The following summary of the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) is from the California Resources Agency, its programs
CERES and LUPIN, and the Governor's Office of Planning and
Research. For more information, visit http://ceres.ca.gov/ceqa/.
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 th