Agencies that are lead applicants in CEQA

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This page identifies the lead agencies of CEQA projects on California's Central Coast, and describes their roles. The lead agency is a public agency that is responsible for carrying out its own project, or is responsible for overseeing a private project. It is the agency responsible for determining the type of analysis required by CEQA. The precise definition in the text of CEQA is:

Lead agency means the public agency which has the principal responsibility for carrying out or approving a project which may have a significant effect upon the environment.

[1] [2]

Lead Agency Procedures

  • Each public agency must adopt guidelines, criteria and specific procedures consistent with CEQA statute and guidelines. The implemented procedures should contain at least provisions for:
  1. Identifying activites that are exempt from CEQA, including:
    1. Provisions for evaluating a proposed activity to determine if there will be a significant effect on the environment.
    2. Projects or permits for which the public agency has only ministerial authority (some examples presumed to be ministerial include issuance of building permits, issuance of business licences, approval of final subdivision maps, approval of individual utility service connections, although each agency should identify ministerial actions) [1].
    3. Specific activities the agency has found to be categorically exempt as established by CEQA Guidlines.
  2. Conducting initial studies.
  3. Preparing negative declarations.
  4. Preparing draft and final EIRs.
  5. Consulting with and obtaining comments from other public agencies and the public.
  6. Assuring adequate opportunity and time for public review and comment on Draft EIR or Negative Declaration.
  7. Evaluating and responding to comments received on environmental documents.
  8. Assigning responsibility for determining the adequacy of an EIR or Negative Declaration.
  9. Reviewing and considering environmental documents by the person or decision-making body who will approve or disapprove a project.
  10. Filing documents required or authorized by CEQA and these Guidlines.
  11. Providing adequate comments on environmental documents which are submitted to the agency for review.
  12. Assigning responsibility for specific functions to particular unit of the public agency.
  13. Providing time periods for performing functions under CEQA.

[2]. [3].

Responsible Agencies

  • Lead agencies have principal responsibility for carrying out or approving a project. A Responsible Agency may have some authority over some aspect of a project, but relies on the lead agency's environmental document for aspects of the project which requires its approval. The responsible agency makes its own determination on the feasibility of mitigation measures or alternatives for each significant environmental effects identified in the EIR. The Responsible Agency must make one or more of three findings:
  1. Changes have been incorporated to avoid or substantially lessen the identified significant environmental effect.
  2. The changes are within the jurisdiction of another agency and the changes have been or should be adopted by that other agency.
  3. Specific considerations which make infeasible the alternatives identified in the final EIR.

[4]. [5].

Trustee Agencies

  • Once a lead agency determines an initial study is required, it must consult with all trustee agencies responsible for resources affected by the project. Trustee agencies include California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Parks and Recreation, State Lands Commission regarding trust lands and riverbeds and University of California regarding UC Reserves, among others. Trustee agencies must be responsible for management of the resources for the public trust. If an initial study fins a project would have a significant environmental effect on a resource, the lead agency must provide any proposed negative declaration to the trustee agency.

Lead Agencies in Monterey County by CEQA documents submitted (Jan 2003 - Jan 2012)

Key to Abbreviations

Abbrev CON EA EIR EIS Fin FIS FON FOT JD Neg MEA MND NOD NOE NOI NOP Oth RIR SBE SEA SIR SIS TRI
Document Types Early Consultation Environmental Assessment Environmental Impact Report Environmental Impact Statement Final Document Final Environmental Impact Statement Finding of No Significant Impact Federal Other Document Joint Document Negative Declaration Master Environmental Assessment Mitigated Negative Declaration Notice of Determination Notice of Exemption Notice of Intent Notice of Preparation Other Document Revised Environmental Impact Report Subsequent Environmental Impact Report Supplemental Environmental Assessment Supplemental Environmental Impact Report Revised/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Tribal Compact Environmental Evaluation

Definitions of document types can be found in the CEQA Glossary.

Agencies in Monterey county with the greatest CEQA involvement are listed first (see Grand Total).

