Berryhill Disappointed By CEQA Vote

Sacramento, CA — A CEQA reform bill introduced by Senator Tom Berryhill has gone down in defeat.

The District 14 Republican Senator claims SB 787 would have integrated new environmental planning laws with the CEQA process, which he said would have eliminated duplicative environmental reviews and frivolous lawsuits.

Berryhill was disappointed with the result, and stated, “The legislature is quick to support waiving CEQA when it comes to a stadium for an NFL or NBA team, but silent when it comes to making the process work for the rest of us.”

Berryhill’s Office reports that his legislation was supported by groups like the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

A CEQA reform bill introduced by Democratic Senate Leader Darell Steinberg, SB 731, unanimously passed through a Senate committee this week. If approved, it will streamline CEQA requirements for clean energy projects, create statewide standardized thresholds related to traffic and noise for infill projects, and create some grants and CEQA exemptions for projects that utilize the “smart growth” philosophy.