SACRAMENTO ––
Making headway in the restructuring of California’s signature
environmental law, today, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assemblymember
Kristin Olsen’s (R-Modesto) Assembly Bill 890 into law.
AB
890 streamlines the process for cities and counties to make minor
roadway safety improvements, saving them time and money. It moved
through the Legislature on a 106-2 vote, after two years of hard work
and collaboration by Olsen.
“After
two years of working with multiple entities and members of both
parties, I am grateful to Governor Brown for signing AB 890 into law and
allowing vital roadway safety projects to move forward without the
threat of costly environmental regulations,” said Olsen.
In recent years, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has held up many public works projects. Olsen’s
bill will create a statutory exemption from CEQA for roadway safety
improvements as long as the project is on an existing road and doesn't
cross a waterway or increase traffic capacity of the road. The bill
will save cities and counties hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars,
and help them avoid time delays when pursuing minor safety improvements
like adding guardrails on steep rural roads.
“This
new law signals the recognition that reforms to California’s
Environmental Quality Act are needed,” said Olsen. “My goal is for this
to serve as a stepping stone in the reformation of further CEQA
regulations and hopefully permanent solutions to its unfortunate
consequences like frivolous lawsuits.”
Olsen
was praised by Assembly Natural Resources Committee Vice Chair Steve
Knight (R-Palmdale) for her diligence in seeing this law through to
fruition.
“The
bipartisan cooperation and support in passing this bill has been
exemplary and it wouldn’t have happened without Kristin's hard work and
determination,” said Knight. “Our state would benefit from the kind of
collaboration that advanced this bill.”
