California Environmental Quality Act:Infrastructure Projects.

Senator Wiener's environmental quality legislation outlines California's approach to streamlining infrastructure development while maintaining specific protections for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The bill articulates the Legislature's intent to modify the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review process for certain infrastructure projects while explicitly prohibiting CEQA revisions that would affect the Delta Conveyance Project.

The legislation identifies several priority areas for expedited environmental review, including housing development, clean energy facilities, transportation infrastructure, and local government initiatives focused on wildfire safety and clean drinking water access. These modifications would occur through the 2025 state budget process, though the bill does not specify the exact mechanisms for streamlining. The measure acknowledges CEQA's dual role in protecting communities from environmental harm while noting its impact on project timelines for essential development.

The bill's provisions regarding the Delta reflect the Legislature's recognition of this region as a critical natural resource, described in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act of 2009 as the hub of California's water system and the western hemisphere's most valuable estuary ecosystem. By maintaining current CEQA requirements for the Delta Conveyance Project while pursuing broader reforms, the legislation creates distinct environmental review frameworks for different types of infrastructure projects.