State environmental law needs overhauling to protect Fresno’s growth | Opinion
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- CEQA lawsuits frequently stall Fresno projects, costing jobs, taxes and road upgrades.
- San Joaquin Valley emissions and cancer risk fell sharply, showing growth and cleaner air.
- State reforms should curb CEQA abuse while protecting review and restoring certainty.
Ask a Fresno business owner why it’s so hard to grow here, and you’ll hear a familiar answer: It takes too long and costs too much to get projects off the ground. A big part of the problem is California’s broken environmental review system. When nearly every new housing, business or road improvement can be tied up in court for years, the cost doesn’t just hit developers — it falls directly on families and businesses across the Central Valley.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), passed more than 50 years ago, was supposed to make sure projects account for their environmental impact. That’s a worthy goal.
But today, CEQA is often misused as a tool to stop projects for reasons that have little to do with protecting the environment. In Fresno, lawsuits have stalled everything from housing, warehouses and distribution centers to road expansions, transit upgrades and plenty more.
Take the Costco project proposed for North Fresno. Earlier this summer, the project was halted by a court ruling after opponents sued under CEQA. City leaders, including Council President Mike Karbassi, warned that the project might move to Madera instead, taking hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in sales tax revenue with it.
A trend Fresno has seen far too often
Across Fresno, lawsuits have consistently delayed and/or pushed quality-of-life, safety and revenue-generation projects to neighboring communities. When these projects are stalled in court, construction halts, paychecks vanish and the region loses out on permanent jobs.
When road improvement or widening projects are tied up, commutes are longer and less safe — just look at the North Avenue and Highway 99 interchange, which hasn’t been updated since it was first constructed in 1965.
And when housing near job centers gets blocked, workers are pushed farther away, driving up both housing costs and commute times. These are not abstract impacts — they show up in the Central Valley’s cost of living every single day.
Even more frustrating, these lawsuits often target exactly the kinds of projects we should be encouraging. Infill housing, mixed-use commercial centers and transit improvements all serve to benefit the needs of the community.
Critics often justify these lawsuits by pointing to Fresno’s long struggle with air quality. But here’s the truth: our region has made historic improvements even as we’ve grown. According to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, emissions of key pollutants have dropped by up to 85% since 1980, and cancer risk from air pollution has fallen by 95%. Heavy-duty trucks today are roughly 99% cleaner than 1970 models.
Economic growth and clean air
Fresno has proven that economic growth and cleaner air can move forward together.
Yet, despite these gains, the ongoing abuse of lawsuits continues to impose real costs on our community that ripple across families and businesses. Lawsuit abuse isn’t just an abstract issue — it affects the daily lives of everyone in the Central Valley.
We can — and must — do better. That doesn’t mean gutting environmental review. It means restoring balance by stopping abuse while still protecting our air and land. Recent reforms, such as streamlining reviews for certain infrastructure and industrial projects, demonstrate that Sacramento acknowledges the issue. But Fresno families and businesses need more certainty.
The Central Valley — and Fresno in particular — has a natural competitive advantage, but that advantage is slipping as housing, rent and transportation costs continue to rise. We cannot afford to drive investment away from Fresno and push working families further into financial strain.
Protecting our environment is essential. But protecting jobs, mobility and opportunity for the people of the Central Valley is just as important. If we want a Fresno where businesses can expand, where families can afford to live and raise their families and where roads keep pace with growth, we must advocate for true reform.
Clint Olivier is president and CEO of the Central Valley Business Federation.
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 11:52 AM.