Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project: environmental laws: exemptions.

Existing law provides for funding for the project for flood control on the Pajaro River in the Counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz, authorized by the federal Flood Control Act of 1966. Existing law also requires a flood management project that receives financial assistance, as provided, to meet specified requirements, and requires the Department of Water Resources or a specified state entity to submit a report to the Legislature that indicates whether the project meets those requirements. This bill would exempt the Pajaro River flood control project from various state and local environmental laws and regulations, only if specified criteria are met and only until a specified date, and as of that date would repeal these provisions. The bill would provide, among other exemptions, that a specified report, as described, shall be conclusively presumed to satisfy the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act for the Pajaro River Project, including to support the issuance of any permit, funding, or other approval by a state or local agency for the Pajaro River Project when implementing the California Environmental Quality Act. The bill would also require the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency to consult with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding the avoidance, minimization, or mitigation of specified environmental impacts, on or before March 1, 2024, as provided. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.