A new webcast reveals the latest trends and approaches to CEQA compliance as the development and environmental communities react to changing law.

By Marc T. Campopiano, Christopher W. Garrett, and Jennifer K. Roy

On July 24, 2019, Latham & Watkins’ Project Siting & Approvals Practice hosted a 60-minute webcast, “Friant Ranch: Impact of California Supreme Court’s Landmark Decision on CEQA Compliance,” to zero in on the landmark decision and its ramifications. Seven months on from the Court’s decision in Sierra Club v. County of Fresno (Friant Ranch, L.P.), the influence of the Court’s ruling is beginning to crystallize. The webcast’s speakers addressed the response to the Court’s decision among reviewing courts and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) practitioners, with a focus on the Court’s holdings regarding:

  • The proper standard of review to be applied when courts review an agency’s analysis under CEQA
  • The need for a CEQA lead agency to correlate a project’s significant air quality impacts with potential human health impacts
  • The propriety of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) allowing for the substitution of more effective mitigation measures in the future

CEQA practitioners must have a solid understanding of the Friant Ranch decision, as it will continue to affect CEQA litigation and EIR preparation.

View the webcast or download the presentation slides on-demand at any time by registering here.