California's Prop 45 could fast-track data center approvals under a broadband label
Critics say the measure's fast-track rules would shorten public comment and limit court action on projects labeled essential.
California's Proposition 45 would fast-track environmental review for projects labeled essential, and critics fear data center developers could use the broadband category to qualify. The measure sets a 365-day deadline for an environmental impact report, a 270-day limit for settling legal challenges, and only 45 days of public comment. It would also require developers to propose a single alternative plan and bar courts from halting a whole project, pausing only problematic parts instead. Earthjustice and some legal experts argue this would cut communities out of the process, while proponents deny it covers data centers and the NAACP's California and Hawaii chapter has endorsed it.
Why it matters
For residents near proposed sites, Prop 45 would shorten the window to comment on environmental reviews, with only 45 days allowed, and would stop courts from halting an entire project over a review failure. Whether data centers fall under the measure depends on how the broadband internet access category is read. Legal experts say it could cover them, while proponents deny it, so the practical reach of the law remains contested. Communities that oppose a project would have less time and fewer legal tools to contest it.
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