“The agency gets to decide whether the prior environmental document has informational value and whether the project changes will require a major revision to the prior environmental document”
—Stoel Rives attorney Kristen Castaños quoted by Law360 in an article titled “Calif. High Court Details Rules For Additional Enviro Review.”
The article discusses a recent decision by the California Supreme Court overturning a lower court ruling that said a community college district had to conduct a second environmental impact review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) after it changed its demolition plans for a campus building complex. The court also provided clarification of when subsequent environmental reviews are required.
The decision in the case resolves a conflict in appellate courts over how changes to previously approved projects must be evaluated under CEQA, according to Castaños.
Read “Calif. High Court Details Rules For Additional Enviro Review,” published September 20, 2016. (Subscription required.)