Opinion ID: 1268035
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Implied Exemption

Text: (1a) We commence our analysis by observing that CEQA contains no express exemption for the commission. On the contrary, its provisions are made expressly applicable to all state agencies. (Pub. Resources Code, §§ 21000, subd. (g), 21001, subds. (f), (g), 21082, 21106.) We note further that the Legislature has provided for a number of specific exemptions from CEQA (e.g., Pub. Resources Code, §§ 21085, 21172; Wat. Code, § 13389), none of which are expressly applicable to the commission. (2) Under the familiar rule of construction, expressio unius est exclusio alterius, where exceptions to a general rule are specified by statute, other exceptions are not to be implied or presumed. ( State Board of Education v. Levit (1959) 52 Cal.2d 441, 461 [343 P.2d 8]; Estate of Pardue (1937) 22 Cal. App.2d 178, 181 [70 P.2d 678].) This rule, of course, is inapplicable where its operation would contradict a discernible and contrary legislative intent. ( In re Cathey (1961) 55 Cal.2d 679, 689 [12 Cal. Rptr. 762, 361 P.2d 426].) (1b) As explained below, however, we conclude that application of this rule of construction is consistent with the legislative purpose in enacting CEQA. In determining the Legislature's intent in this area, we find of special significance the recent adoption of Public Resources Code section 21080.5 (signed by the Governor on Sept. 30, 1975, and effective Jan. 1, 1976; Stats 1975, ch. 1187, pp. 2930-2932.) This amendment to CEQA creates an alternative to the EIR requirement for qualified state agencies having important environmental protection responsibilities. Agencies may satisfy their EIR obligation under this section by adopting and adhering to a regulatory program determined by the Secretary of the Resources Agency (the secretary) to include the following features: written plans of proposed projects with alternatives and mitigation measures available to minimize any significant environmental impact (Pub. Resources Code, § 21080.5, subd. (b)(3)(i)); consultation by the agency with other public officers and agencies (§ 21080.5, subd. (b)(2)(iii)); notice to the public and opportunity for public review and comment (§ 21080.5, subd. (b)(2)(vi)); written responses by the agency to significant environmental points raised during the evaluation process (§ 21080.5, subd. (b)(2)(iv)); and a requirement that a project be disapproved if there are feasible alternatives to the proposed action which would substantially lessen any significant adverse impact on the environment (§ 21080.5, subd. (b)(2)(i)). For a number of reasons the adoption of section 21080.5 reinforces our conclusion that the Legislature did not intend that the commission enjoy an exemption from the operation of CEQA. First, under the doctrine of expressio unius est exclusio alterius, the creation of a limited express exemption suggests that a broader implied exemption could not have been intended. (3) `In the grants [of powers] and in the regulation of the mode of exercise, there is an implied negative; an implication that no other than the expressly granted power passes by the grant; that it is to be exercised only in the prescribed mode....' ( Martello v. Superior Court (1927) 202 Cal. 400, 405 [261 P. 476], citation omitted; see also Morse v. Municipal Court (1974) 13 Cal.3d 149, 159 [118 Cal. Rptr. 14, 529 P.2d 46]; State Board of Education v. Levit, supra, 52 Cal.2d 441, at p. 461; Gilgert v. Stockton Port District (1936) 7 Cal.2d 384, 387 [60 P.2d 847]; Wheeler v. Herbert (1907) 152 Cal. 224, 237 [92 P. 353].) (1c) Accordingly, the express exemption created in section 21080.5 for certain agencies which follow specified abbreviated procedures may fairly be said to imply a rejection of other exemptions not expressly granted in CEQA. Second, the terms of section 21080.5 seem to apply specifically to the commission. The various duties of the commission include a number of environmental responsibilities. For example, one of the agency's functions is to ... make such regulations in relation to mammals, or any species or subspecies thereof, as it deems necessary to preserve, properly utilize, or maintain the best relative number of each such species or subspecies. (Fish & G. Code, § 213.) If, as the commission urges, general exemptions from CEQA are already implied for those agencies having environmental responsibilities, then the new abbreviated alternative procedures would serve little purpose. The amendment makes no mention of extending CEQA to new areas, to which it would then apply. We must assume, therefore, that the Legislature intended to modify a preexisting duty, not to enact a statute that would have no or little effect. Third, the requirements of CEQA as