"If the Chamber and its supporters collect 546,000 valid signatures by next spring, as expected, the Building an Affordable California Act would impose a 365-day limit on environmental reviews for a wide range of projects, including new reservoirs, desalination plants, forest thinning to reduce wildfire risk, apartments, housing subdivisions, senior housing, student housing, roads, bridges, public transit, hospitals, medical centers, broadband internet, solar farms, wind farms and battery storage facilities."
"It would also require courts to rule within 270 days when CEQA lawsuits are filed challenging those projects. For decades, oversight has too often been co-opted by obstruction, threatening the common good, said Jennifer Barrera, president and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, in a statement. Modernizing that law won't just ease California's affordability crisis and boost our economy, she said. It will prove the naysayers wrong about our state."
The California Chamber of Commerce filed paperwork for the Building an Affordable California Act, seeking 546,000 valid signatures to place the measure on next November's ballot. The measure would impose a 365-day limit on environmental reviews and require courts to rule within 270 days on related CEQA lawsuits. Covered projects would include reservoirs, desalination, forest thinning, housing, roads, transit, hospitals, broadband, and various clean energy facilities. Supporters argue the changes will cut red tape, lower housing and energy costs, and boost the economy. The proposal is expected to trigger a multimillion-dollar political fight with business groups, local governments, labor and environmental opponents.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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