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CEQA, GLOBAL WARMING, REPUBLICANS AND THE STATE BUDGET
By Gary A. Patton
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League
The State Senate ALMOST passed a budget last night. Republican State Senator Abel Maldonado voted “yes,” along with all the Democratic Party Senators. One more Republican vote would have put the budget over the top. However, that “one more vote” was lacking.
Does anybody really know WHY Republican Senators (Mr. Maldonado now excepted) are willing to shut down child care centers and otherwise bring state and local government to a halt? Along with a handful of other environmental advocates I was at the State Capitol last night, and here’s what we found out:
Senate Republicans have been holding up the budget because they want the Legislature to amend the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), to eliminate any consideration of global warming impacts during the normal environmental review process. No Democratic Senators have been willing to do that, and this has apparently been a real “deal breaker” for the Republican Senators. Amazing as it may seem, since CEQA has nothing to do with the budget, Republican members of the State Senate (Mr. Maldonado now excepted) are refusing to vote for the budget unless CEQA is gutted, with respect to global warming.
This demand is not only outrageous because it puts young kids and poor people in jeopardy; it’s outrageous on its own terms. CEQA simply requires that if a project would contribute to future global warming, the environmental review must analyze how those global warming impacts could be avoided or minimized. If there is a “feasible” way to minimize or avoid such impacts, then CEQA requires that the project be modified to do that. “Feasible” means “economically feasible,” so what CEQA requires is that we actually do whatever we feasibly and economically can to reduce global warming impacts.
Most of us think that’s good! Republican State Senators, however (Senator Maldonado now excepted), apparently think that making project applicants implement feasible mitigation measures is bad. In fact, they are willing to torpedo the entire state budget because the Democrats in the State Senate won’t eviscerate California’s most powerful environmental law, to give global warming polluters a free ride.
Our thanks to Senate Democrats and the President pro Tem of the Senate for not caving in to the illegitimate and disgraceful demand that the price of getting a budget is to violate the integrity of CEQA, and to shortchange efforts to stop global warming pollution.
Our thanks also to those of you who put in calls on this issue. It made a difference!
Gary Patton is the Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League, a statewide, nonprofit lobbying organization. For more than thirty years, PCL has fought to develop a body of environmental laws in California that is the best in the United States. PCL staff review virtually every environmental bill that comes before the California Legislature each year. It has testified in support or opposition of thousands of bills to strengthen California's environmental laws and fight off rollbacks of environmental protections.
Comments
I totally agree with Republicans, CEQA hurts our state(businesses) and it should go away. This state has been turned over to ennvironmentalist and it's time to take it back
Posted by: Dmitriy at August 2, 2007 05:59 AM
CEQA does not hurt businesses. It creates jobs, hence Fortune Magazine named Environmental Engineering as the fastest growing professional job field. It is a shame that the republicans are holding up the budget over sound responsible environmental regulation.
Posted by: Nathaniel Allen at August 2, 2007 11:32 AM
Reply to Nathaniel Allen,
While maybe position of Environmental Engineering is growing the policy of CEQA and how it's being applied now is hurting business. It's costing more and more to build something. Screw sound responsible environmental regulations
Posted by: Dmitriy at August 2, 2007 01:54 PM
To Dmitriy,
GDP has gone up 2.8% from 2000 to 2006 (CCSCE); it appears CA businesses are doing just fine under CEQA regulations. Maybe you should hire some environmental professionals to help you with your CEQA problems...
Posted by: Nathaniel Allen at August 2, 2007 05:39 PM
Reply to Nathaniel Allen,
Recently state attorney general started suing cities, claiming they are violating CEQA. If it was not for lawsuit, it would not ben issue
Posted by: Dmitriy at August 2, 2007 05:55 PM
Dmitriy's claims are absurd on their face. CEQA has been around since the early 1970s. California has grown dramatically since then and has had significant periods of economic expansion in those 35 years. California's economic ups and downs are linked to national trends, and have not been caused in any way, shape, or form by CEQA.
Posted by: Robert in Monterey at August 3, 2007 07:31 AM
It's the Republican way...wreck the whole world if you have to, to get your own way. That is what has happened with the war too. For god's sake, don't listen to public outcry after all they only CALL us "public servants.
Posted by: Jim De Shon at August 3, 2007 07:51 AM
It's the Republican way...wreck the whole world if you have to, to get your own way. That is what has happened with the war too. For god's sake, don't listen to public outcry after all they only CALL us "public servants".
Posted by: Jim De Shon at August 3, 2007 07:52 AM
It's the Republican way...wreck the whole world if you have to, to get your own way. That is what has happened with the war too. For god's sake, don't listen to public outcry after all they only CALL us "public servants".
Posted by: Tim Jones at August 3, 2007 07:53 AM
Republicans should be ashamed of holding up the budget for non fiscal issues especially since the Governator agreed to their demands of blue-lining $700 million from the budget. Keep it up, Republicans, you are setting a great stage for next rounds of elections when we will turn you out.
Posted by: Educator at August 3, 2007 10:56 AM
The trouble is, after 4 to 8 years people will forget what "political terrorists" these clowns are and will vote them back into office and the whole mess starts over again !
Posted by: Engineer Bill at August 3, 2007 02:31 PM
Reply to Educator,
Keep dreaming, those of us that vote for Republicans and give them donation will vote for them again. They are doing exactly, what they were elected to do.
Posted by: Dmitriy at August 3, 2007 07:34 PM
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