CEQA glossary

A

• Appendix G is the CEQA Guidelines' sample environmental checklist form for Initial Study review.

C

• California Environmental Quality Act is California's statutory framework for public-agency environmental review of projects.
• Cortese List is CalEPA's label for public resources tied to the list duties in Government Code section 65962.5.

E

• Environmental impact report (EIR) is a detailed CEQA document about a project's significant effects, ways to reduce them, and alternatives.
• EnviroStor is the Department of Toxic Substances Control's public environmental-record system.

F

• Fire hazard severity zone (FHSZ) is a Moderate, High, or Very High classification of long-term fire hazard based on physical conditions.

G

• GeoTracker is the State Water Resources Control Board's public site-record system.
• Government Code section 65962.5 assigns hazardous-materials list duties to several agencies and local enforcement agencies.

I

• Initial Study is a lead agency's preliminary analysis used to choose or focus the next CEQA document.

L

• Local Responsibility Area (LRA) is land where local government has fire-protection responsibility and designates fire hazard severity zones after state recommendations.

M

• Mitigated negative declaration (MND) is a negative declaration for a revised project whose potentially significant effects are reduced so clearly no significant effect would occur.
• Mitigation measure is a project change, condition, or action designed to avoid or reduce an environmental effect.

N

• Negative declaration (ND) is a lead agency's written explanation that a nonexempt project will not have a significant environmental effect and does not require an EIR.

S

• State Responsibility Area (SRA) is land where the state has financial responsibility for preventing and suppressing wildland fires.

V

• Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) is the highest of California's three fire hazard severity zone classifications.