CEQA stands for California Environmental Quality Act. It is a state law that was enacted in 1970 for protection of environmental resources. It requires California agencies to identify the significant environmental impacts of their actions and describe measures which can be taken to avoid or mitigate those impacts, if feasible.
EIR stands for Environmental Impact Report. An EIR is a document required by CEQA when an agency determines that a proposed project may have a significant effect on the environment. An EIR describes the proposed project, the existing environmental conditions, the impacts from construction and operation of the proposed project as well as mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate impacts. Information in the DEIR enables decision-makers, interested parties and the public to evaluate the proposed project and its environmental effects.
After the Draft EIR (DEIR) was prepared, it was released for public review for 45-days. The DEIR was placed in local libraries and posted on the Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport website to make it available for review.
Written comments were submitted by the public during this period. Interested citizens and public agencies had until September 19, 2011 to review the DEIR and submit written comments for consideration by the County of Sonoma. During the public review period, the County of Sonoma held a public meeting and one noticed public hearing before the County of Sonoma Planning Commission, to allow the Planning Commission and interested parties and agencies to voice their opinions regarding the adequacy of the DEIR. For a list of public meetings and hearings related to the EIR and Master Plan Update process please visit Public Information Meetings.
The CEQA process requires a lead agency to respond to each written comment received during the DEIR review period. Each individual comment is evaluated for relevance to the DEIR and a response is prepared. In some instances, a comment may result in revision to the DEIR. The collection of comments and responses together with the DEIR constitute what is called the Final EIR (FEIR). The FEIR must then be certified by the lead agency as adequate and in compliance with CEQA before a project can be approved.
On January 24, 2012, the County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors took final action and approved certification of the Environmental Impart Report (EIR) and approved the Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport Master Plan and related General Plan and Zoning amendments.
After the public comment period for the DEIR closed, the County of Sonoma responded to comments and prepared the Final EIR (FEIR), that includes all written comments received regarding the project’s environmental impacts. The Response to Comments was prepared as a separate document from the DEIR. The FEIR consists of the DEIR and the Response to Comments document and any revisions made as a result of public comments. It was presented to the Planning Commission where they voted to recommendation the project to the Board of Supervisors (BOS). The FEIR was presented to the BOS on January 10, 2012, where a public hearing was conducted and straw votes taken.
On January 24, 2012, the County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors took final action and approved certification of the Environmental Impart Report (EIR) and approved the Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport Master Plan and related General Plan and Zoning amendments.