Permit processing time for Meteorological Testing (MET) facilities can be streamlined when engineering parameters and environmental permitting considerations are managed concurrently and collaboratively. When pursuing MET facility construction on private land in California, permit issuance to construct by the lead agency is subject to CEQA requirements. A categorical exemption is often used by a lead
Programmatic permitting can reduce mitigation costs, cut staff and consultant time, reduce or eliminate resource agency permit reviews, and minimize risk to a project’s schedule and budget. Programmatic permits provides cities, counties, and utilities a way to significantly streamline regulatory permitting for projects that can have potential temporary or permanent impacts to state and federal
Victor Valley College’s new 1-megawatt solar energy plant, on a 6-acre plot in Victorville, CA, provides around 30% of the campus’ power. The facility uses concentrator photovoltaics, or CPV, technology that provides power concentrated in a smaller area requiring less land. Dudek prepared the project’s environmental impact documentation in coordination with GKKWorks, the college’s overall
San Marcos Unified School District officials saw opportunity – rather than potential regulatory headaches – when they learned a new elementary school site harbored federally-protected wetlands habitat and endangered thread-leaved brodiaea. The district developed ambitious plans to preserve the wetlands and to translocate the plants to a 7.6-acre preserve surrounding the school on two sides.
Public Works Plans (PWPs) are an innovative — but little known approach — to streamlining California Coastal Commission permitting for qualifying public projects. A PWP provides a comprehensive permit vehicle for obtaining Commission approval of large or phased public works projects in place of the usual project-by-project permit application process. Time and expense savings are
Winning grant funding and administrating your grant efficiently and successfully can be accomplished through a four-step “conception-to-construction” approach. 1. Start with comprehensive, realistic project scoping Laying the proper foundation is essential to identify the correct funding agencies and programs for your project. It will also help to determine if you have the proper baseline documentation
Wastewater districts considering upgrading or rehabilitating facilities with ocean outfalls need to consider how the California Coastal Commission (CCC) will interpret requirements of the California Coastal Act (Coastal Act) and certified local coastal programs (LCPs) in the review and permitting stages. Stakeholder groups are also paying close attention to ocean outfall issues with an eye
Even with environmental permits in hand and construction set to begin, routine pre-construction surveys sometimes result in the unexpected discovery of sensitive (endangered) species. The San Diego County Water Authority’s project to raise San Vicente Dam – the largest such project in the United States – had been issued permits for three federally listed endangered
Success of a renewable energy project often starts with meeting stringent, complex environmental permitting and mitigation requirements. Dudek’s David Hochart, an environmental permitting specialist with expertise in California renewable energy sites, outlines below how a successful environmental permitting process begins with an effective due diligence plan: Environmental due diligence should be completed prior to substantial
The project is certified using innovative but little known approach to streamline coastal permitting for qualifying public projects. The California Coastal Commission has certified approval of a large-scale project to improve parks, open space, trails, and wildlife habitat on 1,700 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains. The project was certified using a Public Works Plan
