California Environmental Quality Act: exemptions: City of San Jose: Diridon Station.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. Existing law exempts from CEQA a public project for the improvement, institution, or increase of passenger rail service, including the maintenance, construction, or rehabilitation of stations, terminals, or existing operations facilities that will be exclusively used by zero-emission trains or specified rolling stock or locomotives, as provided. This bill would exempt from CEQA a public program for the modernization of Diridon Station in the City of San Jose, including, but not limited to, the track, platform, station, public plaza or realm, roadway crossing and access improvements, and intermodal facilities and connections. Because a lead agency would be required to determine the applicability of this exemption, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Diridon Station Program in the County of Santa Clara. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.