What is a Notice of Preparation (NOP)?
A notice of preparation (NOP) is a brief notice sent by the lead agency to notify the responsible agencies, trustee agencies, and involved federal agencies that the lead agency plans to prepare an EIR for the project. The purpose of the notice is to solicit guidance from those agencies as to the scope and content of the environmental information to be included in the EIR.
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What is an Initial Study (IS)?
An initial study (IS) is a preliminary analysis prepared by the lead agency to determine whether an EIR or a negative declaration must be prepared or to identify the significant environmental effects to be analyzed in an EIR.
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What constitutes "significance"?
Significant effect on the environment means a substantial, or potentially substantial, adverse change in any of the physical conditions within the area affected by the project including land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient noise, and objects of historic or aesthetic significance. The determination of whether a project may have a significant effect on the environment calls for careful judgment on the part of the lead agency involved, based to the extent possible on scientific and factual data. The lead agency shall consider direct physical changes in the environment and reasonably foreseeable indirect physical changes in the environment, which may be caused by the project.
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What is a Certified Regulatory Program?
California Public Resources Code