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California lawmakers approve governor’s plan to accelerate green construction

Sustainability

California lawmakers approve governor’s plan to accelerate green construction

Move expected to speed timelines of clean energy and infrastructure projects


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | July 19, 2023
California map
Photo courtesy Adobe Stock

California lawmakers recently approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s infrastructure streamlining plan that aims to accelerate clean energy and infrastructure projects.

The plan includes provisions to move projects through delivery timelines faster, including streamlining red tape in state bureaucracy. Newsom wants to speed up delayed construction procurement processes and expedite judicial review for projects that have already passed environmental reviews.

Hundreds of solar, wind, and battery storage projects could be accelerated thanks to this package of initiatives. The governor’s office says that California has a target to cut emissions by 40% by 2030, and has been falling short of the 4% emissions cut required each year over the past decade to achieve that goal.

Newsom also recently announced that he has approved $352 million for “transit-oriented, climate-friendly” housing, with those funds targeted for historically underserved communities.

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