amended by section 21080.5 do not match the procedures mandated by the Fish and Game Code under which the commission functions. Of the five essential elements contained in the streamlined procedures of section 21080.5 above described, for example, only two are included in the Fish and Game Code, namely, public review and comment (Fish & G. Code, §§ 206, 211, 212, 213), and consultation with other public agencies (§§ 208, 211). There is no equivalent in the Fish and Game Code for written data, either in the form of an abbreviated environmental review or a response to significant environmental points raised during the evaluation process. (Pub. Resources Code, § 21080.5, subds. (b)(2)(iv), (b)(3)(i).) Nor does the Fish and Game Code require that the commission implement the alternative with the least adverse effect on the environment. ( Id., § 21080.5, subd. (b)(2)(i).) CEQA and the Fish and Game Code not only lack coordination, but close scrutiny of their procedural differences reveals that these CEQA requirements serve very specific and important purposes. The EIR is most significant in this regard. One of its major functions, which is preserved in section 21080.5, is to ensure that all reasonable alternatives to proposed projects are thoroughly assessed by the responsible official. (Pub. Resources Code, §§ 21100, subds. (c), (d), 21080.5, subd. (b)(2); Friends of Mammoth v. Board of Supervisors (1972) 8 Cal.3d 247, 263, fn. 8 [104 Cal. Rptr. 761, 502 P.2d 1049]; People v. County of Kern (1974) 39 Cal. App.3d 830, 841-842 [115 Cal. Rptr. 67]; Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. v. Coastside County Water Dist. (1972) 27 Cal. App.3d 695, 704-705 [104 Cal. Rptr. 197].) The Fish and Game Code provides no similar assurances that the commission will consider the options which are available to it in adopting its hunting regulations. The commission is not required to analyze alternatives to the proposed length of the hunting season or proposed bag limits, compare their impacts on the bear population, or assess their practical effect on the recreational values associated with hunting. Similarly, procedures of the Fish and Game Code do not require the commission to respond in any manner to suggestions from interested citizens. Another important function of the EIR is to provide information on which the work of an agency can be evaluated by the public and by the courts. (See County of Inyo v. Yorty (1973) 32 Cal. App.3d 795, 810-811 [108 Cal. Rptr. 377]; Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. v. Coastside County Water Dist., supra, 27 Cal. App.3d 695, at p. 705.) Following issuance and filing of an EIR, judicial review may be invoked to determine whether or not the agency has abused its discretion. (Pub. Resources Code, § 21168.5.) CEQA renders easier the discovery of any such abuse by requiring the disclosure of certain specified environmental information, alternative proposals, and the reasons for accepting or rejecting recommendations or proposals made by the public. Again, no such requirement exists in the Fish and Game Code. While the commission must submit its minutes to the Legislature (Fish & G. Code, §§ 208, 211), there is no guarantee that the minutes will contain the necessary information for review. The foregoing disparity between the respective demands of CEQA and the Fish and Game Code strongly suggests that the administrative procedures found in the Fish and Game Code were not intended as a substitute for compliance with CEQA. This conclusion is fortified by our prior decisions interpreting CEQA. In analyzing the application of CEQA to an agency already charged by another act with environmental responsibilities, we recently recognized that these acts should be harmonized and CEQA applied. ( Bozung v. Local Agency Formation Com. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 263 [119 Cal. Rptr. 215, 531 P.2d 783].) (4) Moreover, we have recognized the necessity of interpreting CEQA broadly so as to afford the fullest possible protection to the environment within the reasonable scope of the statutory language. ( Friends of Mammoth v. Board of Supervisors, supra, 8 Cal.3d 247, 259.) (1d) Defendants argue that compliance with requirements of CEQA will actually retard the commission's work in protecting the environment through unnecessary duplication of tasks and needless diversion of the commission's resources. This alleged impracticality is viewed as indicative of a legislative intent not to include the commission within the scope of the act. We rejected a similar argument in Bozung v. Local Agency Formation Com., supra, 13 Cal.3d 263, when upholding the application of CEQA to a local agency formation commission. We fully recognized that a certain administrative workload would be imposed