Bill Text: CA AB3238 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: California Environmental Quality Act: electrical infrastructure projects.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-4)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-08-15 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB3238 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB3238-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Assembly
April 08, 2024 |
Introduced by Assembly Member Garcia (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alvarez, Calderon, Juan Carrillo, Flora, Gipson, Mathis, Jim Patterson, Rodriguez, |
February 16, 2024 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 2080.1 of the Fish and Game Code is amended to read:2080.1.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, or Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 1900) or Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 1925) of Division 2, but subject to subdivision (c), if a person obtains from the United States Secretary of the Interior or the United States Secretary of Commerce an incidental take statement pursuant to Section 7 of the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1536) or an incidental take permit pursuant to Section 10 of that federal act (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1539) that authorizes the taking of an endangered species or a threatened species that is listed pursuant to Section 4 of that federal act (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1533) and that is an endangered species, threatened species, or a candidate species pursuant to this chapter, no further authorization or approval is necessary under this chapter for that person to take that endangered species, threatened species, or candidate species identified in, and in accordance with, the incidental take statement or incidental take permit, if that person does all of the following:SEC. 2.
Section 2820 of the Fish and Game Code is amended to read:2820.
(a) The department shall approve a natural community conservation plan for implementation after making all of the following findings, based on substantial evidence in the record:SEC. 3.
Section 2826 of the Fish and Game Code is repealed.SEC. 4.
Section 2826 is added to the Fish and Game Code, to read:2826.
(a) For purposes of this section, “additional conservation measures” shall mean any provisions, actions, operational protocols, or requirements that enhance or supplement the existing conservation measures specified in a natural community conservation plan that is being amended.(a)Except as otherwise provided in this division, this division shall apply to discretionary projects proposed to be carried out or approved by public agencies, including, but not limited to, the enactment and amendment of zoning ordinances, the issuance of zoning variances, the issuance of conditional use permits, and the approval of tentative subdivision maps unless the project is exempt from this division.
(b)This division does not apply to any of the following activities:
(1)Ministerial projects proposed to be carried out or approved by public agencies.
(2)Emergency repairs to public service facilities necessary to maintain service.
(3)Projects undertaken, carried out, or approved by a public agency to maintain, repair, restore, demolish, or replace property or facilities damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster in a disaster-stricken area in which a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8550) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(4)Specific actions necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency, including actions by a public agency for the performance of wildfire mitigation measures by an electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code, performed under the electrical corporation’s approved wildfire mitigation plan to minimize the risk of its overhead electrical transmission or distribution lines and equipment causing a wildfire.
(5)Projects that a public agency rejects or disapproves.
(6)Actions undertaken by a public agency relating to any thermal powerplant site or facility, including the expenditure, obligation, or encumbrance of funds by a public agency for planning, engineering, or design purposes, or for the conditional sale or purchase of equipment, fuel, water (except groundwater), steam, or power for a thermal powerplant, if the powerplant site and related facility will be the subject of an environmental impact report, negative declaration, or other document, prepared pursuant to a regulatory program certified pursuant to Section 21080.5, that will be prepared by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, by the Public Utilities Commission, or by the city or county in which the powerplant and related facility would be located if the environmental impact report, negative declaration, or document includes the environmental impact, if any, of the action described in this paragraph.
(7)Activities or approvals necessary to the bidding for, hosting or staging of, and funding or carrying out of, an Olympic games under the authority of the International Olympic Committee, except for the construction of facilities necessary for the Olympic games.
(8)The establishment, modification, structuring, restructuring, or approval of rates, tolls, fares, or other charges by public agencies that the public agency finds are for the purpose of (A) meeting operating expenses, including employee wage rates and fringe benefits, (B) purchasing or leasing supplies, equipment, or materials, (C) meeting financial reserve needs and requirements, (D) obtaining funds for capital projects necessary to maintain service within existing service areas, or (E) obtaining funds necessary to maintain those intracity transfers as are authorized by city charter. The public agency shall incorporate written findings in the record of any proceeding in which an exemption under this paragraph is claimed setting forth with specificity the basis for the claim of exemption.
(9)All classes of projects designated pursuant to Section 21084.
