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Last Updated: Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:17 PM
Standard Environmental Reference
- 5-15-2008: SER Chapter 38 (NEPA Delegation): Correction made to Signature Protocols under Environmental Document Protocols.
- 04-28-2008: SER Chapter 38 (NEPA Delegation) has been revised. Key changes include updates to:
- Environmental Document review process
- Quality Control Program and and Certification Forms
- DEA and Legal Reviews
- HQ - Pre-Approval Review
- District Approval of Draft or Final Document or Records of Decision for Public Circulation/Notification.
- Signature Authorities
- Air Quality
- Environmental Impact Statement Submittal to U.S. EPA
- Conflict with External Agencies For more information, see SER Posting History
- 04-29-2008: SER Chapter 20 [Section 4(f)] has been updated by expanding the discussion of the six individual elements of the Interstate Highway System in California that FHWA designated as being exceptionally significant and thus remain subject to Section 4(f) even though the Interstate Highway System, as a whole, was exempted from 4(f) in SAFETEA-LU.
- 04-18-2008: The Categorical Exclusion Checklist has been revised
- 04-18-2008: The NEPA/CEQA Re-Validation Form has been revised.
- 04-17-2008: The Annotated Outlines have been updated and revised. Key changes include:
- NEPA-only annotated outlines now available.
- Overall format for all outlines updated.
- Climate Change section updated.
- Section 4(f) updated to reflect new regulatory changes, including references to 23 CFR 774. Additionally, guidance for documenting de minimis impact determinations has been included under Parks and Recreation and Cultural Resources sections.
- Air Quality section minor changes were made.
- Noise section guidance
- 04-15-2008: Volume 1, Chapter 20 "Section 4(f)" has been revised to reflect 23 CFR 774, the new regulations which became effective on April 11, 2008.
- 04-02-2008 Forms and Templates - Revised Internal Quality Control Certification for, External Quality Control Certification form, and the Environmental Document Preparation and Review Tool (Environmental Document Checklist). Key changes include:
Internal and External Quality Control Certification Form Key Changes:
- Document type now includes CEQA documents
- Role of Internal Peer Reviewer clarified on form: "Peer reviewer cannot have participated in, supervised, or technically reviewed this document."
- NEPA QC reviewer statement slightly modified to clarify that NEPA QC reviewer signs both draft and final form.
- Peer reviewer eliminated from External Certification form (Caltrans' review of an externally prepared documents provides the independence required for the peer review)
Environmental Document Preparation and Review Tool Key Changes:
- Project identifying information added
- Checklist updated to more strongly correlate with Annotated Outline requirements
- Need for assignment language on ED cover specified
- Signature and date added
- Amendments to Title 21, Division 2 and Chapter 11 Filed
- SER site made accessible with new template
- This Month's New Content for the SER, Volume 1.
- 5-15-2008: SER Chapter 38 (NEPA Delegation): Correction made to Signature Protocols under Environmental Document Protocols.
- 04-28-2008: SER Chapter 38 (NEPA Delegation) has been revised. Key changes include:
- Environmental Document Review Process - "The District/Region must also complete the Environmental Document Review Checklist before completion of the quality control process."
- Quality Control Program - Add: "Note that the environmental branch chief’s quality control review must always occur last, but the other reviews may occur in any order that is determined to be most appropriate by the District/Region. "
- Quality Control Certification Forms - Add: "Note that environmental documents for all projects require an Internal Quality Control Certification form, regardless of whether they are prepared by the Department, a local agency, or a consultant."
- Division of Environmental Analysis and Legal Reviews - "The Legal Office will provide its legal review or legal sufficiency comments to the District/Region…"The Headquarters Environmental Coordinator and the Legal Office will coordinate to reach a common understanding on comments before they are submitted to the District/Region."
- HQ Pre-Approval Review - Add new paragraph before the "No approval action" paragraph, "For the Final EISs, the Legal Office will make a legal sufficiency finding, if appropriate, or advise the District/Region that additional revision is necessary."
- District Approval of the Draft or Final Document or Record of Decision for Public Circulation/Notification - Add new paragraph to beginning of section:
"Before public circulation of the DEIS and FEIS, the District/Region must complete the steps below.
For DED:- Legal office concurs that its comments have been addressed and that the DEIS may be signed
- Headquarters Environmental Coordinator recommends in writing that DEIS is ready for signature.
For FED: - Legal office provides Legal Sufficiency Determination. Headquarters Environmental Coordinator recommends in writing that the FED is ready for signature.
- District Approval of the Draft or Final Document or Record of Decision for Public - "The ROD may not be published sooner than 30 days after the notice of FEIS is published in the Federal Register."
- Signature Authorities - "The signature may be delegated to the Deputy District Director for DEIS, but may not be delegated for the FEIS or ROD."
- Signature Authorities - Added "See Signature Authorities for the signature protocol for each document/determination type."
- Air Quality - Added a reference to the Air Quality CE conformity checklist and the statement "This checklist is to be completed for each project and included in the project environmental file."
- Environmental Impact Statement Submittal to U.S. EPA - "…attention Office of Federal Activities in Washington D.C. Add: "At least two copies must also be sent to the EPA Region 9 office in San Francisco."
- Conflict Resolution With External Agencies - "Where this issue needed resolution does not involve one of the regulatory processes described above, the Department will implement…under Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU when appropriate and assume the FHWA role, or work with the agencies involved to efficiently and effectively resolve the conflict."
- End - Insert Useful Links:
- Environmental Document Review Process - "All quality control procedures and forms must be completed for both draft environmental document and final environmental documents."
