This course will provide basic building blocks to understand and implement the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and how it is implemented by local agencies. Completion of the workshop will provide students and emerging professionals with a strong base to develop further CEQA knowledge. This training, which will focus on practical real-world applications, will enhance the resume of each participant to demonstrate their mastery of the preeminent environmental regulation/process in California. The following topics will be briefly covered:

 

• Historical and political roots of CEQA
• Overview of the CEQA process via a comprehensive flowchart
• Summary of CEQA documents such as an Initial Study, Statutory and Categorical Exemptions, Mitigated
• Negative Declaration (MND), and Environmental Impact Report (EIR); and
• Relationship of CEQA to other state laws and federal environmental laws.

 

Potential employers in agencies and companies that deal with private development or public works projects often require some knowledge of CEQA from new employees, and the applicant with CEQA knowledge will often win a position over a candidate without this knowledge.

The course will also include information on careers currently available in environmental planning beyond just CEQA compliance. Opportunities in the private and public sectors will be explored, along with the importance of professional networking. This session will help environmentally-focused students and emerging professionals alike with their career preparation!