Practical Considerations

When deciding whether to prepare a Master EIR, the Lead Agency should compare the advantages and disadvantages of a Master EIR to those of other CEQA options such as tiering or a program EIR. A project suitable for a Master EIR project would have the following characteristics:

1. The plan or program for which the Master EIR is prepared will be stable for the next few years, i.e., no substantial changes are expected to occur in the plan or program which will not have been identified and discussed in the Master EIR.
   
2. Subsequent actions under the plan or program are well-known at the time the Master EIR is prepared and can be comprehensively described pursuant to Guidelines Section 15176(b).
   
3. The significant environmental effects of subsequent actions are sufficiently known at the time of preparing the Master EIR that they may be fully described and analyzed in that document, and measures recommended to minimize or avoid them.
   
4. The timetable for undertaking the project and subsequent related actions is 5 years or less, and provision is made for regular review of the Master EIR's adequacy in light of subsequent projects not described in the Master EIR.

Infrastructure or capital facilities plans, small-scale specific plans, planned unit development rezoning projects, and transit line extensions are among the projects which may be prime for Master EIRs. Section 21157(a)(1) also specifically authorizes the use of a Master EIR for a general plan. A general plan Master EIR makes practical sense where the city is largely built out, has mechanisms in place which enable it to demonstrate that later projects are "within the scope" of the Master EIR, and otherwise anticipates little activity that would result in plan amendments.

On the other hand, Master EIRs may offer no advantages when the project is adoption of a county general plan or a large-scale specific plan. In those situations, a program EIR may be preferable. The fact that specific subsequent projects will generally arise from private applications yet to be submitted means that the county preparing the Master EIR may not know the details of subsequent projects, particularly plan amendments, at the time the document is prepared.

Once the Lead Agency has made the decision to prepare a Master EIR, it may also take the following extra steps over what would normally be involved with an EIR:

1. Take care that the Master EIR precisely matches the plan or program being approved. This means analyzing in the Master EIR all last minute changes made to the plan or program before its final approval.
   
2. List the known subsequent development projects which the Master EIR has analyzed and which are to be within its scope. This list may be included in the Master EIR's project description or in an appendix. (As discussed earlier, a list is not required where a general plan or specific plan identifies land uses and the intensity and density of allowable development.)
   
3. Establish administrative criteria which describe when a subsequent project will be outside the scope of the Master EIR. The criteria may include thresholds which define the scope of the Master EIR's analyses of cumulative impacts, growth inducing impacts, and irreversible significant effects. For example, what future traffic levels of service were analyzed, what level of sewer service, what level of development intensity?

If the community has adopted thresholds of significance as part of their local CEQA Guidelines or process, they should take care to integrate the criteria related to the Master EIR into these thresholds. If the community has not adopted thresholds, they may want to consider adopting the Master EIR criteria as such.

1. Regularly review or monitor the specific assumptions made during preparation of the Master EIR (i.e., traffic levels of service, air quality standards, etc.) for changes. This is intended to inform the Lead Agency of changes which may require preparation of a subsequent or supplemental EIR to update the Master EIR pursuant to Section 21157.6 and Guidelines Section 15179. For example, a change in the regional air quality standards may necessitate a reassessment of the air quality discussion in the Master EIR. Keeping track of changing circumstances and making corrections will help ensure that the Master EIR will remain viable during its five year term and beyond.