Environmental Planning Services (EPS) FAQs
- How do I contact the EPS?
- What is the purpose of the EPS?
- What services are provided by EPS?
- What is the California Environmental Quality Act?
- What is an Environmental Impact Report (EIR)?
- What is a Negative Declaration (Neg Dec)?
- What services are provided by the Toxics Program?
- Where do I get my toxics questions answered?
How do I contact the EPS?
Our office is located at the 300 Richards Boulevard. We are available for public assistance from 8-4, Monday through Friday. You can call (916) 808-5656 during our open hours.
What is the purpose of the EPS?
Environmental Planning Services contains two sections. The first is the CEQA section, which is responsible for major analysis required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The core CEQA tasks include overseeing the preparation of environmental documents for City projects, either directly or by managing the work of consultants, being the contact point for environmental issues in the City, reviewing environmental documents from other jurisdictions, and negotiating for the city on environmental issues.
The second section is Toxics. This section addresses and coordinates the City's interests in the redevelopment/development of properties that may be contaminated with toxic materials. Core tasks include the investigation for toxic contamination of properties the City may acquire, the characterization of contamination if found, and the remediation of that property prior to the City granting discretionary entitlements for redevelopment/development.
What services are provided by EPS?
We review and/or prepare environmental documents for the City of Sacramento. We also can discuss environmental aspects of projects and supply public environmental documents that are available for review. There is a 25 cent per page copying fee for these documents.
What is the California Environmental Quality Act?
The basic goal of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Pub. Res. Code §21000 et seq.) is to develop and maintain a high-quality environment now and in the future, while the specific goals of CEQA are for California's public agencies to:
- identify the significant environmental effects of their actions; and, either
- avoid those significant environmental effects, where feasible; or
- mitigate those significant environmental effects, where feasible.
CEQA applies to "projects" proposed to be undertaken or requiring approval by State and local government agencies. "Projects" are activities which have the potential to have a physical impact on the environment and may include the enactment of zoning ordinances, the issuance of conditional use permits and the approval of tentative subdivision maps. Where a project requires approvals from more than one public agency, CEQA requires ones of these public agencies to serve as the "lead agency." A "lead agency" must complete the environmental review process required by CEQA.
The most basic steps of the environmental review process are:
- Determine if the activity is a "project" subject to CEQA;
- Determine if the "project" is exempt from CEQA;
- Perform an Initial Study to identify the environmental impacts of the project and determine whether the identified impacts are "significant".
Based on its findings of "significance", the lead agency prepares one of the following environmental review documents:
- Negative Declaration if it finds no "significant" impacts;
- Mitigated Negative Declaration if it finds "significant" impacts but revises the project to avoid or mitigate those significant impacts;
- Environmental Impact Report (EIR) if it finds "significant" impacts.
The Environmental Planning Services is responsible for major analysis required by the California Environmental Quality Act. The core CEQA tasks include overseeing the preparation of environmental documents for City projects, either directly or through consultants, being the contact point for environmental issues in the City, reviewing environmental documents from other jurisdictions, and negotiating for the city on environmental issues. CERES (The California Environmental Resources Evaluation System), is an information system developed by the California Resources Agency to facilitate access to a variety of electronic data describing California's rich and diverse environments.
What is an Environmental Impact Report (EIR)?
The purpose of an EIR is to provide State and local agencies and the general public with detailed information on the potentially significant environmental effects that a proposed project is likely to have and to list ways in which the significant environmental effects may be minimized and indicate alternatives to the project.
What is a Negative Declaration (Neg Dec)?
"Negative Declaration" means a written statement by the Lead Agency briefly describing the reasons that a proposed project, not exempt from CEQA, will not have a significant effect on the environment and therefore does not require the preparation of an EIR.
A variation of a plain negative declaration is a mitigated negative declaration. "Mitigated negative declaration" means a negative declaration prepared for a project when the initial study has identified potentially significant effects on the environment, but (1) revisions in the project plans or proposals made by, or agreed to by, the applicant before the proposed negative declaration and initial study are released for public review would avoid the effects or mitigate the effects to a point where clearly no significant effect on the environment would occur, and (2) there is no substantial evidence in light of the whole record before the public agency that the project, as revised, may have a significant effect on the environment.
What services are provided by the Toxics Program?
- Provide City Departments with facts needed to make informed decisions regarding the purchase or acceptance of property, the current use and leasing of property, and the remediation of property prior to development.
- Administer and maintain the City wide list of toxics consultants and contractors.
- Manage environmental oversight authority (implementation of Tri-Party Memorandum of Understanding) which provides for a streamlined permitting process for development in the Southern Pacific Sacramento Railyards and ensures the health and safety of workers and residents during railyard clean up and development.
- Manage the Sacramento Brownfields Grants.
Where do I get my toxics questions answered?
For Toxic Program Inquiries, please contact: Lezley Buford at (916) 808-5935.