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Bills

SB 231: California Environmental Quality Act: the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation: technical advisory.

  • Session Year: 2025-2026
  • House: Senate

Current Status:

In Progress

(2025-05-23: May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.)

Introduced

First Committee Review

First Chamber

Second Committee Review

Second Chamber

Enacted

Version:

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 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 Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, formerly named the Office of Planning and Research, to prepare and develop, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt, guidelines for the implementation of CEQA. CEQA requires the guidelines to specifically include criteria for public agencies to follow in determining whether or not a proposed project may have a significant effect on the environment.This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to prepare and develop, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt, guidelines in Appendix O of the CEQA guidelines to establish best practices for public agencies to follow in determining whether or not a proposed project may have a significant effect on the environment when completing Appendix G of the CEQA guidelines. The bill would require the best practices to consider, and include identifiable thresholds of significance based on, specified state and federal environmental laws. The bill would authorize the office, in developing those guidelines, to consult with local, regional, state, and federal agencies that have authority and expertise on those subjects.

Under existing law, the recommendation, continuous evaluation, and execution of statewide environmental goals, policies, and plans are included within the scope of the executive functions of the Governor. Existing law establishes the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation in the Governors office for the purpose of serving the Governor and the Governors cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research and constituting the comprehensive state planning agency.

This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to consult with regional, local, state, and federal agencies to develop a technical advisory on thresholds of significance for greenhouse gas and noise pollution effects on the environment to assist local agencies. The bill would require the technical advisory to provide suggested thresholds of significance for all areas of the state, as specified, and would provide that lead agencies may elect to adopt these suggested thresholds of significance. The bill would also require the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to post the technical advisory on its internet website.

Discussed in Hearing

Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality12MIN
Mar 19, 2025

Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality

View Older Hearings

News Coverage:

SB 231: California Environmental Quality Act: the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation: technical advisory. | Digital Democracy