Court Rules in Favor of Lab’s Development Plan

Last week, the Alameda County Superior Court issued its decision on a lawsuit challenging the University of California Board of Regents’ approval of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Berkeley Lab’s 2006 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP).

In the Sept. 5 decision, the court ruled in the Regents’ favor on nearly every point. The court did, however, rule that Berkeley Lab is required to recirculate for public comment its analysis of the potential impact of 2006 LRDP implementation on climate change. This analysis, which in part outlines how Berkeley Lab will curb greenhouse gas emissions, is included in four pages of the LRDP’s one-thousand-plus page EIR.

The lawsuit was filed in August 2007 by a group of Berkeley residents seeking to block the UC Board of Regents’ July 2007 approval and certification of Berkeley Lab’s 2006 LRDP and its accompanying EIR.

Berkeley Lab’s 2006 LRDP establishes a framework of land-use principles and policies to guide future growth and change through 2025. The plan identifies projections in Lab population, building space, and land uses. The 2006 LRDP EIR provides an analysis of the LRDP’s potential impacts on the environment, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act.

The 2006 LRDP and EIR were first issued and made available for public review in January 2007. The Lab held a public hearing on the draft EIR in February 2007. University of California campuses, and Berkeley Lab, are required to maintain and periodically update their LRDPs. Go here for more information and to download the final 2006 LRDP and EIR.