Lead Agency NOE NOD Neg MND NOP EIR FIN SIR EA FON JD EIS NOI SBE RIR Grand Total
Monterey County 17 89 172 121 30 34 11 1 2 1 2 1 1 482
"Parks and Recreation, Department of" 234 16 1 4 5 4 1 2 267
Fish & Game #3 38 53 3 94
"Monterey, City of" 21 24 23 14 1 5 1 89
"Salinas, City of" 2 20 7 13 9 3 1 2 57
Caltrans #5 15 23 3 5 2 2 2 52
Monterey County Water Resources Agency 45 2 2 49
"Pacific Grove, City of" 3 16 15 12 1 1 48
Fish & Game #4 36 5 3 44
"Marina, City of" 1 16 7 2 7 5 1 39
State Water Resources Control Board 23 7 1 3 2 2 1 39
"Seaside, City of" 2 12 8 5 5 3 35
"Soledad, City of" 5 8 6 1 6 6 2 34
Marina Coast Water District 7 16 3 3 2 1 1 33
"Greenfield, City of" 3 3 12 4 5 4 2 33
King City 1 7 7 3 5 3 26
Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority 1 15 3 3 1 23
"Health Services, Department of" 16 2 5 23
"Fish & Game, Wildlife Conservation Board" 19 19
California State Lands Commission 15 1 1 1 1 19
"Carmel-by-the-Sea, City of" 2 8 2 3 4 19
California State Coastal Conservancy 12 3 2 1 1 19
Caltrans #6 13 1 2 1 1 18
"Water Resources, Department of" 4 6 1 1 3 1 1 17
California State University Trustees 1 7 2 2 2 2 1 17
Sand City 5 4 3 2 2 16
"Gonzales, City of" 3 4 5 3 1 16
"Public Health, Department of" 13 2 1 16
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District 2 7 1 2 2 1 15
Public Utilities Commission 8 2 2 1 1 14
Monterey Peninsula Community College District 6 4 4 14
"Toxic Substances Control, Department of" 7 2 4 13
"Regional Water Quality Control Board, Region 3 (Central Coast), San Luis Obispo" 5 5 1 1 1 13
"California State University, Monterey Bay" 11 1 12
Monterey County Transportation Agency 1 3 1 4 3 12
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District 7 2 2 1 12
"Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of" 7 1 2 1 11
Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments 5 2 1 2 1 11
"Forestry and Fire Protection, Board of" 11 11
Monterey Peninsula Airport District 1 1 2 2 3 1 10
"Food and Agriculture, Department of" 3 1 1 1 3 9
"General Services, Department of" 6 1 1 1 9
Monterey Regional Waste Management District 5 3 8
Hartnell College 2 2 2 1 1 8
Aromas Water District 5 2 1 8
Salinas Union High School District 2 3 2 1 8
Alisal Union School District 4 3 1 8
Energy Commission 4 2 1 7
Carmel Area Wastewater District (CAWD) 3 3 1 7
U.S. Army 2 3 1 1 7
"Forestry and Fire Protection, Department of" 7 7
Fish & Game #2 2 3 2 7
"Del Rey Oaks, City of" 2 2 1 1 6
Fish & Game Commission 1 1 1 2 1 6
Pajaro Sunny Mesa Community Service District 1 5 6
Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency 1 2 1 1 5
Washington Union High School District 5 5
California Integrated Waste Management Board 4 1 5
Santa Cruz County 4 1 5
Fort Ord Reuse Authority 3 1 1 5
San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority 1 1 1 1 4
Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency 1 2 1 4
Fish and Game (HQ) Environmental Services 2 2 4
Monterey County Local Agency Formation Commission 2 2 4
Pebble Beach Community Services District 1 2 3
"Resource Conservation District, Monterey County" 2 1 3
"Resources Agency, The" 3 3
Castroville County Water District 3 3
Federal Aviation Administration 1 1 1 3
"Motor Vehicles, Department of" 3 3
U.S. Army National Guard 1 1 2
"University of California, Davis" 2 2
"Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, California" 2 2
Monterey County Board of Education 2 2
Santa Rita Union School District 1 1 2
Soledad Union Elementary School District 1 1 2
U.S. Army Reserve 1 1 2
Gonzales Redevelopment Agency 1 1 2
"University of California, Berkeley" 2 2
"Employment Development, Department of" 2 2
"University of California, Santa Cruz" 2 2
Moss Landing Harbor District 1 1 2
North Monterey County Unified School District 1 1 2
Greenfield Union School District 1 1 2
Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District 1 1 2
Placer County 1 1
King City Union School District 1 1
Cal EMA 1 1
"Corporations, Department of" 1 1
Military Department - Office of the Adjutant General 1 1
"Army National Guard, California" 1 1
"Housing and Community Development, California Department of" 1 1
"Rehabilitation, Department of" 1 1
National Park Service 1 1
Monterey County North County Fire Protection District 1 1
"Equalization, Board of" 1 1
Fish & Game #7 1 1
Mission Union School District 1 1
Salinas City School District 1 1
California Conservation Corps 1 1
Greenfield Public Recreation District 1 1
Judicial Council of California 1 1
Covina Valley Unified School District 1 1
King City Joint Union High School District 1 1
Bureau of Land Management 1 1
National Science Foundation 1 1
San Ardo Water District 1 1
Northern Salinas Valley Mosquito Abatement District 1 1
Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District 1 1
California City 1 1
"San Luis Obispo County, Office of Education" 1 1
"University of California, Planning, Design & Construction" 1 1
"Caltrans, Planning" 1 1
Administrative Office of the Courts 1 1
"Health and Human Services, State of California" 1 1
"Watsonville, City of" 1 1
Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District 1 1
"Fish and Game, Marine" 1 1
Grand Total 633 507 340 226 132 110 41 13 8 4 4 2 2 1 1 2024

Lead Agencies and EIAs

  • Monterey County

Monterey County was the lead agency submitting the most number of environmental impact reports (EIRs), with 34 issued in the last 10 years (Jan 1 2003 - Jan 1 2013). Projects could be divided roughly between community plan updates and combined development permit / subdivision applications. Other projects include construction of a crude oil pipeline, expansion of a youth camp, and a granite quarry. [6]

Lead Agencies and Exemptions

  • California Department of Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation granted the most number of exemptions in the last 10 years. 234 exemptions were issued between Jan 1 2003 - Jan 1 2013, out of 287 total documents.

Lead Agencies and Negative Determinations

  • The City of Salinas and the City of Greenfield have some of the highest proportion of negative determinations and mitigated determinations in as compared to EIAs.

References

  1. CEQA Guidelines
  2. CEQA Guidelines
  3. California Environmental Quality Act Statute and Guidelines 2012
  4. Responsible Agency Findings
  5. Remy et al. 1996. Guide to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
  6. CeqaNet Database

See also

Links

Disclaimer

This page may contain students's work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.