What the California Environmental Quality Act Requires

Super Lawyers Magazine (November 3, 2020) Environmental protection laws are important. They help ensure that our air and water are kept clean and our fragile ecosystem is sustained. At the same time, state and federal laws can pose significant burdens on property owners and developers. Indeed, California has some of the most arduous and comprehensive environmental rules in the entire country. Your real estate project may be affected by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). “CEQA, which has been around for 50 years, applies to any discretionary approval that a project may need,” says David Blackwell, a land use and zoning attorney in San Francisco. “Pretty much any development project in California is going to require a discretionary approval from the city or the county where the project is located. And because of that, then that triggers CEQA review.” Originally signed into law by then Governor Ronald Reagan in the early 1970s, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) became law shortly after federal legislators enacted the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Here are some key things that all property owners and real estate developers should know about the California Environmental Quality Act. Read More