Report 2018-119 Recommendation 4 Responses
Report 2018-119: California Department of Fish and Wildlife: It Is Not Fulfilling Its Responsibilities Under the California Environmental Quality Act (Release Date: June 2019)
Recommendation #4 To: Fish and Wildlife, Department of
To ensure that it consistently prioritizes and reviews projects with potentially significant impacts on the environment, the department should incorporate the policies
and procedures into regulations in full compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act, should it determine that the new policies and procedures create rules of general application.
6-Month Agency Response
The Department has finalized internal departmentwide policies for prioritizing CEQA document review and comment and for identifying the departmentwide expectations for CEQA review and comment. The Department has determined at this time it need not promulgate the polices as regulation.
- Completion Date: December 2019
- Response Date: December 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Resolved
The Department has determined that at this time it does not need to incorporate the policies and procedures into regulations. Therefore, this recommendation is resolved.
60-Day Agency Response
The Department has begun drafting a Departmentwide Policy for prioritizing CEQA document review and comment and the procedures that outline the Departmentwide expectations for CEQA review and comment. Once finalized, the Department intends to begin development of region-specific policies and procedures, as appropriate. The Department has not yet determined whether the new policies and procedures, once final in substance, will need to be promulgated as regulations consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act. Additionally, the Department has begun an evaluation of the current CEQA training opportunities with the intent of formalizing a standard approach to initial and ongoing CEQA training for Department personnel.
- Estimated Completion Date: As appropriate
- Response Date: August 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2018-119
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.