CEQA Streamlining In California: Geography And Addressing Climate Change Can Help

As environmental regulations continue to evolve in California, cities, counties and other public agencies have an opportunity to streamline environmental review for key infrastructure, transit and other projects. Although recent court decisions may bring changes to the guidelines that must be followed when bringing a project in line with the California Environmental Quality Act, the state’s overarching environmental law known widely as CEQA gives public agencies options that may simplify the approval process for their proposed projects.

Another law, firmly entrenched in California and already tested with the voters when a 2010 proposition aimed at delaying its implementation failed, requires that public agencies reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. That goal can be used to a public agency’s advantage: Cities and counties can integrate greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts into their general plans by adopting climate action plans. Other public agencies can integrate