MOST PEOPLE would agree that if a school, hospital or road
project has been subjected to extensive environmental review and
met all federal, state and local environmental laws, including
the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean
Air Act, the project should go forward without being sued for
purported environmental reasons. Unfortunately, these projects
are being delayed and face increased costs or killed altogether
because of abusive litigation that has nothing to do with the
environment. For 40 years, the California Environmental Quality
Act has served as a vital tool to protect our environment by
ensuring that all development projects undergo a rigorous
environmental review and that impacts on the environment are
mitigated. CEQA needs to be modernized to ensure it is working
in tandem with other environmental laws and regulations. North
Bay Leadership Council is part of a coalition representing
business, labor, schools, hospitals, clean tech, transit,
affordable housing and other groups t