Center for Biological Diversity v. City of Pittsburg

On December 11, 2025, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), the City of Pittsburg, California, and real parties in interest requested that the California Superior Court stay proceedings in CBD’s California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) challenge to the City’s approval of the Pittsburg Technology Park Specific Plan, a three-phase master planned development that included an approximately 368,551-square-foot data center in the first phase. The City, the real parties in interest, and CDB agreed to the incorporation of enhanced mitigation measures to address the project’s greenhouse gas, air quality, biological resources, water and energy demand, and noise impacts. The mitigation measures included rooftop solar and electric charging infrastructure requirements, participation in a renewable energy program to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity, and the owner’s payment of $750,000 to a foundation to distribute funds for sustainability and regional climate resiliency projects.

Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) challenge to the City of Pittsburg’s approval of development plan for a 76.38-acre site. The three-phase project would include a data center and two warehouses. CBD alleged that the environmental impact report (EIR) failed to disclose or adequately analyze impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, and to identify and adopt feasible mitigation measures and to consider reasonable alternatives. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, CBD alleged that the EIR failed to include and fully analyze all of the project’s greenhouse gas emissions and to incorporate all feasible mitigation and avoidance measures, and also used an inappropriate significance threshold. Other alleged climate change-related deficiencies included failure to consider climate change impacts on water supply.