California Environmental Quality Act: the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation: technical advisory.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on funding for this initiative.

California Environmental Quality Act: Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas and Noise Pollution

This legislation requires the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to develop guidelines and a technical advisory on thresholds of significance for greenhouse gas and noise pollution effects, which will help public agencies determine if proposed projects may have significant environmental impacts.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to create best practices for determining whether proposed projects might harm the environment due to greenhouse gases or noise pollution by July 1, 2027.
• Allows the office to consult with other agencies that have expertise in environmental laws when developing these guidelines.
• Creates a technical advisory on thresholds of significance for greenhouse gas and noise pollution effects to assist local agencies in their decision-making process.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public agencies responsible for reviewing proposed projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
• The Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, which will develop these guidelines.
• Local, regional, state, and federal agencies that provide expertise on environmental laws.

Terms To Know

Thresholds of significance

Specific levels or amounts of pollution or other impacts that are considered significant enough to require further review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Technical advisory

Guidance provided by experts to help agencies make decisions based on best practices and current knowledge.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation fails to meet the July 1, 2027 deadline.
• It is unclear how much funding will be provided for this initiative.
• Local agencies are allowed but not required to adopt the suggested thresholds of significance.

Official Summary Text

SB 231, as amended, Seyarto.
California Environmental Quality Act:
guidelines.
the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation: technical advisory.
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 on a project that it 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 requires the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, formerly named the Office of Planning and Research, to prepare and develop, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt, guidelines for the implementation of CEQA. CEQA requires the guidelines to specifically include criteria for public agencies to follow in determining whether or not a proposed project may have a significant effect on the environment.
This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to prepare and develop, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt, guidelines in Appendix O of the CEQA guidelines to establish best practices for public agencies to follow in determining whether or not a proposed project may have a significant effect on the environment when completing Appendix G of the CEQA guidelines. The bill would require the best practices to consider, and include identifiable thresholds of significance based on, specified state and federal environmental laws. The bill would authorize the office, in developing those guidelines,
to consult with local, regional, state, and federal agencies that have authority and expertise on those subjects.
Under existing law, the recommendation, continuous evaluation, and execution of statewide environmental goals, policies, and plans are included within the scope of the executive functions of the Governor. Existing law establishes the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation in the Governor’s office for the purpose of serving the Governor and the Governor’s cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research and constituting the comprehensive state planning agency.
This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to consult with regional, local, state, and federal agencies to develop a technical advisory on thresholds of significance for greenhouse gas and noise pollution effects on the environment to assist local agencies. The bill
would require the technical advisory to provide suggested thresholds of significance for all areas of the state, as specified, and would provide that lead agencies may elect to adopt these suggested thresholds of significance. The bill would also require the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to post the technical advisory on its internet website.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF