Environment: California Farmland Protection Act.

(1) 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. This bill would enact the California Farmland Protection Act, which would require that a lead agency reviewing a development project, as defined, require that all feasible mitigation of the identified significant environmental impacts associated with the conversion of agricultural lands be completed by the project applicant, as prescribed, and would require the lead agency to consider the permanent protection or replacement of agricultural land as feasible mitigation for identified significant effects on agricultural land caused by a development project. By imposing new duties on a lead agency with regard to the review and approval of the mitigation measures required by the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) 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.