The Resources Agency has made changes in the text of the amendments to the State CEQA Guidelines that were originally proposed in a notice dated October 10, 1997.

The Resources Agency provided a 59 day review period for the proposed amendments and conducted two public hearings on December 4, 1997 and December 8, 1997. The Agency considered the oral and written comments received and made changes in the proposed text in response to these comments. Text revisions in response to public comment are marked as follows: new additions are bolded and underlined and deletions are indicated by bolded strikeout.

Comment Period: The Resources Agency will receive written comments on the revisions to the draft of proposed amendments from May 15, 1998 until 5 PM on June 11, 1998. The Resources Agency requests that comments focus on the revisions to the proposed amendments (i.e., the bolded underlined and/or bolded strikeout portions of the text). The revised text of the proposed amendments may be viewed on-line at http://www.ceres.ca.gov/ceqa/rev and is also available for inspection at the address listed below. Written comments may be delivered or mailed to:

Also available for inspection at the above address are the contents of the rulemaking file. Inquiries may be directed to Matt Francois, Assistant General Counsel of the Resources Agency, at (916) 653-5656.

Background: The State CEQA Guidelines are contained in Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Sections 15000 through 15387 with appendices. The Guidelines explain and implement the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code Sections 21000 through 21178.1 and court decisions dealing with the review of the environmental impacts of proposed projects and the preparation of environmental documents.

Date: May 14, 1998

Matthew D. Francois
Assistant General Counsel