An editorial published this weekend by the Los Angeles Daily News asks why California lost the Tesla battery factory to Nevada, and concludes that one of the reasons is the California Environmental Quality Act.
While acknowledging the noble purpose of CEQA, the editorial laments that “too often, though, it is exploited by local governments, landowners, business rivals and labor unions to block projects they dislike or to add to their negotiating leverage.” It calls for across-the-board CEQA reform that “would not eliminate environmental protections but would simplify and remove duplications, restrict last-minute challenges and clarify its requirements.” Real reform would avoid the need for single-project exemptions, like the one that had been proposed for Tesla, and the one that was granted to the new Kings area in Sacramento.