SB 754, as introduced, Evans. California Environmental Quality Act.
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 exempts from its provisions, among other things, certain types of projects proposed to be carried out or approved by public agencies.
This bill would make various technical, nonsubstantive changes in those provisions governing exemptions from CEQA.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 21081 of the Public Resources Code is
2amended to read:
Pursuant to the policy stated in Sections 21002 and
421002.1,begin delete noend deletebegin insert aend insert public agency shallbegin insert notend insert approve or carry out a project
5for which an environmental impact report has been certifiedbegin delete whichend delete
6begin insert thatend insert identifies one or more significant effects on the environment
P2 1that would occur if the project is approved or carried out unless
2both of
the following occur:
3(a) The public agency makes one or more of the following
4findings with respect to each significant effect:
5(1) Changes or alterations have been required in, or incorporated
6into, the projectbegin delete whichend deletebegin insert thatend insert mitigate or avoid the significant effects
7on the environment.
8(2) Those changes or alterations are within the responsibility
9and jurisdiction of another public agency and have been, or can
10and should be, adopted by that other agency.
11(3) Specific economic, legal, social, technological, or other
12considerations, including considerations for the
provision of
13employment opportunities for highly trained workers, make
14infeasible the mitigation measures or alternatives identified in the
15environmental impact report.
16(b) With respect to significant effectsbegin delete whichend deletebegin insert thatend insert were subject
17to a finding under paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), the public
18agency finds that specific overriding economic, legal, social,
19technological, or other benefits of the project outweigh the
20significant effects on the environment.
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