After several drafts informed by public review and comment over the past 10 years, the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) will soon meet to consider adoption of new Procedures for Discharges of Dredged or Fill Material to Waters of the State (Procedures). The Procedures will chiefly outline how to define wetlands and dictate
USFWS Reinterprets MBTA Section 2 of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) makes it unlawful to “take” (hunt, pursue, capture, injure, kill, or attempt to do so) a wide variety of migratory birds, except as permitted by regulations (16 U.S.C. § 703). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has consistently interpreted Section 2 as
After a nationwide implementation delay spanning more than 3 years, the 2015 Clean Water Rule became law in late August 2018 in 22 states (including California) as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. Wetland delineations in all participating states must now follow the 2015 rule. The 2015 rule was published by
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
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
Kaiser Permanente’s ambitious goal for a new 450-bed hospital included LEED Platinum Certification and becoming a valued neighborhood resource. The new medical campus was recently named the Best Healthcare Project in California in 2017 by Engineering News Record. “When you’re building a hospital, it’s like building a mini-city,” said Shawn Shamlou, AICP, Dudek’s CEQA Principal
The passage of California Senate Bill (SB) 743 introduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as the new recommended threshold for transportation impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review, eliminating level of service (LOS) as a CEQA threshold. The City of Pasadena (City) was among the first to update its CEQA thresholds in 2014. The
In 2016, several laws that concern the environment have come into effect in California. Do you know which ones may impact you? Air Quality The state Air Resources Board will gain two members—by legislative appointment—who will represent communities suffering from air pollution. Drought Cities and counties are no longer able to ban residents from removing
