Some millimeter sized shrimp completely altered expansion plans for an entire UC campus.
https://www.sfgate.com/green/article/MERCED-UC-expansion-pla...
https://www.sfgate.com/green/article/MERCED-UC-expansion-pla...
If anything, that appears to be a successful use of CEQA, where a large and important building project was effectively balanced with the need to protect wildlife without major disruption to the final buildings.