Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
of Environmental Protection, which must ultimately issue approvals or per-
mits for the proposed action.
8.6.2
California Environmental Quality Act
The requirements, structure, and procedures for the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) (Public Resources Code 21000-21177 and the CEQA
Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3,
Sections 15000-15387) are modeled very closely on those of NEPA and it was
enacted in 1970, just shortly after passage of the national policy. Similar to
NEPA, the California equivalent applies to any action taken by any govern-
ment entity with the action including approval or funding of a predomi-
nately private undertaking. CEQA also is based on a policy of encouraging
environmental protection and integrating environmental considerations
into any decision by a government entity that could potentially affect the
environment. Also similar to NEPA, CEQA is based on an overall policy of
harmony between humans and their environment, but CEQA is more spe-
cific and direct in the policy statement, which includes a requirement for all
government agencies to take all action necessary to:
r Provide the citizens of California with clean air and water.
r Ensure enjoyment of aesthetic, natural, scenic, and historic environ-
mental qualities.
r Provide freedom from excessive noise.
r Prevent the elimination of fish or wildlife species due to human
activity.
Unlike most other state programs, under CEQA, local and regional gov-
ernments and all their subdivisions (e.g., planning boards, fire departments,
water districts) must comply with provisions of the Act. This provision greatly
expands the number and range of responsibilities exercised by government
agencies and other entities that are covered and thus the number of environ-
mental analyses that are conducted every year. It also increases the breadth of
activities covered by the Act and integrates environmental consideration into
a much greater spectrum of the day-to-day life of California residents, which
in turn increases their environmental awareness. For example, development
of local zoning ordinances is covered by CEQA, which directly affects even
small-scale development at the local level. The crafters of California's envi-
ronmental policy broadened the scope of CEQA, compared to NEPA when
it was first enacted, in 1970 and with subsequent amendments in anticipa-
tion of the exponential population and development growth predicted for the
state. Their concern was justified, as California's population doubled, from
15 million to 30 million, during the first 15 years CEQA was in effect (Medvitz
and Sokolow 1995). Proceeding unchecked, this growth and its associated
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