The Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission today released the Draft Environmental Impact Report on their “Plan Bay Area,” a long-range regional planning document proposed to better align future land use planning with the Bay Area’s transportation infrastructure. Plan Bay Area implements SB 375, which was enacted in 2008 and requires… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Climate Change
Subscribe to Climate Change RSS FeedNew Significance Standard for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Is Not New Information Triggering Supplemental CEQA Review
Posted in CEQA, Climate Change, Land UseThe court of appeal opinion issued today in Concerned Dublin Citizens clearly answers three CEQA questions which haven’t been directly addressed in other published opinions: the proper interpretation of the statutory exemption for housing projects that are consistent with a specific plan; how the CEQA guideline on further review following a program EIR should be… Continue Reading
Water Supply Agreement for Casino Fails CEQA and LAFCO Tests
Posted in CEQA, Climate Change, Water SupplyIn a case packed with hot-button issues — CEQA exemptions, water supply impacts, climate change, LAFCO regulation of land uses, and preemption of state law on tribal lands — a court of appeal has ruled that the El Dorado Irrigation District erred in approving an agreement to supply water to a tribal casino. Background. In… Continue Reading
Ninth Circuit Dismisses Federal Nuisance Claim Based on Global Warming
Posted in Climate ChangeThe City of Kivalina sits on the tip of a six-mile barrier reef on the northwest coast of Alaska, about 70 miles north of the Arctic Circle. For decades, the city has experienced serious erosion problems from waves and sea storms. In recent years, the problems have gotten worse, threatening to destroy city buildings and… Continue Reading
California Court of Appeal Upholds Statewide Climate Change Scoping Plan
Posted in Climate Change, Environmental RegulationThe court of appeal in San Francisco has upheld the Climate Change Scoping Plan adopted by the Air Resources Board in December 2008. In its June 19th decision in Association of Irritated Residents v. California Air Resources Board, the court rejected claims by environmental groups that the Plan violated the Global Warming Solutions Act of… Continue Reading
Plan Bay Area: The Regional Plan for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions – The EIR is Underway
Posted in CEQA, Climate Change, Planning and ZoningThe Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the transportation planning agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, and the Association of Bay Area Governments have announced that they are going to prepare an Environmental Impact Report to evaluate the agencies’ proposed plan to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light duty trucks. On June 11, the… Continue Reading
Appendix G of CEQA Guidelines Cannot Require Analysis of Effects of Environment on Project
Posted in CEQA, Climate ChangeProvisions of Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines that purport to require analysis of the effects of environmental hazards on a proposed project have been declared invalid by California’s Second District Court of Appeal. The court held that such impacts are not encompassed by CEQA, rejecting a claim that an Environmental Impact Report was required to evaluate the impacts of potential… Continue Reading
New Title 24 Efficiency Standards Adopted
Posted in Climate Change, Environmental RegulationOn May 31, the California Energy Commission (CEC) unanimously adopted new Title 24 energy efficiency standards for residential and commercial buildings. A summary of the new standards appears on the League of California Cities website. The standards take effect on Jan. 1, 2014.