California Environmental Quality Act faces major overhaul

Two proposals advancing rapidly through the California Legislature represent the most profound changes to the California Environmental Quality Act in generations, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

One would exempt most urban housing developments from the law, and the other would weaken the rules for most other types of construction. The legislative action is driven by national criticism that the state can no longer build sufficient housing and public infrastructure.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has endorsed the bills and put them on a fast track to approval by proposing their passage as part of the state budget, which bypasses normal committee hearings. That action means they could become law within weeks.

The 55-year-old Act requires proponents to disclose and, if possible, lessen the environmental effects of a project. In practice, this has led to large volumes of environmental impact reports, including for soil testing and traffic modeling studies. It has sometimes led to years of disputes in court over project proposals.