As a public agency within the State of California, EID is required to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) when approving projects that may have a direct or indirect effect on the environment. If EID staff determine that a project does not qualify for one of the many statutory or categorical exemptions from CEQA, an Initial Study is prepared to determine whether the project may have a significant effect on the environment. If one or more significant effects are identified after implementation of mitigation measures, an Environmental Impact Report is prepared. If not, then a Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration is prepared. These documents are presented for consideration by the EID Board of Directors during a public hearing.

In addition to EID’s obligations under CEQA, many EID projects are also subject to federal agency approval. Such projects require the federal agency to conduct a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. In many ways this review is similar to the CEQA review and often these reviews are coordinated as a cost and time savings measure. Under NEPA an Environmental Assessment is prepared to determine whether the project may have a significant effect on the environment. If one or more significant effects are identified, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is prepared. It not, then a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is prepared.

A list of current District projects subject to CEQA and/or NEPA public review is provided below.

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