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AB 972 (Calderon) became effective October 13, 2001. This bill changed the Preliminary Endangerment Assessment (PEA) public review and approval process. These changes are not yet reflected on this website. Please contact the SFPD representative assigned to your county, or the DTSC, for more information on the effects of AB 972. This website is being updated to reflect the changes made by AB 972 and AB 1367 (Wiggins). AB 1367 takes effect on January 1, 2002.
If you have questions about the CEQA review process, or you need assistance completing any of these tasks, please contact the State Clearinghouse and Planning Unit (SCH) within the Office of Planning and Research (OPR).
- Perform Initial Study
- Prepare Required Documents
- Submit Required Documents
- Wait for Agencies Review
- Respond to Comments
Your district must determine whether, as will usually be the case, it must perform an "Initial Study" to identify the environmental impacts of the project and determine whether the impacts are considered "significant" under State law.
Although there is no ironclad definition of what is significant, the State CEQA Guidelines, administered by the OPR, provide criteria for making this determination. In particular, your district must find that the project may have a significant effect on the environment if the project meets any of the following criteria:
- Might substantially degrade the quality of the environment
- Might substantially reduce the habitat of any fish or wildlife species
- Might cause a fish or wildlife population to drop below self-sustaining levels
- Might threaten to eliminate a plant or animal community
- Might reduce the numbers of an endangered, rare, or threatened species
- Might restrict the range of an endangered, rare, or threatened species
- Could have considerable incremental environmental effects when viewed in connection with the effects of other past, present, and future projects
- Will directly or indirectly cause substantial adverse effects on human beings
For an online, downloadable version of a "CEQA Initial Study Checklist," see the Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) website at http://www.califaep.org/content.asp?pid=71.
Based on its findings as to significance, your district must prepare one of the following environmental review documents and give public notice of its availability:
- Negative Declaration if your district finds no significant impacts.
- Mitigated Negative Declaration if your district finds significant impacts but revises the project to avoid or mitigate those impacts.
- Environmental Impact Report (EIR) if your district finds significant impacts.
The EIR's purpose is to:
- Provide State and local agencies and the general public with detailed information on any potentially significant environmental effects.
- List ways in which these effects may be minimized.
- Indicate alternatives to the proposed project.
No specific forms exist for Negative Declarations and EIRs, which are tailored to each situation. However, your district can obtain assistance and guidance in preparing these documents from the SCH.
If you would like more information about the environmental document review process, the OPR website at www.opr.ca.gov provides the "State Clearinghouse Handbook" and copies of various CEQA forms. Your district can download, print, and complete these forms, and then mail them to the SCH.
The SCH is the central point of contact for the distribution of a Negative Declaration or draft EIR under CEQA. Submit your district's CEQA report and forms to the SCH.
The SCH reviews your district's CEQA report to identify potential areas of concern and to determine which State agencies need to be consulted regarding those areas. The SCH then distributes your district's CEQA report to those State agencies for review.
The State agencies reviewing your school district's CEQA report will contact your district if they have concerns or comments. Common Agencies describes the agencies commonly involved and the types of reviews each performs.
If your district submitted a Negative Declaration, your district must consider any comments received, but it is not required to address those comments in an amended Negative Declaration.
If your district submitted a draft EIR, your district is required to produce a final EIR that responds to the specific comments received.
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