California, let's build good things, faster

Written By Brent Efron

There’s a sea-change underway in the US environmental movement, and EPIC is proud to be part of it. For 50 years, environmentalists have focused mostly on stopping bad things from getting built. We think it’s time to start making it easier to build good things. That’s why we’re endorsing the Building an Affordable California Act, a ballot measure that would modernize how California reviews essential projects under the California Environmental Quality Act, better known as CEQA. With our endorsements we join a broad coalition that includes the California NAACP, California LULAC, America Clean Power California, the California Chamber of Commerce, and many more.

The measure isn’t perfect. Yet, it represents the most significant opportunity in a generation to drive the deployment of clean energy and other projects Californian voters have consistently indicated they want more of. We hope this type of reform passes and can serve as a model for other states in the coming years.

Check out the full post on our Substack
Brent Efron

Brent, based in Washington, D.C., is a project management and policy professional with nearly 8 years of experience across local, state, and federal government, political campaigns, and the private sector. Most recently at EPA, Brent served in the Office of the Administrator as a Special Advisor for Implementation, supporting the deployment of $100 Billion in IRA/BIL funding. In that capacity, Brent regularly coordinated with staff from over 30 climate and infrastructure financial assistance programs, managed numerous projects related to program implementation and grant compliance, and served as EPA staff lead on multiple White House interagency policy initiatives. Prior to EPA, Brent conducted policy research for the Massachusetts Climate Chief and contributed to drafting a whole-of-government strategy for increasing Massachusetts’ climate ambition. Brent holds an M.P.A. from Princeton University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

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