upon the affected agency, but foresaw the defeat or frustration of the worthy purposes of CEQA if compliance was not required. ( Id., at pp. 282-285.) Similar considerations are equally applicable to the case before us. While there is every indication that the commission carries out its duties conscientiously, we can neither ignore the demands of CEQA nor assume that the commission operating under the Fish and Game Code meets the expressed goals of CEQA while disregarding its requirements. Moreover, we are unconvinced that the additional requirements contained in CEQA necessarily will constitute an impractical or intolerable administrative burden for the commission. Compliance with the most demanding requirement, the EIR, may prove to be unnecessary. The commission may conclude after its initial study that the fixing of hunting and fishing seasons, though potentially having a significant environmental effect, may not in fact have such an effect. (Cal. Admin. Code, tit. 14, § 15083.) The public, of course, must be afforded the opportunity to convince the agency that its initial environmental assessment is wrong. ( Id., § 15083, subd. (c); see generally No Oil, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles (1974) 13 Cal.3d 68, 79-81 [118 Cal. Rptr. 34, 529 P.2d 66].) The commission may then either change its determination or uphold it, a decision which will be subject to judicial review. ( Hixon v. County of Los Angeles (1974) 38 Cal. App.3d 370 [113 Cal. Rptr. 433].) Alternatively, as noted above, the commission may qualify for the limited exemption available under Public Resources Code section 21080.5, allowing it to satisfy CEQA by compliance with more abbreviated procedures. Furthermore, even if a full EIR is required under the act, as amici note, much of the work necessary for the preparation of an EIR is already required by procedures under the Fish and Game Code. (See, e.g., Fish & G. Code, § 1000.) Indeed, if this work has not been performed, there is little force in defendants' argument that the commission substantially complies with CEQA through its adherence to the Fish and Game Code. Defendants insist that regardless of the overlap in study and research requirements, the time demands of CEQA relating to the EIR, conflict with the time restraints imposed by the Fish and Game Code. Such a conflict, they contend, indicates a legislative intent to exclude the commission from application of the act. We cannot accept the contention. Section 15160, subdivision (c), of title 14 of the California Administrative Code, which forms the basis for defendants' argument, provides that periods for public review of draft EIRs should be no less than 30 days. Under the Fish and Game Code, a calendar extending over a period of 50 to 70 days, is to be established by the commission, within which meetings are held to receive recommendations from the public, announce regulations, consider objections, and issue final regulations. (Fish & G. Code, §§ 206, 207, 211, 212, 213.) No discernible reason appears why the guidelines promulgated pursuant to CEQA cannot fit conveniently within the foregoing time framework. The commission may, indeed should, prepare well in advance of the first meeting a draft EIR complete except for its responses to public comments and objections. (See Cal. Admin. Code, tit. 14, § 15013; Bozung v. Local Agency Formation Com., supra, 13 Cal.3d 263, at p. 282.) It then need only respond to those comments which raise significant environmental issues. ( People v. County of Kern, supra, 39 Cal. App.3d 830, at p. 841; Cal. Admin. Code, tit. 14, § 15146, subd. (b).) This response may be in the form of either a revised EIR, or an attachment to the draft EIR. Responses need not be detailed except when the commission adopts a regulation at variance with particular recommendations which raise major issues. ( Id. ) The commission may begin to prepare its responses, whenever necessary, immediately after the first meeting. The time framework established in the Fish and Game Code then permits the commission both to schedule a second meeting 30 days after the first meeting, within which the public may review the draft EIR, and to reserve a 30-day period within which it can respond to any recommendations made during this second meeting. Once the EIR is prepared, it need not be prepared anew but may be updated each year. CEQA provides that new reports are not necessary unless substantial changes occur in the environmental conditions affected by the regulations. (Pub. Resources Code, § 21166; Cal. Admin. Code, tit. 14, § 15068.) It would also appear that the commission need not necessarily prepare separate reports for each species affected by its regulations. Upon a finding that the environmental effects of its hunting regulations