Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, § 15169 - Master Environmental Assessment
(a) General. A public agency may prepare a
master environmental assessment, inventory, or data base for all, or a portion
of, the territory subject to its control in order to provide information which
may be used or referenced in EIRs or negative declarations. Neither the
content, the format, nor the procedures to be used to develop a master
environmental assessment are prescribed by these guidelines. The descriptions
contained in this section are advisory. A master environmental assessment is
suggested solely as an approach to identify and organize environmental
information for a region or area of the state.
(b) Contents. A master environmental
assessment may contain an inventory of the physical and biological
characteristics of the area for which it is prepared and may contain such
additional data and information as the public agency determines is useful or
necessary to describe environmental characteristics of the area. It may include
identification of existing levels of quality and supply of air and water,
capacities and levels of use of existing services and facilities, and
generalized incremental effects of different categories of development projects
by type, scale, and location.
(c)
Preparation.
(1) A master environmental
assessment or inventory may be prepared in many possible ways. For example, a
master environmental assessment may be prepared as a special, comprehensive
study of the area involved, as part of the EIR on a general plan, or as a data
base accumulated by indexing EIRs prepared for individual projects or programs
in the area involved.
(2) The
information contained in a master environmental assessment should be reviewed
periodically and revised as needed so that it is accurate and
current.
(3) When advantageous to
do so, master environmental assessments may be prepared through a joint
exercise of powers agreement with neighboring local agencies or with the
assistance of the appropriate Council of Governments.
(d) Uses.
(1) A master environmental assessment can
identify the environmental characteristics and constraints of an area. This
information can be used to influence the design and location of individual
projects.
(2) A master
environmental assessment may provide information agencies can use in initial
studies to decide whether certain environmental effects are likely to occur and
whether certain effects will be significant.
(3) A master environmental assessment can
provide a central source of current information for use in preparing individual
EIRs and negative declarations.
(4)
Relevant portions of a master environmental assessment can be referenced and
summarized in EIRs and negative declarations.
(5) A master environmental assessment can
assist in identifying long range, areawide, and cumulative impacts of
individual projects proposed in the area covered by the assessment.
(6) A master environmental assessment can
assist a city or county in formulating a general plan or any element of such a
plan by identifying environmental characteristics and constraints that need to
be addressed in the general plan.
(7) A master environmental assessment can
serve as a reference document to assist public agencies which review other
environmental documents dealing with activities in the area covered by the
assessment. The public agency preparing the assessment should forward a
completed copy to each agency which will review projects in the
area.
Notes
Note: Authority cited: Section 21083, Public Resources Code. Reference: Section 21003, Public Resources Code.
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