Environment: environmental mitigation.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, 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. This bill would establish the Regional Environmental Mitigation Program and would specify that the purpose of the program is to improve the success, efficiency, and effectiveness of actions implemented to mitigate the natural resource impacts of projects, by establishing the means to implement those actions on a regional basis. The bill would establish the program in the Natural Resources Agency and would require the agency to consider and implement mitigation requirements on a regional basis for projects that require mitigation based on federal, state, or local laws. The bill would require the agency to communicate, coordinate, and work with specified entities. The bill would permit the agency to engage in specified activities in order to implement the program. The bill would specify that a project that requires mitigation under other provisions of law may, but is not required to, participate in the program. The bill would establish the Regional Environmental Mitigation Account in the State Treasury. The bill would require the account to accept fees collected for the mitigation requirements for projects and disburse the funds for projects that fulfill mitigation requirements. The bill would require the agency to establish guidelines for the calculation, acceptance, and use of the fees. The bill would require the money in the account to be continuously appropriated and to be used to administer and implement the program and for any purpose associated with the mitigation of a project, including protection, restoration, enhancement, monitoring, capital improvements, as fencing, long-term management or defense, transaction costs, and administration.