AB 2629, as introduced, Bloom. Conservation and mitigation banks: expedited review and approval.
Existing law provides that no conservation bank, mitigation bank, or conservation and mitigation bank is operative, vested, or final, nor bank credits issued, until the Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved the bank in writing and a conservation easement has been recorded on the site.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact later legislation that would create an expedited review and approval process by the department of an entity applying to the department to establish a conservation bank or mitigation bank for threatened, endangered, or other special status species if that entity already has a federally approved conservation bank or mitigation bank for that species.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
It is the intent of the Legislature to enact later
2legislation that would do the following:
3(a) Create an expedited review and approval process by the
4Department of Fish and Wildlife for an entity applying to the
P2 1Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish a conservation bank
2or mitigation bank for threatened, endangered, or other special
3status species if that entity already has a federally approved
4conservation bank or mitigation bank for those threatened,
5endangered, or other special status species for which the entity is
6seeking a state approved conservation bank or mitigation bank.
7(b) Require an entity to provide the Department of Fish and
8Wildlife any information
required by, and provided to, the
9appropriate federal regulatory entity for the approval and ongoing
10monitoring and oversight for compliance and effectiveness of the
11federally approved conservation bank or mitigation bank, including,
12but not limited to, the prospectus, any survey work information,
13progress reports, and federal credits paperwork.
14(c) Require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to utilize for
15the expedited review and approval process the information
16specified in subdivision (b).
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