California v. County of San Bernardino

Citation: People of the State of California v. County of San Bernardino, No. Civ-ss-0700329 (Cal. Super. Ct. 2007)

California Attorney General Edmund Brown brought a lawsuit alleging that the County’s physical land development plan was inadequate under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In just a few months, the suit ended in a comprehensive settlement. The agreement included a thirty-month environmental review process with public participation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from public land use and other County decisionmaking. The survey included making an inventory of all known greenhouse gas emitting sources and an achievable 2020 emissions-reduction target. This was part of a larger effort by the California AG’s office to submit public comments in CEQA actions to push local governments to commit to climate change mitigation efforts.

Key documents:

• California AG Press Release
• Settlement