CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT Is California’s Environment Safe?
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT Is California’s Environment Safe?
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Issue Date
1977
Authors
McMurray, Julann
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Abstract
Passed in 1970, the California Environmental Quality Act is considered the most important environmental act ever passed in California’s history. It is the basis for all planning in California, it requires the determination of the impact on the environment a specific project will have and calls for evaluation of the long-term effects on the environment.
Even with this, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) still carries with it much negativity. CEQA allows each region, 517 in all, to establish their own environmental threshold limits. CEQA requires a lengthy, and many times unfocused environmental impact report be completed if a project is thought to have a negative environmental impact.
This report will look at the inconsistencies of CEQA, but will mainly be focusing on the effectiveness of CEQA for the future of California’s natural resources. Does the California Environmental Quality Act actually consider the long-term effect on projects, or is it more concerned with the site specific projects? Is the California Environmental Quality Act going to be able to carry California into the 21st Century allowing us to conserve our natural resources, or is the California Environmental Quality Act only concerned with the projects that are currently in the process? Not only does CEQA seem to ignore the long-term effect of environment planning, it also allows too much room for inconsistent planning in California. Allowing each region to set their own threshold has led to many unhappy regions in California. Many are extremely concerned with how California will stand in the next century with protecting its resources and being able to provide for its growing populations, while others could care less.
The California Environmental Quality Act is in serious need of a reform, which can prove to be extremely lengthy and almost impossible. While there are issues with CEQA that need to be addressed, we, as a society must determine how we can make a difference. Californian’s need to be educated, and need to know what is going on. The California Environmental Quality Act is not adequate enough at this point to provide for our grandchildren what we have so selfishly enjoyed.