2023 California Code › Fish and Game Code - FGC › DIVISION 2 - DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE › CHAPTER 7.9 - Conservation Bank and Mitigation Bank Applications and Fees › Section 1798.5.

1798.5. (a) (1) If the department determines that a bank prospectus is acceptable pursuant to Section 1798, the person seeking to establish the bank may submit a bank agreement package to the department. Pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 1799.1, the department may adopt and amend guidelines and criteria for the bank agreement package, including, but not limited to, recommended standard forms for bank enabling instruments or long-term management plan and conservation easements.
(2) The bank agreement package shall be consistent with the prospectus and contain at least all of the following information:
(A) The draft bank enabling instrument and all exhibits.
(B) Drafts of the interim management plan, long-term management plan, bank closure plan, and, if applicable, a development or construction plan for the bank.
(C) A draft conservation easement, or if potential state ownership is contemplated by the department, a draft grant deed.
(D) A map and written description of the proposed bank service area.
(E) A proposed credit ledger and credit release schedule for the bank.
(F) A property analysis record or other comparable economic analysis of the funding necessary to support bank maintenance activities, such as monitoring and reporting, in perpetuity.
(G) Estimates of financial assurances and proposed forms of security. Proposed forms of security may be either cash or a letter of credit.
(H) A phase I environmental site assessment of the site of the proposed bank dated not more than six months prior to the date the bank agreement package is submitted to the department. This assessment shall be performed in accordance with the American Society of Testing and Materials Standard E1527-05 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process” or any successive ASTM standard active at the time of the assessment.
(b) The department shall collect a fee of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per bank agreement package to fund the cost of the department’s review services. The fee shall be collected at the time the bank agreement package is submitted to the department.
(c) Within 30 calendar days following the department’s receipt of a bank agreement package and fee pursuant to subdivision (a), the department shall determine whether or not the package is complete and give written notice of the determination to the person who submitted the package.
(1) If the department determines that the bank agreement package is not complete, it may be made complete and resubmitted.
(2) If the department determines that the bank agreement package is complete, within 90 calendar days of that determination, the department shall determine whether or not it is acceptable and notify the person who submitted the package of the determination. If the department determines that the bank agreement package is not acceptable, the department shall state the reasons.
(d) The department may request clarifying information during the bank agreement review process.
(e) If the department needs supplemental information during its review of the bank agreement package in order to fully evaluate the proposed bank, the regional manager or departmental equivalent, or a higher level department employee, shall provide the person seeking to establish the bank a written request for the needed information. Upon the department’s receipt of the requested information, a new 90-day period shall begin during which the department shall determine acceptability pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c). If the department does not receive the requested information within 60 calendar days of the department’s request, the bank agreement package will be deemed unacceptable.
(f) If the person seeking to establish the bank proposes changes to the bank agreement package that have not been solicited by the department during its 90-day review period, including, but not limited to, parties, number or type of credits, bank size, number or type of species, credit release schedule, service area, design change, or other changes as identified by the department as necessitating additional review time, the department, acting through the regional manager or department equivalent, or a higher level department employee, shall assess a one-time fee of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) to cover the reasonable cost of the department’s services in reviewing the changes. A new 90-day review period shall begin upon the department’s receipt of the proposed changes and the associated review fee, during which it will determine acceptability pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c).
(g) If the department determines that 90 days is insufficient time to complete its review of the bank agreement package for reasons including, but not limited to, the size, location, or complexity of the bank, that the package includes a development or construction plan, complexity of the bank agreement package, or substantial variations from recommended standard forms, the department may extend the 90-day period for reviewing the bank agreement package by an additional 60 calendar days.
(h) If the department determines that a bank agreement package is not acceptable, the package may be resubmitted in accordance with subdivision (a) if further consideration is desired. Any resubmittal shall be accompanied by payment of a new bank agreement package review fee.
(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 132, Sec. 25. (AB 1760) Effective January 1, 2024.)