California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: recycled water pipelines.

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 specified pipeline projects from the above requirements. This bill would, until January 1, 2018, additionally exempt from CEQA a project for the construction and installation of a new pipeline or the maintenance, repair, restoration, reconditioning, relocation, replacement, removal, or demolition of an existing pipeline, not exceeding 8 miles in length, for the distribution of recycled water within a public street, highway, or right-of-way and would require the lead agency to undertake specified activities, including the filing of a notice of exemption for the project with the Office of Planning and Research and the office of the county clerk of each county in which the project is located. The bill would require the lead agency, before determining the applicability of the exemption, to hold a noticed public hearing to consider adopt mitigation measures for potential traffic impacts of the project. Because the lead agency is required to determine whether a project qualifies for that exemption, and undertake specified activities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the county clerk to post the notice of exemption within 24 hours of receipt, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.