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ARTICLE · 14 OCTOBER 2011

California Environmental Quality Act Revised To Encourage Solarn And Infill Projects

Perkins Coie LLP
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Senate Bill 226, recently signed by California Governor Jerry Brown, comprises an assortment of measures intended to expedite sustainable solar and infill development and promote jobs in the construction industry, primarily through revisions to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

United StatesEnvironment
Julie Jones
Julie Jones
Cecily Barclay
Cecily Barclay
Marie Cooper
Marie Cooper
Matthew Gray
Matthew Gray
Stephen Kostka
Stephen Kostka
Geoffrey Robinson
Geoffrey Robinson
Barbara Schussman
Barbara Schussman

Senate Bill 226, recently signed by California Governor Jerry Brown, comprises an assortment of measures intended to expedite sustainable solar and infill development and promote jobs in the construction industry, primarily through revisions to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Solar Energy System Installation on Roofs and Parking Lots. SB 226 creates a statutory exemption from CEQA for installation of a solar energy system on the roof of an existing building or at an existing parking lot, if:

  • Any necessary "associated equipment" (which cannot include a substation) is onsite or adjacent to the parcel; occupies no more than 500 square feet; does not require an individual Clean Water Act, Porter-Cologne Act, or federal or state Endangered Species Act permit or a streambed alteration agreement; and is not on a site containing plants protected by the Native Plant Protection Act; and

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