California has been a leader in protecting the environment through a host of innovative and exceptional laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act, the Coastal Act, the Global Warming Solutions Act. To ensure California continues its forward thinking, the Planning and Conservation League (PCL) and the PCL Foundation have planned an excellent line up of creative and expert speakers for its Environmental Legislative Symposium.

For more than forty years, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has served as the state’s foundational environmental and community protection law. By requiring state and local agencies to assess, disclose and minimize/mitigate environmental impacts of proposed projects, CEQA is California’s environmental ‘bill of rights’ that empowers communities to have a say in the decisions that impact them most directly.

Fueled by California’s economic crisis, however, CEQA is now facing unprecedented attacks – including proposed legislation in 2012 that would have rendered the law almost meaningless. CEQA is even facing criticism from groups that have traditionally aligned with environmental interests, such as infill proponents. With the Governor and Legislative leadership exploring major CEQA reform, 2013 is shaping up to be a cross-roads for California’s most important environmental law. With that backdrop, PCL and PCL Foundation have decided to do something different with this year’s Symposium – namely, have a more targeted and intimate event aimed at bringing together California’s environmental, community, business, agencies and elected leaders to explore what is next for California’s most important environmental law.

The Planning and Conservation League/PCL Foundation’s 2013 Environmental Symposium will:

-Highlight CEQA’s strengths and successes in recent years
-Separate fact from fiction about CEQA;
-Investigate potential changes to the law to make it an even more effective tool to safeguard our lands, air, waters and communities;
-Identify alternative approaches to promote more sustainable land-use, transportation, water and energy projects; and
-Explore how we can mobilize around a shared vision for California’s environmental future.

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Instructors:

Michael Rubio

(3 Ratings)