BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2565
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 21, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   AB 2565 (Ammiano) - As Amended:  April 5, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              Natural  
          ResourcesVote:9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires a lead agency-one with primary responsibility  
          for permitting a proposed project-to publish on its website any  
          documents required under the California Environmental Quality  
          Act (CEQA).  The bill also requires the lead agency to provide a  
          copy of a CEQA document to any member of the public or a public  
          agency, upon request.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Negligible costs, if any.

          2)Potential minor state and local savings from reduced demand  
            for hardcopy CEQA documents.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  .  The author contends making CEQA documents  
            available to the public in electronic format reduces  
            paper-based waste, increases efficiency, and may result in  
            savings to state and local agencies.

           2)Background  .  CEQA obligates public officials to consider the  
            environmental effects of their decisions.  The lead agency  
            that proposes to approve a project must conduct an initial  
            study to determine if the project may have significant,  
            adverse environmental effects.  If not, the lead agency issues  
            a negative declaration and, after a 30-day review period,  
            proceeds with its review and decision.  If the lead agency  
            finds minor effects that can be mitigated, it issues a  
            mitigated negative declaration and then proceeds.  If the lead  








                                                                  AB 2565
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            agency finds that the effects of the project may be  
            significant, it prepares an environmental impact report (EIR),  
            a document that show public officials how to avoid or mitigate  
            the project's environmental effects.  

            CEQA requires that a lead agency make CEQA documents available  
            to the public.  The act does not specify, however, that an  
            agency that makes its CEQA documents available electronically  
            has fulfilled its obligation to make these documents available  
            to the public.  

           3)Supporters  include several local governments and local  
            government organizations.

           4)There is no registered opposition to this bill.
           
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081