Environmental quality: California Environmental Quality Act.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, by July 1, 2004, to develop a protocol for reviewing prospective application of certified regulatory programs to evaluate the consistency of those programs with the requirements of CEQA and requires the secretary, in developing the protocol, hold at least 2 public meetings and provide to a person who files a written request for a notice 10 days prior to the meeting (10 days notice) . This bill would authorize the secretary to update the protocol. The bill would require the secretary, in updating the protocol, to hold at least 2 public meetings and to provide the 10-days notice to a person who files a written request for the notice and to specified committees of the Legislature. The bill would repeal obsolete and duplicative provisions from CEQA.