Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s (D-CA) latest legislation package, a plan to speed up energy and water infrastructure in the state, has upset green energy activists.
The package, consisting of 11 bills, is intended to prevent lawsuits against water, transportation, clean energy, semiconductor, and microelectronics projects in the state from lasting longer than nine months and easing requirements for what is included in a project’s records.
WHITE HOUSE STILL ‘WORKING HARD’ AS DEBT LIMIT NEGOTIATIONS WITH GOP BREAK DOWN
Cutting back on litigation and slashing some red tape should prevent projects from hitting speed bumps in production. However, Newsom’s proposal isn’t bringing in ringing endorsements, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Governor Newsom does not respect the people in communities that need environmental protection,” read a statement from Barrigan-Parrilla, the executive director of advocacy group Restore the Delta.
Barrigan-Parrilla said Newsom’s proposal would “gut” the environmental review process for a $16 billion plan to build a tunnel to bring water to Southern California and create new water recycling and desalination plants along with solar fields and offshore wind farms.
Meanwhile, Laura Deehan, the state director for Environment California, said that her organization and others support Newsom’s aim to increase the speed of construction to meet the state’s environmental goals.
“We agree that we’re going to need some large-scale solar,” Deehan said. “We’re going to need some offshore wind. The current rate is too slow, and we need to figure out how to speed it up.”
However, she also stated she has not yet read Newsom’s legislation and has cautioned people to be wary of sweeping changes.
“We don’t want to change 50 years of environmental protection law overnight and live to regret it,” Deehan said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Newsom claims California needs to figure out a way to speed up projects so it can take advantage of the roughly $180 billion in funds it is set to receive as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act and other federal bills passed with infrastructure and climate change in mind.
However, to succeed in winning grant funding for clean energy projects, the state will have to show it is capable of completing the projects it receives funding for.
