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The Keston Institute for Infrastructure of the University of Southern California has prepared a working paper entitled An Assessment of the Impacts of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) on the Provision of Civil Infrastructure. The working paper reports the results of a telephone survey with selected infrastructure providers and their agents regarding the impact of CEQA on the provision of civil infrastructure. This paper will be the subject on an on-line comment period, the purpose of which will be to solicit additional input from infrastructure providers regarding their experience as to whether, and to what degree, CEQA has resulted in improved environmental performance, as well as whether, and to what degree, CEQA has resulted in project delays and cost increases. This comment period is designed to elicit input from a broad range of infrastructure interests representing both the public and private sectors. The results of the on-line comment period will be summarized and provided to the Advisory Group on CEQA Reform that has been convened by the Secretary of the Resources Agency.
BACKGROUND
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was enacted in 1970 to require government agencies to consider the environmental consequences of their actions before approving plans, polices, or projects. Its purpose was to ensure the identification of potential adverse environmental impacts, ways in which these impacts could be avoided or reduced, and to provide public disclosure when government action resulted in significant environmental effects. Over the ensuing three decades, CEQA has been applied to numerous activities and projects in the public and private domain and has a long and mixed legacy of results. Infrastructure providers have a long history of compliance with CEQA and it is believed, therefore, that they are well situated to provide information regarding how CEQA has impacted delivery of critical infrastructure.
Please send your comments to kestonii@usc.edu. All comments will be received until Monday, August 1, 2005