California Environmental Quality Act: groundwater recharge projects: Judicial Council rules of court.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires, among other things, 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 establishes a procedure by which a person may seek judicial review of the decision of the lead agency made pursuant to CEQA. Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plan, except as specified. This bill would require the Judicial Council to adopt a rule of court to establish procedures requiring actions or proceedings brought to attack, review, set aside, void, or annul the certification of an environmental impact report, or the granting of any project approvals, for groundwater recharge projects, as described, except as provided, that implement a groundwater sustainability plan or an interim groundwater sustainability plan, as described, that would require the actions or proceedings, including any appeals, to be resolved within 270 days of the filing of the certified record of proceedings with the court. The bill would also include a related statement of legislative intent.