Opinion: Weakening CEQA will threaten California’s environment and public health
Gov Gavin Newsom proposes reforming CEQA at a solar capacity site in the Central Valley in Image from governor s office video For over years the California Environmental Quality Act has acted as our environmental bill of rights protecting our natural tools and the fitness and safety of our communities CEQA requires California community agencies to publish environmental impact reports before approving projects with serious environmental and population soundness consequences This analysis gives district members basic information about proposed projects and their impacts for example on air poisoning water use fire risks access to population services and more The account process gives local residents the right to voice their concerns ask questions and demand science-based answers And it encourages dialogue so that all stakeholders have a voice and decision-makers cannot blindly prioritize for-profit interests over the common good No area has benefitted more from the high value Californians place on the context than San Diego Its clean air gorgeous beaches rich farmlands rare wildlife and extensive natural reserves are the reason so countless of us choose to live and work here CEQA has been instrumental in protecting these extraordinary support and the business activity that depends on them Now these values are under threat The Trump Administration has made no secret of its plans to eviscerate federal environmental laws and agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Park System At the same time special interest groups are lobbying to weaken CEQA here at home The in recent weeks introduced Senate Bill for example is designed to narrow the scope of CEQA review and to make it easier for new advance from freeways to sprawling housing complexes in wildfire-prone areas to be built without in-depth environmental reviews This ill-conceived bill also exempts a broad class of rezonings from CEQA review With the surroundings under assault at the federal level California must stay true to its environmental values and keep CEQA strong CEQA has been absolutely critical in ensuring good planning in San Diego County In recent days for example a broad coalition of concerned citizens brought an action to enforce CEQA for a sprawling -acre growth in a remote corner of southern San Diego County Otay Ranch Village The court located that the environmental impact assessment had not meaningfully addressed the project s serious wildfire risks and or its destruction of habitat for the endangered Checkerspot butterfly The parties ultimately reached a settlement that would reduce the project s footprint preserve more land for rare and sensitive wildlife and minimize wildfire dangers CEQA has also ensured our governments adopt the future-forward sustainable potency policies Californians want for themselves and their children For example the city of San Diego adopted a Setting Action Plan with ambitious goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions but no effective implementation plan A CEQA action led to a settlement under which the City agreed to make regular reports on its progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions In another CEQA challenge San Diego s regional transportation agency was required to ensure its transportation plan protects inhabitants healthcare and reduces climate-harming greenhouse gas emissions Look around and ask yourself would San Diegans be better off if the administration could approve billion-dollar deals with developers behind closed doors If our open spaces agricultural land and wildlife corridors could be sacrificed with no general process If the environmental consequences of power plants subdivisions and railyards became apparent only after they were built If masses agencies were not required to disclose and reduce air toxins dust noise and water contamination from new projects If the citizens had no information on whether new improvement might impact their water supply in a severe drought The answer to these questions is clearly no CEQA protects every Californian We must stop the relentless attempts of special interest groups and pro-developer lobbyists to chip away at its provisions and our community rights Tell your representatives to reject SB and keep CEQA strong Pam Heatherington heads the Environmental Center of San Diego which promotes healthy natural systems to improve the quality of life and economic vitality of our neighborhood
