Source: https://openei.org/wiki/RAPID/Roadmap/9-CA-a
Timestamp: 2020-07-03 20:24:56
Document Index: 137452301

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 21000', '§ 15060', '§21080', '§15357', '§15369', '§21065', '§15378', '§ 15369', '§ 15260', '§ 21080', '§ 21159', '§15270', '§ 15354', '§ 15300', '§ 21080', '§ 21080', '§ 6370', '§ 21074', '§21080', '§ 21080', '§ 21080', '§ 21080', '§ 21080', '§ 21084', '§ 15082', '§ 15108', '§ 15120', '§ 15111', '§21080', '§ 21001', '§ 21151']

California State Environmental Review Overview (9-CA-a)
In California, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) governs environmental protection issues. The CEQA process is similar to the federal NEPA process. However, unlike the federal environmental policy process, California may halt a project that is not advantageous for the environment and human health. In California, it is a potential timesaver to use federal NEPA documents for the state environmental analysis. CEQA is particularly concerned with environmental impacts caused by land use development. There are generally three (3) phases to the development process under CEQA: pre-application, application, and review. The California Permit Streamlining Act promotes the process' efficiency.
Cal. Pub. Res. Code §§ 21000-21189.3 et seq., Environmental Quality
14 CCR § 15060.5
Unless exempt, all “discretionary projects” proposed to be carried out or approved by public agencies, including but not limited to licensing, permitting, and leasing decisions, must go through CEQA review. Cal. Pub. Res. Code §21080(a). Discretionary projects are those which require the exercise of judgment or deliberation, as opposed to merely determining whether there has been compliance with applicable laws and regulations. 14 CCR §15357; see also 14 CCR §15369. The definition of “project” for the purposes of CEQA is broad. “Project” means any activity which has the potential to cause a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and which is any of following:
Activities directly undertaken by a public agency;
Activities which receive financial assistance from a public agency; and
Activities involving the issuance of a lease, permit, license, or other entitlement for use by a public agency.
Cal. Pub. Res. Code §21065; 14 CCR §15378(a).
There are a number of statutory and categorical exemptions to CEQA review. Statutory exemptions include, but are not limited to:
Ministerial projects. A ministerial action applies fixed standards or objective measurements and involves "little or no personal judgment by a public official as to the wisdom or manner of carrying out the project." 14 CCR § 15369;
Emergency projects;
14 CCR §§ 15260-15285. A complete list of statutory exemptions are found in Cal. Pub. Res. Code §§ 21080(b), 21080.01-21080.33 and §§ 21159.21-21159.23 and 14 CCR §15270. CEQA regulations list 33 classes of activities that warrant categorical exemptions from CEQA because the Secretary of for Resources has found that they do not have a significant effect on the environment. This list includes, among other classes of activities:
Categorical exemptions are based on a finding by the Secretary for Resources that the classes of projects included in the exemption do not have a significant impact on the environment.
14 CCR § 15354; 14 CRR §§ 15300-15333.
Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21080.5 allows state agencies to develop their own environmental review processes in lieu of preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The alternative processes may be used so long as they comply with Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21080.5 and are certified by the Secretary of the Resources Agency. For example, the California Energy Commission (CEC) has developed its own environmental review process that must be used in lieu of preparing an EIR for applications to site thermal power plants with a net generating capacity of 50 MW or more. See On-Site Evaluation: 10
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California’s State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) directs the SWRCB and FERC’s coordination of pre-application activities for hydropower projects requiring a FERC license where the SWRCB acts as the State’s lead agency. Pre-application activities governed by the MOU include activities leading to the issuance of environmental documents satisfying the legal requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
SWRCB State Environmental Review Process:
Under Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 6370 et seq., if lands contain significant environmental value, the CEQA process must determine whether the project is consistent with the environmental values of the land. The initial survey must be completed within 30 days of accepting the completed application. The guidelines require a determination of the significance of the environmental effects caused by the project, the impacts from greenhouse gas emissions, and the significance of impacts to archaeological and historical resources.
The review processes used to determine whether the project will cause a significant impact on the environment are similar to those found in the On-Site Evaluation Process Overview Flowchart. The lead agency will prepare documents to show if the project will cause a significant impact on issues such as the local flora and fauna, aesthetic resources, air quality, and cultural resources. The lead agency normally relies on an environmental checklist form found in 2014 CEQA Statutes and Guidelines, Appendix G.
Note: The lead agency must determine whether the project will cause significant impact on tribal cultural resources as defined in Cal. Pub. Res. Code§ 21074. Cal. Pub. Res. Code §21080.3.1(b). A lead agency “may choose to contact the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) at the beginning of the CEQA process (i.e. concurrently with the Initial Study) to identify the California Native American tribes and the tribal contact person(s) if it wishes to proactively initiate consultation with tribes.” 2015 Update for the CEQA Deskbook, p. 6.
9-CA-a.11 — Is a Native American Tribal Consultation Required?
Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21080.3.1 requires a lead agency to consult with a California Native American tribe, prior to the release of a negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration or a environmental impact report (EIR) for a project, if:
The California Native American tribe requested to the lead agency, in writing, to be informed by the lead agency through formal notification of proposed projects in the geographic area that is traditionally and culturally affiliated with the tribe; and
The California Native tribe responds, in writing, within 30 days of receipt of the formal notification, and requests the consultation.
