SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In May, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a plan to overhaul the state's environmental permitting process known as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The environmental regulations can delay projects by years, and they are often taken advantage of.
The governor's plan will streamline clean energy, water storage, transportation and infrastructure projects by limiting how long a project can be under review or litigated for.
"We've proven we can get it done for stadiums, so why the hell can't we translate that to all these other projects?” Newsom said in May.
Newsom announced the plan at a NextEra Energy Resources site outside of Patterson. It's a project to store renewable energy in batteries, and the vice president Jim Shandalov said it first started in 2011. They have sites like that one in 20 counties around the state that he said would benefit from the governor’s new proposed reforms to fast track permits and cap how long a project can be under litigation or review.
However, housing isn't included. Political Reporter Morgan Rynor asked why it wasn't included at the press conference in May.
"We feel like we've made tremendous progress in this space," said Newsom. "We also have many bills that are currently pending in the legislature, which I encourage you to take a look at, that are currently, now, well along the process that I look forward to signing."
The governor’s office clarified that the bill Newsom was referring to is from state Senator Scott Wiener, which extends a previous law that streamlines housing permits in areas that are underperforming in their housing targets.
For Republicans, that's not good enough.
"I think it's great that he (Newsom) recognizes the need to streamline some things and do CEQA exemptions," said Assemblymember Joe Patterson, "However, not including housing is crazy."
Patterson is the vice chair of the Assembly Housing Committee. He said when the budget trailer bills come up for a vote on the floor, he plans on trying to add an amendment to include both housing and wildfire prevention exemptions.
"That has been one of the largest causes of pollution in this state for the last several years. Wildfires are growing," he said. "We have property owners that want to clear and thin their forests, and their backlogged by needing CEQA exemptions."
Top lawmakers and the governor already came to an agreement on the budget, which includes the permitting plan, and Democrats hold a supermajority in the legislature. Patterson knows trying to force a vote is an uphill battle.
"I think just raising the awareness in the building is something that everybody takes very seriously," said Patterson. "So even if these aren't successful, when the amendments are presented, I think this is a conversation that is going to keep going, and I think we have to force the issue on the floor... because we need the public to see that we're trying to address this issue."
Patterson is expecting the bills to be heard during floor session on Monday, but he is drafting the amendments to be ready for this Thursday session as well.
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