CEQA Reform May Solve California's Ethical Dilemma

Following a slew of "frivolous lawsuits" filed in the name of CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, Deukmejian, Wilson and Gray have posed a "unique challenge" to the leaders and citizens of California: protect the state's integrity while balancing its dual defining characteristics -- being "green" and "golden."

In an op-ed for the San Diego Union-Tribune, the former governors write: "Adopted in 1970, CEQA provides a process for government to evaluate and mitigate adverse environmental impacts from projects and programs. While CEQA's original intent must remain intact, now is the time to end reckless abuses of this important law; abuses that are threatening California's economic vitality, costing jobs, and are wasting valuable taxpayer dollars."

"Ending these abuses means modernizing CEQA with smart reforms such as requiring petitioners to disclose their economic interests, adding certainty to the CEQA timeline, avoiding duplicative CEQA reviews, lessening opportunities for litigation and delay and updating CEQA so that it better integrates and coordinates numerous environmental protection mandates."