A longstanding debate about housing development versus environmental impact has been settled at the state level with the California Envirionmental Quality Act being struck down. As Calmatters put it, “that’s a big deal.” 

Basically, this makes it easier for developers to construct buildings without having to publicly state exactly how it will impact traffic, pollution, noise, or the environment otherwise. It’s a big win for housing advocates, removing an act that allowed lack of development to be overlooked due to environmental concerns.

But isn’t the environment important?

Yes! Of course the environment is important. No one is contesting that. But the removal of CEQA only means that there is no legal obligation to publicly disclose how a building impacts its environment to permit its development. This means developers no longer need to extensively study an area, analyze patterns, and draw up tentative conclusions about environmental impacts that are extremly hard to get right.

Ultimately, the removal of CEQA means that developers no longer have to worry about lawsuits after their best guesses at a building’s environmental impact are incorrect. This takes away a key element of risk when developing new housing, especially larger apartment buildings.

To conclude

California needs more housing. I think I’ve made that clear in previous blogs, but I’m going to say it again because it’s true and it’s something regular people need to know more about. At first glance, CEQA’s removal might look like a hit against environmental activism movements. But when you read the finer print, it really just makes it easier for people living in this state to construct housing. And to me, that’s more important.