Posted by Torey Van Oot : sacbee.com – excerpt
The battle lines are being drawn in the upcoming legislative fight over California’s environmental review laws.
More than a dozen environmental, labor and social justice groups announced Wednesday that they are joining forces to oppose an expected push to overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act.
Members pledged to fight “radical reforms that would limit public input into land use planning, threaten public health, and weaken environmental protections.”
The group, CEQA Works, includes the California League of Conservation Voters, Planning and Conservation League, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club California, the California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, State Building and Construction Trades Council, United Food & Commercial Workers and the League of Women Voters of California…
CEQA is expected to be a hot issue under the dome this year, as Democratic Sen. Michael Rubio, who chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, and a coalition made up mostly of business interests and local governments renew a push to update the law. An effort staged at the end of last session was canned amid pressure from Democratic legislators and environmental groups. This year, Rubio and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg are trying to reach an agreement on changes. The two staged a series of “working group” meetings with stakeholders after last year’s session ended… (more)
