On August 26, Governor Brown signed SB 734 into law, extending by two years the sunset date of the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 (the “Act”) – from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2019 – and making two significant changes to the Act.
The Act, codified at Public Resources Code sections 21178-21189.3, promotes environmentally sustainable development having significant economic benefits by providing for streamlined judicial review of “environmental leadership development projects.” Such leadership projects include certain residential, commercial, cultural, sports, and recreational projects located at infill sites that (1) are certified as LEED Silver or better, (2) result in a minimum investment of $100 million in California, (3) create high-wage, highly skilled jobs that pay prevailing wages and living wages, and help reduce unemployment, and (4) do not result in any net additional emission of greenhouse gases.