CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS

March 2009

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California Continues Efforts to Integrate Greenhouse Gas/Climate Change Analysis into the State’s Mini-NEPA

In 2009, California continues its struggle to determine how the state’s mini-NEPA can best address a project’s contribution to the global impact of climate change. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), along with California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), have been the two statutory catalysts for greenhouse gas emission reductions in California. Over the last three years, stakeholders from various perspectives have applied the two statutory schemes, relying upon one statute to bolster, or diminish, the regulatory capacity of the other. Most recently, California Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepted public comments on “Preliminary Draft CEQA Guidelines Amendments for Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” The comments demonstrate the diversity of perspectives as to how a mini-NEPA can best be adapted to address a cumulative and global impact such as climate change.