"Assembly Bill 697 would authorize the construction of additional travel lanes on State Route 37 between Vallejo and State Route 121 in Sonoma County by allowing the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a " permit for the incidental take of fully protected species." Normally, such a permit requires a study and a remediation plan, but legislation passed in 2023 created a streamlined process for certain situations."
"If funding is secured, construction on the widening could begin in about five years. But the environmental damage isn't the coalition's only concern. According to a Caltrans report that the agency recently scrubbed from its website, SR 37 could be underwater within a decade of the widening's completion. Sections of the widening area sit just 4-6 feet above sea level and are projected to be inundated by 2040 due to sea level rise."
A coalition of 22 environmental and advocacy groups is asking the governor to veto Assembly Bill 697, which would permit additional travel lanes on State Route 37 by allowing the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue an incidental-take permit for fully protected species. The 2023 streamlined permitting law originally excluded projects that increase highway capacity, but AB 697 circumvents that exclusion for SR 37. The widening is presented as a temporary measure while larger highway plans are studied. Caltrans analysis indicates portions of the widened route sit 4-6 feet above sea level and could be inundated by 2040.
Read at Streetsblog
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