AB 1273: California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: levee repairs.

Existing law, 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, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect, unless the project is exempt from the act.

CEQA provides for various exemptions from the requirements of the act.

This bill would, until July 1, 2028, 2023, exempt from the requirements of CEQA repairs of critical levees of the State Plan of Flood Control within an existing levee footprint to meet standards of public health and safety. safety, except as otherwise provided in a specified regulation. The bill would require the lead agency to take certain actions regarding the repairs.