear about the California Environmental Quality Act and global warming.

As our state’s flagship environmental law, CEQA requires all state and local agencies to assess, and then to reduce, to the extent feasible, all significant environmental impacts from new projects. Greenhouse gas emissions are among the most important impacts that CEQA addresses, and thus the law provides an ideal opportunity as well as a legal mandate for cities, counties, and other agencies to consider the greenhouse gas emissions from new projects they approve and then to adopt measures to reduce those emissions. The CEQA environmental review process is not about stopping projects, but about improving them. This process is established across the state and has a long, proven record of success. The CEQA is a key component of the suite of laws and policies already on the books to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our state.