Environmental planning is essential for a sustainable future. At SCAG, environmental planning involves establishing programs and policies that encourage environmentally conscious transportation and land use patterns that protect the region’s environmental resources. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Program is intended to inform governmental decision-makers and the public about potential environmental effects of projects; identify ways to reduce or avoid significant adverse environmental impacts; offer alternatives to the project; and disclose to the public why a project is approved despite the project’s potential significant and unavoidable adverse environmental impacts. SCAG’s CEQA Program fulfills two basic roles under CEQA: Lead Agency and Commenting Agency.
Lead Agency
The Lead Agency is the public agency with principal responsibility for carrying out or approving a project. As CEQA Lead Agency for SCAG projects and programs, SCAG focuses on preparing environmental documentation to ensure regulatory compliance with applicable environmental laws. Most notably, every four years SCAG serves as the Lead Agency responsible for preparing the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Plan (RTP/SCS), also known as Connect SoCal. The PEIR conducts a region-wide assessment of potential significant environmental effects of the RTP/SCS.
Please visit the PEIR website for more information. Staff works closely with local and regional agencies and stakeholders and conducts consultation and public outreach during the preparation of environmental documentation.
Commenting Agency
The Commenting Agency reviews and comments on the environmental analysis in CEQA documents prepared by other public agencies. SCAG’s role as a Commenting Agency applies to regionally significnt projects. CEQA Guidelines Section 15206 defines projects of statewide, regional, or areawide significance and instructs public agencies to submit environmental documents, including Negative Declarations and Draft Environmental Impact Reports (DEIRs), to the State Clearinghouse and the appropriate metropolitan area council of governments for review and comment. SCAG staff encourages public agencies in the SCAG region to submit CEQA public notices to SCAG’s Intergovernmental Review (IGR) Program via the IGR Submissions webpage. SCAG staff reviews and may prepare comments on CEQA documents for regionally significant projects received by SCAG’s IGR Program.
To learn more about the IGR Program, please visit the IGR webpage.
CEQA Streamlining Efforts
The CEQA program also monitors changes in environmental compliance requirements, and provides tools and services related to CEQA and CEQA streamlining efforts, such as SB 375 and SB 743, to support local jurisdictions in taking advantage of existing CEQA streamlining opportunities and to provide a forum for regional dialogue on important environmental topics.
CEQA has provisions and tools that streamline the environmental review process for qualifying housing projects. These streamlining tools are often narrow, include many exceptions, and can be confusing for both local jurisdictions and developers. Although SCAG has no land-use authority and does not implement nor approve housing developments, Connect SoCal does provide pathways to streamline CEQA review for housing developments that qualify as Transit Priority Projects or Residential/Mixed-Use Projects, as defined in SB 375. Furthermore, SB 743 and SB 226 provide additional CEQA streamlining provisions for certain projects (e.g., projects in transit priority areas and infill development projects).
As part of SCAG’s efforts to accelerate housing production, SCAG has prepared a series of guidance materials for streamlining housing development. The guidance material topics were carefully selected based on feedback and include a combination of streamlining options or exemptions under CEQA and other state laws. To view and learn more about the guidance materials, please visit the Development Streamlining Efforts page.
Useful Resources
Site Check
Site Check is a free, online, interactive tool, funded by the California Housing and Community Development Department as part of the technical assistance for Senate Bill 2, the Building Homes and Jobs Act, which may be used to identify streamlining options under CEQA that may apply to facilitate planning decisions that accelerate the production of housing in California.
Users can search and filter parcels to determine whether they meet certain requirements in specific CEQA provisions for a variety of housing types. Site Check will provide a downloadable report which will identify the accelerated pathways to CEQA compliance that may apply based on the parcel(s) selected, providing a helpful starting point and guide users to the appropriate provisions within CEQA.
Please visit the following link for further information and access to the tool: https://sitecheck.opr.ca.gov/
Questions? Contact Us!
CEQA Program
Lijin Sun
(213) 236-1804
sunl@scag.ca.gov
Connect SoCal 2024 PEIR
Karen Calderon
(213) 236-1983
calderon@scag.ca.gov
Please send specific questions on Connect SoCal 2024 PEIR to: ConnectSoCalPEIR@scag.ca.gov
Intergovernmental Review
Ryan Banuelos
(213) 630-1532
Submit CEQA Notices to IGR: IGR@scag.ca.gov
