Voters Choose Environmental Protection, Reject California’s Proposition 45

San Francisco, CA —

The results on California’s ballot measure Proposition 45 are in. Voters resoundingly chose to vote ‘no’ on the measure, rejecting the initiative that would have made it easier for developers to fast-track polluting projects while limiting public participation and access to information. Votes against the measure were decisive, with over 55% voting ‘no’ to 44% counted in support.

Among the most important debates in the country is how to build the infrastructure we need faster without running over people and wrecking the things we can’t afford to lose. Voters rejected Proposition 45’s approach of removing key environmental safeguards that prioritized speed over basic provisions for safety on the most consequential projects.

California’s landmark environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), gives people a voice on projects that can impact public health and natural resources. Data center and warehouse developers, for-profit utilities, and other special interests spent tens of millions of dollars to pass this measure, but voters recognized the importance of defending the law that protects clean air, water, and biodiversity, and provides opportunities for residents to participate in decisions that affect their quality of life.

The No on Prop 45 campaign was backed by a diverse coalition of over 500 labor, housing, public health, Tribal, community, and environmental groups, including Earthjustice.

The following is a statement from Sean B. Hecht, Managing Attorney of Earthjustice’s California Regional Office:

“We celebrate Californians’ rejection of Proposition 45 as a win for the environment, for clean air and water, and for the public’s ability to check the corporations and data center developers who backed this measure. With this vote, Californians made it clear that they want a voice in how and where projects in their communities are built. CEQA is often the only line of defense for communities living in the shadow of proposed freeways, warehouses, and industrial sites. Voters know that robust environmental review is critical to safeguard our health from uncontrolled air pollution, toxic runoff, and other public health harms, and we will not accept blanket exemptions for polluting projects.”

Background

CEQA requires analysis and mitigation of potential significant environmental and health impacts, along with public input, before development projects are approved. This feature of the law ensures people and communities have a seat at the table to help shape major projects that will affect Californians’ health, air and water quality, climate resilience, ecosystems, and much more. Under CEQA, public agencies must consider alternatives and mitigation measures that could reduce environmental harm and must also take comments from the public and other agencies into account along the way.

Earthjustice has firsthand experience with the many ways CEQA protects communities and the natural world. This law makes meaningful public participation possible in decisions that affect people’s lives, especially for frontline communities that so often lack a political voice. CEQA also provides a means to ensure that all significant impacts to health and the environment are understood, analyzed, and mitigated. Often, CEQA improves projects by identifying potential harms and ways to reduce them and, sometimes, it provides a way to rethink a project that is simply wrong for a specific location and community.