The letter emphasizes that water is an inextricable part of California’s future. With the challenges posed by population growth and the increasing impacts of climate change, water and wastewater providers have spent decades planning and implementing solutions to secure water supplies and manage flood risks. These efforts include improving storage, conveyance, and alternative water supplies like desalination and recycled water. However, the current permitting process often creates delays that prevent the timely implementation of these vital projects.

The coalition calls for streamlined permitting processes to ensure that critical water infrastructure projects move forward without unnecessary delays, which can ultimately lead to higher costs and negative environmental impacts. By advocating for watershed-scale management in permitting decisions, SCWC and its partners propose a more comprehensive approach to balancing infrastructure needs and environmental conservation.

SCWC’s participation in this effort underscores its commitment to ensuring California’s water future remains secure, particularly in light of climate adaptation and growing water demand. As Executive Director Charles Wilson highlights, these reforms are essential for overcoming regulatory gridlock and maintaining the state’s way of life. SCWC is proud to be part of this collaborative effort to advocate for a more efficient and effective permitting process.

Read the letter: https://socalwater.org/wp-content/uploads/Coalition-Letter-to-Select-Committee-on-Permitting-Reform-Final.pdf

List of partners: Association of California Water Agencies, Agricultural Council of California, California Special Districts Association, California Farm Bureau, State Water Contractors, Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley, CalDesal, California Water Association, California Chamber, BizFed, New California Coalition, and WateReuse California.

The post Southern California Water Coalition Advocates for Streamlined Permitting to Secure California’s Water Future appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

“We applaud the work of the State Assembly and Senate in passing this important package put forward by Governor Newsom,” said SCWC Executive Director Charley Wilson. “These reforms are critical for our state to build a climate resilient future.”

The new laws will benefit water projects in three key ways: expedited California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) judicial review process and administrative clean up, streamlining of fully protected species permitting, and allowing California Department of Water Resources to use design/build in constructing new projects.

Combined, these reforms will streamline permitting, cut red tape, reduce time-consuming litigation, and make other changes that will shorten project timelines while saving taxpayers, state and local governments and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars.

“The reality is that hundreds of critical water projects statewide will go through these processes,” continued Wilson. “This package of laws will help us achieve our goals of a drought resilient state.”

While it is disappointing that the Delta Conveyance project was specifically removed from the package, it is still undergoing its environmental review and nothing otherwise has changed in its status. SCWC looks forward to the completion of this important process which will provide 27 million Californians with access to safe drinking water.

“We are excited about how this package can help us build a better future for our state,” concluded Wilson. “We look forward to seeing these reforms implemented as soon as possible and we thank Governor Newsom and the State Legislature for making them a reality.”

Through statements, rapid response videos, and social media support, SCWC rallied with 50+ community partners such as the Bay Area Council, BizFed, and CalChamber to amplify the importance and foster discussion surrounding the need for these reforms.

The post Governor Newsom Signs Ambitious Infrastructure Permitting and Project Review Reforms Into Law appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.