California Environmental Quality Act: environmental leadership development projects: water storage, water conveyance, and groundwater recharge projects: streamlined review.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the streamlining benefits or the exact certification process timeline.

Streamlining Environmental Review for Water Projects

AB-295 extends the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act to include water storage, conveyance, and groundwater recharge projects that provide public benefits and drought preparedness.

What This Bill Does

• Extends the environmental leadership development project certification process to water storage, conveyance, and groundwater recharge projects.
• Requires lead agencies to prepare records of proceedings for these types of projects.

Who It Names or Affects

• Lead agencies responsible for water storage, conveyance, and groundwater recharge projects
• The Governor of California

Terms To Know

Environmental Impact Report (EIR)

A document that evaluates the environmental effects of a proposed project.

Lead agency

An organization responsible for approving or carrying out a project under CEQA.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much public benefit is required for certification.
• It remains unclear what specific streamlining benefits will be provided to certified projects.

Official Summary Text

AB 295, as introduced, Macedo.
California Environmental Quality Act: environmental leadership development projects: water storage, water conveyance, and groundwater recharge projects: streamlined review.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that the lead agency proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA establishes a procedure by which a person may seek judicial review of the decision of the lead agency made pursuant to CEQA.
The Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021 authorizes the Governor, until January 1, 2032, to certify environmental leadership development projects that meet specified requirements for certain streamlining benefits related to CEQA. The act, among other things, requires a lead agency to prepare the record of proceedings for an environmental leadership development project, as provided, and to provide a specified notice within 10 days of the Governor certifying the project. The act is repealed by its own term on January 1, 2034.
This bill would extend the application of the act to water storage projects, water conveyance projects, and groundwater recharge projects that provide public benefits and drought preparedness. Because a lead agency would be required to prepare the record of proceedings for water storage projects, water conveyance projects, and groundwater recharge
projects pursuant to the act, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF