California Voters Appear to Reject Proposition 45 in Early Returns
Early returns show California voters narrowly opposing Proposition 45, a measure that would have expedited environmental reviews for certain essential projects. The debate included whether the measure could be used to fast-track data centers, with supporters saying it excluded them and opponents warning that its language could cover them as ancillary infrastructure.
Early returns showed California voters rejecting Proposition 45 by a narrow margin, though the outcome remained too close to call. The ballot measure would have amended the California Environmental Quality Act to impose time limits on environmental reviews and related lawsuits for projects such as housing, healthcare, water, wildfire mitigation, education, broadband and clean energy.
The measure became tied to California's data center debate because of language covering broadband internet and ancillary infrastructure. Jason Elliot, who helped write the measure with the California Chamber of Commerce, said data centers were clearly excluded, while opponents argued the wording could allow jurisdictions to expedite approvals for them. Supporters cited delays and costs associated with environmental reviews, while opponents said the proposal would weaken environmental safeguards and public participation.