CEQA Reports

Oil and gas interests, polluters, and private developers have worked to weaken CEQA, but independent studies consistently confirm CEQA’s significant long-term benefit to the state.

Independent studies show that CEQA is not a major impediment to housing production in California or a drag on the state’s economy. They prove that CEQA litigation rates are low and that the cost of compliance with the law is negligible compared to overall project costs. Using case studies, the reports also document how CEQA is used to advance environmental justice and to combat climate change.

Here are the leading reports:

Resources

2023 Report: CEQA by the Numbers: Myths & Facts
CEQA-By-the-Numbers

Recent Empirical CEQA Studies and Key Findings
CEQA Studies Summary 2023

2021 Report: CEQA: California’s Living Environmental Law: CEQA’s Role in Housing, Environmental Justice, & Climate Change
rosefdn.org/ceqas-role-in-housing-environmental-justice-climate-change

California State Legislature, Senate Committee on Judiciary and Senate Committee on Environmental Quality (2019).
Just the Facts: An Evidence-Based Look at CEQA Streamlining and CEQA’s Role in Development. (pdf)

Association of Environmental Professionals (2019).
CEQA and Housing Production: 2018 Survey of California Cities and Counties.

O’Neill, M., Gualco-Nelson, G. and Biber, E. (2018).
Getting it Right: Examining the Local Land Use Entitlement Process in California to Inform Policy and Process (pdf)