Noticing is sometimes seen as the easy part of CEQA, but the CEQA public noticing process is an alphabet soup of categories and acronyms that isn’t clearly laid out in a single resource. In addition, it’s helpful to be familiar with case law that provides guidance on legally defensible notification, as well as with other
Dudek led a two-year wildlife connectivity study along State Route 62 that connects the area between the San Gorgonio Wilderness and Big Morongo Canyon Preserve. In advance of future modifications to the highway system, Caltrans was interested in the current use by large mammals (primarily desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, black bear, mountain lion, coyote,
What is the current listing status for California bumble bees? On May 31, 2022, the Third Appellate Court District in California ruled that “…a terrestrial invertebrate, like each of the four bumble bee species, may be listed as an endangered or threatened species under the [California Endangered Species Act],” under the definition of ‘fish.’ This
California has more federally recognized tribes than any other state—109 to be exact. Within the State of California, Tribes, Tribal Communities, and Underrepresented Communities face multiple challenges regarding water equity and access to clean, affordable, and sustainable groundwater and water resources, such as groundwater overdraft and groundwater basin contamination. The Public Policy Institute of California
On December 28, 2021, the USFWS published a proposed rule in the Federal Register listing four of six Distinct Population Segments (DPSs) of the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) under the Endangered Species Act. This follows the 2020 listing by the California Fish and Game Commission of five of six clades of the foothill yellow-legged
California is a prime location for offshore wind development for two reasons: first, it has some of the strongest and steadiest wind anywhere in the world and second, there is high demand for renewable energy in the California Independent Systems Operator (CAISO) market. In addition, technological advances for floating offshore wind turbines make the depths
On April 2, 2019, the California State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) approved new Procedures for Discharges of Dredged or Fill Material to Waters of the State (Procedures). The new wetland Procedures address potential gaps in federal regulatory coverage for certain wetlands and waters of the state due to potential federal changes that would
The 2018 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Update has been finalized and are found in the California Code of Regulations Section 15000 et seq. In the Final Statement of Reasons, the Natural Resources Agency organized the changes into three categories: Efficiency Substantive Improvements Technical Improvements Efficiency Using Regulatory Standards in the CEQA Process The
California passed 15 bills designed to address the state’s housing problems, including solutions to streamline housing approvals, enact inclusionary housing requirements for residential rental projects, and generate funds for affordable housing projects. Three bills–-SB 35, SB 540, and AB 73–-have the greatest effect on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process for housing projects. This
In 2017, California passed 15 bills designed to address the state’s housing problems, including solutions to streamline housing approvals, enact inclusionary housing requirements for residential rental projects, and generate funds for affordable housing projects. Three bills–SB 35, SB 540, and AB 73–have the greatest effect on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process for housing
