Lawmakers Urged Against Bill to Undermine California Environmental Quality Act

In a letter sent today, the groups urged legislators to oppose Senate Bill 607, which would make it easier for developers to avoid or narrow environmental review for a host of projects. That could include shipping terminals, mining operations, commercial development, sewage plants, dams and other projects planned in wildfire zones and wildlife habitat.

“Environmental review is often dismissed as bureaucratic, but in reality it provides public accountability and transparency in how development moves forward,” said J.P. Rose, urban wildlands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The bill won’t lead to a focused CEQA, but it will tip the scales in favor of developer interests and rob vulnerable communities of a voice in the decision-making process.”

For decades the California Environmental Quality Act has required a thorough review for projects that have the potential to pose environmental harm. S.B. 607, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), would allow more projects to bypass or limit environmental review even if there is evidence that the project would have serious consequences.

“At a time when environmental regulation is under attack, the last thing California communities need is to weaken state laws in place to protect them,” said Asha Sharma, state policy manager at Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability. “Impacts from projects should not be first discovered when the water people drink, the air they breathe, and the streets they live on become unsafe — environmental reviews are in place for good reason. S.B. 607 would significantly weaken communities’ rights to a safe and healthy environment.”

“CEQA is one of the most essential tools environmental justice communities have to safeguard their neighborhoods,” said Grecia Orozco, staff attorney at Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment. “This recent push to fast-track projects by undermining CEQA's protections poses a grave danger, threatening to leave communities uninformed and vulnerable. Lawmakers who endorse this harmful bill should clarify to their constituents how it will affect the health and safety of their communities.”

Today’s letter notes that CEQA requires the environmental review to be publicized, allowing communities to learn about proposed projects and weigh in during the decision-making process. Under S.B. 607, more land-use decisions would be made away from public scrutiny, eliminating the CEQA requirement that advances environmental justice.

“We may need to find ways to build the things we need faster but limiting community access to the process to consider critical environmental and public health questions is not the answer,” said Matthew Baker, policy director for the Planning and Conservation League. “The CEQA process provides certainty. S.B. 607 will only cause more confusion and litigation, and slow things down.”

S.B. 607 is expected to be considered by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on April 23.


The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.8 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/lawmakers-urged-against-bill-to-undermine-california-environmental-quality-act-2025-04-04/