Farella's CJ Higley and Donald Sobelman with guest speakers, Michael Keinath from Ramboll and Tania Sheyner from City and County of San Francisco, discuss "How New Climate Change CEQA Thresholds Will Impact Bay Area Development Projects." 

On April 20, 2022, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) adopted, updated – and significantly changed – thresholds of significance under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for determining when a development project will have significant climate change/greenhouse gas impacts. Given that the BAAQMD thresholds are relied upon by many cities and other CEQA lead agencies in the Bay Area, this update will have a major impact on the environmental review process for many development projects in the region. Join our panel, as we discuss:

• The new BAAQMD thresholds – how are they different?
• Interaction with climate action plans and CEQA thresholds implemented by Bay Area cities.
• Strategies for addressing the new BAAQMD thresholds in development projects.
• Pros/cons of using alternative thresholds, including CEQA litigation risk.
• Insights from a number of Bay Area development perspectives, including from attorneys (both real estate and environmental), a city planner, and a consultant specializing in CEQA greenhouse gas/air quality impact assessment.