- Quality Control Certification Forms - Clarified that the QC Certification form is signed at the conclusion of the review "of the draft environmental document and final environmental document." Specified that the QC "form is signed once the environmental document meets standards and requirements in the reviewer's area of expertise."
- Signature Authorities - Specified for EISs "Any delegation of signature must be in writing."
- For further details see Chapter 38 Revision History.
- 04-29-2008: SER Chapter 20 [Section 4(f)] has been updated by expanding the discussion of the six individual elements of the Interstate Highway System in California that FHWA designated as being exceptionally significant and thus remain subject to Section 4(f) even though the Interstate Highway System, as a whole, was exempted from 4(f) in SAFETEA-LU.
- 04-18-2008: The Categorical Exclusion Checklist has been revised. Key changes include:
- The air quality portions of the Categorical Exclusion (CE) Checklist were largely eliminated in deference to the Air Quality Checklists
- Resource areas were added to the table of Federal laws, regulations, and executive orders (Question #5)
- The form was condensed so that all 6004 CE classes are on one page
- Signature and date were added
- A slot was added at the top of form to include project identifier and EA
- 04-18-2008: The NEPA/CEQA Re-Validation Form has been revised. Key changes include the creation of "middle" categories for NEPA that more clearly identify how to document minor changes.
- 04-17-2008: The Annotated Outlines have been updated and revised. Key changes include:
- NEPA-only annotated outlines now available.
- Overall format for all outlines updated to consistently follow Affected Environment, Environmental Consequences, Avoidance, Minimization, and/or Mitigation Measures sequence.
- Climate Change section updated to include latest CA and federal actions on climate change, also allows for disclosure of CO2 emissions for the purpose of comparing project alternatives
- Section 4(f) updated to reflect new regulatory changes, including references to 23 CFR 774 and the balancing tests for "prudent and feasible" and "least harm." Additionally, guidance for documenting de minimis impact determinations has been included under Parks and Recreation and Cultural Resources sections.
- Air Quality section minor changes were made to reflect more clearly FHWA’s air quality conformity responsibilities with NEPA Delegation, and the flow of the regional conformity flowchart. Construction emissions text expanded.
- Noise section guidance now includes the Noise Abatement Decision Report and for the CEQA portion text clarifying that the basis for analysis is the "baseline" rather than the "no-build.
- 04-15-2008: Volume 1, Chapter 20 "Section 4(f)" has been revised to reflect 23 CFR 774, the new regulations which became effective on April 11, 2008. The revision includes the new balancing test for determining whether a feasible avoidance alternative is "prudent"; the new balancing test for identifying the viable alternative with the least overall harm; a link to the new regulations; and changes to procedures and definitions.
- 04-2-2008: Forms and Templates - Revised Internal Quality Control Certification for, External Quality Control Certification form, and the Environmental Document Preparation and Review Tool (Environmental Document Checklist). Key changes include:
Internal and External Quality Control Certification Form Key Changes
- Document type now includes CEQA documents
- Role of Internal Peer Reviewer clarified on form: "Peer reviewer cannot have participated in, supervised, or technically reviewed this document."
- NEPA QC reviewer statement slightly modified to clarify that NEPA QC reviewer signs both draft and final form.
- Peer reviewer eliminated from External Certification form (Caltrans' review of an externally prepared documents provides the independence required for the peer review)
Environmental Document Preparation and Review Tool Key Changes
- Project identifying information added
- Checklist updated to more strongly correlate with Annotated Outline requirements
- Need for assignment language on ED cover specified
- Signature and date added
- 03-14-2008: Forms and Templates - Annotated Noise Study Report Outline
- 07-2-2007: Chapter 38 (NEPA Delegation)
- 04-2006: Chapter 39 (Incorporating Mitigation/Permit Conditions into Design)
- 09-2005: Chapter 35 (Initial Study and Negative Declaration)
- 08-2005: Chapter 11 (Air Quality)
In Prep This section will provide links to previously posted guidance, forms, templates and other materials that have been superseded and/or are no longer in circulation.
What is the SER? The Standard Environmental Reference (SER) is an on-line resource to help state and local agency staff plan, prepare, submit, and evaluate environmental documents for transportation projects. The SER contains information appropriate to all transportation projects developed under the auspices of Caltrans, and to all local agency highway or local streets and roads projects with funding or approvals by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The SER includes:
- Caltrans Environmental Handbooks ,
including:
- Vol 1: Guidance for Compliance - NEPA and CEQA documentation; a general technical resource for planners; and a compendium of applicable federal and State laws and regulations
- Vol 2: Cultural Resources - For archaeologists, historians and other cultural resources specialists
- Vol 3: Biological Resources - For biologists and other natural resources specialists
- Vol 4: Community Impacts Assessment - Environmental Justice and other community issues
- Other guidance documents,
including:
- Guidance for Biological Consultants
- Identifying Historic Landscapes
- Env. Justice Checklist and Guidance
- Forms, templates and graphics used
during the environmental process, including:
- Preliminary Environmental Analysis Report (PEAR) Report Format and Guidance - Tools you need to complete an initial environmental evaluation of a project.
- Preliminary Environmental Study (PES) Form - A link to the Local Assistance Program Manual and step-by-step instructions to help local agency staff through the early stages of environmental analysis.
- Standard Level-of-Service (LOS) graphics for your environmental document.
- Policy Memos that relate to the environmental process.
- Topics Matrices - A fast way to link to key information for major technical issues.