Portantino Bill Streamlining CEQA Process Passes Senate Environmental Quality Committee
For Immediate Release: April 19, 2023
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
Portantino Bill Streamlining CEQA Process Passes Senate Environmental Quality Committee
Sacramento, California – Today, Senate Bill 422, authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank), passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. SB 422 would expedite the review process for the construction of infrastructure projects to help California meet its climate goals.
“SB 422 helps facilitate the construction of climate-friendly infrastructure and simplifies the CEQA process,” stated Senator Portantino. “Administrative delays often get in the way of important needs, which is counterproductive to reducing emissions and meeting our state’s climate goals. Expediting the construction of environmentally sound projects makes sense and creates thousands of middle class jobs.”
SB 32 (2013) and AB 1279 (2022) increased California’s climate goals to include a 40% reduction below 1990 levels of GHG emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2045. The 2022 Scoping Plan developed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) outlines the state’s strategy towards achieving its climate goals and requires the implementation of a broad range of GHG reduction strategies and infrastructure related projects, which can be weighed down by administrative delays throughout the environmental review process.
SB 422 will clarify and streamline the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process by expanding the range of projects that qualify for a focused environmental impact report.
“We applaud Senator Portantino for moving this important legislation to speed up project review while maintaining strong labor protections. The State Building and Construction Trades Council is proud to support this kind of common-sense reform and move the state forward on climate-oriented projects,” stated Andrew J. Meredith, President of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California.
“Meeting California’s environmental goals requires a transformation of our infrastructure systems. The challenges include: maintaining important environmental reviews while improving project certainty and timelines, leveraging funding, and continuing to grow a skilled workforce. SB 422 is an important step in addressing these challenges,” stated Tim Carmichael, President and CEO of the California Council for Environmental And Economic Balance.
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