Environmental quality: environmental leadership development projects: clean energy transmission projects: offshore wind.

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 the lead agency 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. Under CEQA, the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021 authorizes the Governor, until January 1, 2024, to certify a leadership project, including a clean renewable energy project that generates electricity exclusively through wind or solar and a housing development project, that meets specified requirements, including that the project does not result in any net additional emission of greenhouse gases, for streamlining benefits related to CEQA before the lead agency certifies the final EIR for the project. Existing law requires, except for a housing development project, the quantification and mitigation of the impacts of a project from the emissions of greenhouse gases, as provided. Existing law requires an applicant for certification of a project for which the environmental review has begun to demonstrate that the record of proceedings for the project is being prepared concurrently with the administrative process. This bill would additionally include, as a project eligible for certification, a clean energy transmission project that upgrades existing transmission infrastructure to bring renewable energy from an offshore wind project located within or adjacent to the County of Humboldt that meets specified requirements. The bill would also require the quantification and mitigation of the impacts of a clean energy transmission project, as specified. Because the bill would require the lead agency to prepare concurrently the record of proceedings for these additional projects that are certified by the Governor, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Humboldt. 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.