California Environmental Quality Act at 40

With “one-way” fee entitlements — plaintiffs collect if successful, but do not pay if they lose — it is no wonder that the California Environmental Quality Act [CEQA] attracts tactical and opportunistic litigants, including some whose interest seems to lie more in legal fees than in environmental reform. “Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to see CEQA used by competitors to block new businesses from coming into their market or by unions trying to force businesses to accept labor agreements. Neither represents what CEQA was intended to do, and there should be protections so the law cannot be [hijacked] for such purposes.” [Cynthia Kurtz, Whittier Daily News via Todd Roberson, CJAC]

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