are similar enough to warrant the same treatment and that a single EIR will cover the impacts of its regulations relating to each species, it may consolidate its findings in one report. ( Id., § 15068.) We conclude that sufficient administrative flexibility is authorized to permit commission compliance with CEQA. (5a) The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. § 4321 et seq.) constitutes, in substantial effect, a national counterpart to CEQA. A series of federal cases recognize the creation of an implied exemption from NEPA's EIR requirement in some situations in which a particular agency's regulations furnish a functional equivalent of this requirement. (See, e.g., Indiana & Mich. Elec. Co. v. Environmental Pro. Agcy. (7th Cir.1975) 509 F.2d 839; Amoco Oil Co. v. Environmental Protection Agency (D.C. Cir.1974) 501 F.2d 722 [163 App.D.C. 162]; Environmental Def. F., Inc. v. Environmental Pro. Agcy. (D.C. Cir.1973) 489 F.2d 1247 [160 App.D.C. 123]; Portland Cement Association v. Ruckelshaus (D.C. Cir.1973) 486 F.2d 375 [158 App.D.C. 308], cert. den., 417 U.S. 921 [41 L.Ed.2d 226, 94 S.Ct. 2628]; Buckeye Power, Inc. v. Environmental Protection Agcy. (6th Cir.1973) 481 F.2d 162; Duquesne Light Co. v. Environmental Protection Agcy. (3d Cir.1973) 481 F.2d 1; International Harvester Company v. Ruckelshaus (D.C. Cir.1973) 478 F.2d 615 [155 App.D.C. 411]; Appalachian Power Co. v. Environmental Pro. Agcy. (4th Cir.1973) 477 F.2d 495; Getty Oil Company (Eastern Operations) v. Ruckelshaus (3d Cir.1972) 467 F.2d 349, cert. den., 409 U.S. 1125 [35 L.Ed.2d 256, 93 S.Ct. 937].) Defendants, stressing certain similarities between CEQA and the Fish and Game Code, urge adoption of a similar functional equivalence test in the matter before us. We have previously relied upon federal cases construing NEPA in determining the scope of application of parallel provisions of CEQA (e.g., Friends of Mammoth v. Board of Supervisors, supra, 8 Cal.3d 247, at pp. 260-261). Recognizing that the California act was modeled on the federal statute, we have consistently treated judicial and administrative interpretation of the latter enactment as persuasive authority in interpreting CEQA. ( No Oil, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles, supra, 13 Cal.3d 68, at p. 86, fn. 21; Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. v. Coastside County Water Dist., supra, 27 Cal. App.3d 695, at p. 701.) However, for the reasons discussed below, we decline to apply the functional equivalence test. First, the foregoing federal cases recognize an exemption only if the agency in question was primarily created for the protection of the environment. (See Duquesne Light Co. v. Environmental Protection Agcy., supra, 481 F.2d 1, at p. 9; International Harvester Company v. Ruckelshaus, supra, 478 F.2d 615, at p. 650, fn. 130.) To date, the federal functional equivalence exemption has been judicially applied only to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Interestingly, although the matter apparently has never been litigated, the federal agency, analogous to the commission, namely, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, has assumed it must comply with NEPA. (See Fund for Animals v. Frizzell (D.D.C. 1975) 402 F. Supp. 35, 37.) In addition, the federal cases also require a statement which constitutes a functional equivalent of an environmental impact report, and which at the least contains ... a statement of reasons that sets forth the environmental considerations, pro and con which have been taken into account.... ( Portland Cement Association v. Ruckelshaus, supra, 486 F.2d 375, at pp. 384-385.) Since no such statement is required by the Fish and Game Code (and none was prepared in the present case), it seems highly unlikely that the commission's activity would be exempt under any federal substantial compliance test. (6a) Finally, a more compelling reason leads us to reject the functional equivalence test in California. (7) Federal judicial interpretations of NEPA are relevant to our consideration only to the extent that the provisions of NEPA may be fairly said to parallel CEQA. (6b) The significant addition to CEQA previously discussed, section 21080.5, has no federal analogue. This section, by providing an alternative to the EIR requirement of CEQA for agencies with environmental responsibilities, is in effect a statutory version of the judicially created federal functional equivalence doctrine. Thus, insofar as CEQA may provide an exemption for agencies with environmental responsibilities, section 21080.5 rather than federal precedent must define the scope of this exemption. (5b) For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that no implied exemption absolves the commission from full compliance with CEQA.