Does CEQA require a public hearing?
While CEQA itself does not require public hearings, the CEQA Guidelines already encourage coordination of environmental review with consideration of project approval so that the CEQA process proceeds concurrently with, rather than consecutively and separately from, the project approval process.
What is a CEQA notice of preparation?
A Notice of Preparation (NOP) is a brief notice sent by the lead agency to notify the responsible agencies, trustee agencies, and involved federal agencies that the lead agency plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) or an Environment Assessment (EA) with significant impacts for the project.
What is a notice of availability CEQA?
Notice of Availability (NOA) NOAs announce that a draft environmental impact report (EIR) is available for viewing, or that an EIR is being recirculated due to new information about a previously approved project. The NOA is sent to anyone who has requested notice and it is published in a general circulation newspaper.
What does it mean that the public has a privileged position in the CEQA process?
In a 1986 court case, it was emphasized that “… the public holds a ‘privileged position’ in the CEQA process ‘based on a belief that citizens can make important contributions to environmental protection and on notions of democratic decision making’.” (1992 State CEQA Guidelines, Section 15201).
What is a CEQA Notice of Exemption?
Notices of Exemption – When a public agency determines that a project is exempt from CEQA, a Notice of Exemption (NOE) is prepared and may be filed by a public agency after it has decided to carry out or approve a project.
What triggers an EIR?
When an Initial Study indicates that a project has the potential to “significantly” damage the environment, CEQA requires that an EIR be prepared. An EIR is an informational document to be used by the public and by decision makers when making choices about projects.
What is a CEQA notice of intent?
Notices of Intent – A Notice of Intent (NOI) to Adopt a Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration is a brief notice released by the lead agency as soon as it has completed a Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration document for public review and comment.
What is a negative declaration under CEQA?
A Negative Declaration (ND) is a written statement by the Lead Agency briefly describing the reasons why a proposed project, that is not exempt from CEQA, will not have a significant effect on the environment and, therefore, does not require the preparation of an EIR. ( State CEQA Guidelines § 15371)
Who prepares an EIR?
The lead agency shall prepare a final EIR before approving the project. The contents of a final EIR are specified in 14 CCR Section 15132 of the CEQA Guidelines. Lead agencies may provide an opportunity for review of the final EIR by the public or by commenting agencies before approving the project.
Why does an EIR get prepared?
Preparation of an EIR is required when a Lead Agency determines that a proposed project would have one or more significant impacts on the environment based on a preliminary review of the project (State CEQA Guidelines § 15060) or completion of an Initial Study (State CEQA Guidelines § 15063).