Energy: vehicle miles traveled.

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 Office of Planning and Research to prepare guidelines to assist state and local agencies in implementing the requirements of CEQA. This bill would require the office, not later than January 1, 2014, to prepare and make available a manual containing specified information designed to be used by local governments, local agencies, and project developers to evaluate and incorporate measures and strategies to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in new residential and commercial building projects. The bill would require the office, not later than January 1, 2014, to make recommendations to the Legislature and local policymakers of measures to improve the reduction of VMT related to residential and commercial building projects.