By: Sarah Kozal
“This past September, Governor Brown of California signed Assembly Bill 52, an amendment to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that gives Native American tribes a stronger role in the protection of their cultural resources. The bill (AB-52), authored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, creates a new category of protected cultural resources. It also establishes tribal consultation rights for the first time under CEQA. Gatto says that the bill was prompted by his desire to preserve California’s history and the need to increase protection of tribal cultural resources from development projects. Proposed mining projects, landfills, and energy and infrastructure projects frequently put sacred sites at risk.”
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