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Advanced Planning - SMARA
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California Environmental Quality (CEQA) Review |
- Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 or CEQA (Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq) is an integral part of the operations of the Planning Department, just as it is throughout the state. Nearly every project processed through this department, whether it is private or public, is subject to review under CEQA to analyze its possible impacts on the environment. CEQA is implemented through the State CEQA Guidelines, which are found in Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, commencing with Section 15000.
- Beyond the specific provisions of CEQA and the State CEQA Guidelines, agencies are allowed to establish their own guidelines for local implementation of the law. The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors adopted the “Stanislaus County CEQA Guidelines and Procedures” in 1983. This document, last amended in 1989, provides details of the County's operation under CEQA. Copies of these guidelines are available from the Planning Department.
- A key element of the County’s approach to CEQA has been the creation by the Board of Supervisors of the Environmental Review Committee (ERC). This is a group of individuals representing various County departments including: Public Works, Environmental Resources, Planning, County Counsel, County Fire, Agricultural Commissioner, and the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District. The ERC is chaired by a representative of the Chief Executive Office, with material distribution done by Planning. The Committee meets biweekly and reviews both projects being process or proposed by Stanislaus County and those submitted for comment by other agencies. The ERC functions to provide coordinated comments reflecting the position of Stanislaus County as a whole. Meetings are held in the Planning Department Conference Room and are open to the public. Please contact the department for meeting schedule information.
- The ERC makes a recommendation as to appropriate CEQA-related comments on each project it reviews. For projects being processed by the County, it is the responsibility of the staff person assigned to a given project to complete the appropriate CEQA mandated process. Most projects result in the issuance of Negative Declaration (a finding that anticipated impact levels are less than significant). The Negative Declaration is noticed by a legal publication in a newspaper at least 30 days prior to the date for the project. The final determination is made not by staff, but the body, generally either the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors, which is ultimately responsible for approval of the project itself.
- For projects determined to have potentially significant impacts, and where those impacts cannot be fully mitigated through the addition of mitigation measures to the project, an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) must be prepared. In recent years few projects, less than one annually, resulted in EIR preparation. When that does occur, the County generally uses a Request for Proposal process, sent to no more than five qualified consulting firms. While no “formal” or “certified” consultant list is maintained, firms wishing to be considered for environmental work can submit information to this office.
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