Email addressGet the news that matters to all Californians. Start every week informed.Nearly every major environmental group in California opposes a bill that would modify the state’s signature environmental law to speed up upgrades to power lines. Supporters say it would help free the state from fossil fuels and make the grid more reliable, but opponents fear it would damage state parks.
The same rules that helped environmental groups fight development and polluters in the past are now often used to delay energy projects necessary to wean the country – and California – off dirty fossil fuels.Kim Delfino, lobbyist representing Defenders of Wildlife and the California Native Plant Society
If an agency approves a report and moves the project forward, the law allows environmental groups, local organizations and other opponents to then comb through the document looking for flaws that can be used in a lawsuit. Those lawsuits can take years to make their way through the courts. And instead of having other state and local agencies conduct separate CEQA reviews for the entire length of a powerline project, they’d only be obligated to conduct a review for the portion that crosses their jurisdictions. Garcia’s office said that would eliminate up to three years of delays.