Governor seeks to terminate environmental restrictions

January 14, 2010

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants 100 major construction projects across the state exempted from California environmental laws. [Capitol Weekly]

The plan, already coming under heavy attack, would block the power of the courts to review 25 projects each year, from 2011 through 2014, giving final approval power to the governor.

Supporters of the plan see the exemptions as a means of expediting construction, creating jobs, and boosting the states struggling economy. The proposal gives final authority to the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, whose director is a member of the governor’s cabinet.

There are no indications of specific projects being identified at this point, though Governor Schwarzenegger already signed a bill last year, streamlining regulations to build a new NFL stadium in the City of Industry.

Environmentalists claim that the governor’s plan would weaken critical environmental safeguards.


Loading...
4 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

In our formerly-robust economy, the people that build things and create things found that they could make a profitable project and pay homage to the shoulderband snail, or whatever enviro-darling of the moment.


Now that things are tighter, the people that build things and create things are finding there isn’t margin to throw a bone to every environmental cause that comes a-beggin’.


Either way, the No-Builds have won. Can’t afford to pay their greenmail, which means no projects which means they have won by default.


Seems risky to give that much power to one man, on the other hand, many projects are slowed by unnecessary delays brought on by over burned employees of many a state agency, this eliminating of red tape, in this near state of emergency, might just help, referring to the article,”Supporters of the plan see the exemptions as a means of expediting construction, creating jobs, and boosting the states struggling economy.”, many people and myself feel over government is what’s sucking the life out of this country, this state elected the terminator, I guess this state will have to trust him to do his best and hope for the best. Something has to give.


Haiti and Somalia, a free market libertarian paradise in action.


It does make us wonder when the countries with the smallest carbon footprint are Somalia and Haiti … I don’t think we need to go there.