(10)A project for the institution or increase of passenger or commuter services on rail or highway rights-of-way already in use, including modernization of existing stations and parking facilities. For purposes of this paragraph, “highway” shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 360 of the Vehicle Code.
(11)A project for the institution or increase of passenger or commuter service on high-occupancy vehicle lanes already in use, including the modernization of existing stations and parking facilities.
(12)Facility extensions not to exceed four miles in length that are required for the transfer of passengers from or to exclusive public mass transit guideway or busway public transit services.
(13)A project for the development of a regional transportation improvement program, the state transportation improvement program, or a congestion management program prepared pursuant to Section 65089 of the Government Code.
(14)A project or portion thereof located in another state that will be subject to environmental impact review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 4321 et seq.) or similar state laws of that state. Any emissions or discharges that would have a significant effect on the environment in this state are subject to this division.
(15)A project undertaken by a local agency to implement a rule or regulation imposed by a state agency, board, or commission under a certified regulatory program pursuant to Section 21080.5. Any site-specific effect of the project that was not analyzed as a significant effect on the environment in the plan or other written documentation required by Section 21080.5 is subject to this division.
(c)If a lead agency determines that a proposed project, not otherwise exempt from this division, would not have a significant effect on the environment, the lead agency shall adopt a negative declaration to that effect. The negative declaration shall be prepared for the proposed project in either of the following circumstances:
(1)There is no substantial evidence, in light of the whole record before the lead agency, that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.
(2)An initial study identifies potentially significant effects on the environment, but (A) revisions in the project plans or proposals made by, or agreed to by, the applicant before the proposed negative declaration and initial study are released for public review would avoid the effects or mitigate the effects to a point where clearly no significant effect on the environment would occur, and (B) there is no substantial evidence, in light of the whole record before the lead agency, that the project, as revised, may have a significant effect on the environment.
(d)If there is substantial evidence, in light of the whole record before the lead agency, that the project may have a significant effect on the environment, an environmental impact report shall be prepared.
(e)(1)For purposes of this section and this division, substantial
evidence includes fact, a reasonable assumption predicated upon fact, or expert opinion supported by fact.
(2)Substantial evidence is not argument, speculation, unsubstantiated opinion or narrative, evidence that is clearly inaccurate or erroneous, or evidence of social or economic impacts that do not contribute to, or are not caused by, physical impacts on the environment.
(f)As a result of the public review process for a mitigated negative declaration, including administrative decisions and public hearings, the lead agency may conclude that certain mitigation measures identified pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) are infeasible or otherwise undesirable. In those circumstances, the lead agency, before approving the project, may delete those mitigation measures and
substitute for them other mitigation measures that the lead agency finds, after holding a public hearing on the matter, are equivalent or more effective in mitigating significant effects on the environment to a less than significant level and that do not cause any potentially significant effect on the environment. If those new mitigation measures are made conditions of project approval or are otherwise made part of the project approval, the deletion of the former measures and the substitution of the new mitigation measures shall not constitute an action or circumstance requiring recirculation of the mitigated negative declaration.
(g)This section does not preclude a project applicant or any other person from challenging, in an administrative or judicial proceeding, the legality of a condition of project approval imposed by the lead
agency. If, however, any condition of project approval set aside by either an administrative body or court was necessary to avoid or lessen the likelihood of the occurrence of a significant effect on the environment, the lead agency’s approval of the negative declaration and project shall be invalid and a new environmental review process shall be conducted before the project can be reapproved, unless the lead agency substitutes a new condition that the lead agency finds, after holding a public hearing on the matter, is equivalent to, or more effective in, lessening or avoiding significant effects on the environment and that does not cause any potentially significant effect on the environment.
SEC. 6.SEC. 5.
Section 21080.60 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:21080.60.
(a) This division does not apply to the expansion of an existing right-of-way across a state-owned land to accommodate the construction, expansion, modification, or update of an electrical infrastructure project, as defined in Section 2845 of the Public Utilities Code.SEC. 7.SEC. 6.
Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 2845) is added to Part 2 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code, to read:CHAPTER 8.5. Electrical Infrastructure Projects
Article 1. Definitions
2845.
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:Article 2. General Provisions
2845.10.
(a) For an electrical infrastructure project, the commission is the lead agency for purposes of compliance with CEQA.(2)This subdivision shall become inoperative on January 1, 2045.