Press Release: Climate Victory at Tejon Ranch

The proposal to build 19,300 homes on 6,700 acres bordering Kern County won final certification two years ago from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the company declared that it had been vindicated.

Photo: LA Times

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2021

Media Contact:
Bryn Lindblad, Deputy Director
blindblad@climateresolve.org | 213-634-3790 x102


Climate Victory at Tejon Ranch

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff Grants Climate Resolve Petition

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — As headlined in the Los Angeles Times on April 8, 2021, Climate Resolve has successfully delayed the construction of the Tejon Ranch development, in a lawsuit citing inaccuracies in the developer’s environmental impact report (EIR). Climate Resolve argued that the project’s proximity to wildfire hazards and the developments’ projected greenhouse gas emissions violated state environmental law.

“The Tejon Ranch environmental impact report made false claims that California’s cap-and-trade system somehow satisfied all emissions requirements” says Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of Climate Resolve. “In truth, land development is not covered by the cap-and-trade regime and decarbonization is needed in all sectors, especially the construction and transportation sectors.”

“We take California’s climate goals seriously, and so we couldn’t let this project get away with blatant mischaracterizations about California greenhouse gas policy” continues Parfrey. “To make good on our state’s climate goals, it’s essential that massive projects, like Centennial, undergo due scrutiny.”

“We are painfully aware of California’s need for additional housing,” says Michael Swords, board chair of Climate Resolve, “However, new housing must be constructed to withstand the worsening impacts of climate change. And to curb emissions, we should always try to build closer to job centers where non-car travel is possible. And when we do build away from cities, the project’s climate-harmful emissions, created by greater travel, should be fully and completely mitigated.”

Climate Resolve believes that Judge Beckloff’s decision is a decisive turning point for climate-aware development. It deserves attention as a forecasted trend in environmental advocacy affecting how population growth in California will transpire.

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