Environmental quality: California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: bicycle lanes.

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 exempts from its requirements specified projects and activities. Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) in the Governor's office. Existing law requires the OPR to assist with, among other things, the orderly preparation of programs of transportation. Existing law authorizes a lead agency that determines that a project is not subject to CEQA pursuant to certain exemptions and approves or determines to carry out that project, to file notice of the determination with the OPR if the lead agency is a state agency or with the county clerk in which the project is located if the lead agency is a local agency. This bill would, until January 1, 2018, exempt from CEQA the restriping of streets and highways for bicycle lanes in an urbanized area that is consistent with a prepared bicycle transportation plan. A lead agency would be required to take specified actions with regard to making an assessment of traffic and safety impact and holding hearings before determining a project is exempt. The bill would require a state agency, that determines that a project is exempt under this provision, and approves or determines to carry out that project, to file a notice of the determination with OPR. The bill would require a local agency, that determines that a project is exempt under this provision, and approves or determines to carry out that project, to file a notice of determination with OPR and the county clerk in the county in which the project is located.