Publications

CEQA Warms to Climate Change: Analysis of Greenhouse Gases Now Required

August 28, 2007

By Paul Hastings Professional

On August 21, 2007, the California Legislature and California Attorney General Brown announced separate but related developments that promise to elevate consideration of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change to the forefront of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental review documents. Attorney General Brown certainly intended this result; whether the Legislature intended for this to happen is less clear. In any event, the business community must make sure that local and state agencies in California that evaluate their projects pursuant to CEQA consider GHG emissions and the broader subject of climate change in order to reduce, or possibly prevent, unnecessary litigation and project delays.