Within 14 days of determining that an application for a project is complete or a decision by a public agency to undertake a project, the lead agency must provide formal notification to the designated contact of, or a tribal representative of, traditionally and culturally affiliated California Native tribes that have requested notice. The lead agency must publish notice in writing including:
The lead agency contact information; and
A notification that the California Native American tribe has 30 days to request consultation pursuant to Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21080.3.1.
The lead agency must begin the consultation process within 30 days of receiving a California Native American tribe’s request for consultation. Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21080.3.1 (e).
2014 CEQA Statutes and Guidelines, p. 127.
If the initial study shows that there is no substantial evidence, in light of the whole record, that the project may have a significant effect on the environment or that there are potentially significant effects that have been avoided by revision a negative declaration or a mitigated declaration may be created by the lead agency.
Once the public and responsible agencies have had the opportunity to comment on the published negative declaration or mitigated negative declaration, the lead agency must review and respond to any comments submitted. Response times vary based on whether an EIS is required. If no EIS is required, the declaration must be circulated for 30 days and the lead agency must adopt the declaration within 105 days of the acceptance of the completed application.
Note: Lead agencies may not “certify an EIR or adopt a mitigated negative declaration for a project with a significant impact on an identified cultural resource” unless:
The lead agency has complied with Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21080.3.1(c) and the California Native American tribe has failed to request consultation within thirty (30) days.
Further, the lead agency must consider feasible mitigation pursuant to Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21084.3, if:
The decision to adopt a negative declaration or mitigated negative declaration may be appealed to the agency's elected decision-making body.
Once the lead agency has decided that an environmental document will need to be prepared, or that the project may have significant impacts on the environment, the lead agency must issue notice to all interested parties. The notice must provide parties with a description of the project and the potential environmental impacts that the project may cause. Once the interested parties have received notice that an environmental document will be prepared, they will have 30 days to respond to the lead agency with any environmental information.
14 CCR § 15082.
Whether the project has a significant impact on a tribal cultural resource;
The lead agency, a responsible agency, a trustee agency, the Office of Planning and Research, or a project applicant may request one or more meetings between representatives of the agencies involved to assist the lead agency in determining the scope and content of the environmental information that the responsible or trustee agency may require. The meetings must be convened by the lead agency as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days after the meetings were requested. On request, the Office of Planning and Research will assist in convening meetings that involve state agencies.
For complex projects, the lead agency must send the issue to the State Clearinghouse to ensure the wide range of state and local interests are coordinated appropriately. The State Clearinghouse must connect the lead agency to all appropriate responsible agencies for coordination and consultation.
A final EIR must be completed before project approval. 14 CCR § 15108 requires the lead agency to complete and certify the final EIR on private projects within one year of the date the lead agency accepted the application as complete. An extension of ninety (90) days may be granted one time, but must with the consent of the applicant.
Article 9 of the CEQA Guidelines governs the contents of EIR's. The required elements include:
The draft EIR, comments and recommendations received on the draft EIR (summary or verbatim);
List of persons, organizations and public agencies commenting on the draft EIR; and
2014 CEQA Statutes and Guidelines, Article 9. 14 CCR § 15120
The lead agency prepares and certifies a final EIR. If the report shows that significant impact will be mitigated below the level of significance and social and economic concerns have been adequately addressed, the lead agency may approve the project. The permit must be approved or denied within six (6) months of certifying the final EIR or within three (3) months of adopting a declaration.
14 CCR § 15111.
Note, a lead agency may not “certify an EIR or adopt a mitigated negative declaration for a project with a significant impact on an identified cultural resource” unless:
The lead agency has complied with Cal. Pub. Res. Code §21080.3.1(c) and the California Native American tribe has failed to request consultation within thirty (30) days.
Once the lead agency has made a decision to approve the proposed project, the agency memorializes its decision in a Notice of Determination (NOD). The lead agency must file a NOD within five (5) days after deciding to approve a project.
The lead agency's determination may be challenged in court. Environmental litigation can take a great deal of time and resources. CEQA provides an unusually short statute of limitations (180 days) for challenging the approval of projects. Final EIR's are presumed to comply with CEQA unless adjudged otherwise in a legal proceeding.
The court will review the lead agency’s determination for any abuse of discretion or a failure by the lead agency to rely on substantial evidence in the making of the determination. If the court upholds the lead agency’s determination, the challenging party may appeal the court’s ruling.
If the court does not uphold the lead agency’s determination, the developer may not proceed with the proposed project. The developer may appeal the court’s decision to a higher court, or the developer may revise the project and submit the revised project back to the lead agency for a new determination. If the proposed project is revised, the lead agency must submit the revised project through the CEQA process again in order to determine any possible environmental impacts.
Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21001
Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21151.5
2015 Update for the CEQA Deskbook, 3rd Edition
Edit California Environmental Protection Agency
Deputy Secretary for Environmental Policy 916-324-9701 Visit Website
Edit California Natural Resources Agency
California Natural Resources Agency 916-653-5656 Visit Website
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This page was last modified on 15 June 2020, at 10:39.