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r <br />total Government cooxtlinationo Petitions for <br />E�Q�B <br />Environmental Review• A Step by Step Guide <br />Overview - Processing a Petition <br />Here's an overall summary of the steps involved in <br />processing a petition for environmental review: <br />Steps <br />1 -2 <br />Preliminary steps <br />Steps <br />3 -5 <br />Determine whether the project is <br />mandatory or exempt <br />Steps <br />6 -7 <br />Gather procedural information <br />Steps <br />8 <br />Follow -up with the project proposer <br />Steps <br />9 <br />Investigate the project and its <br />potential environmental erects <br />Steps <br />10 -12 <br />Reach an ..iiformed decision <br />Step <br />13 <br />Notify required parties <br />Stop 1— Verify the RGU designation is <br />appropriate <br />The same day that the Responsible Governmental <br />Unit (RGU) receives a citizen petition, staff <br />officials should review its contents and verify that <br />their organization is the appropriate RGU. The <br />RGU is the organization with the most authority to <br />approve or deny the project. <br />When EQB staff receive a petition, they review <br />its contents and determine the most likely RGU <br />for the project based on the project's size, type <br />and location. Circumstances can change or <br />new information can emerge, however, that <br />may lead the designated RGU to determine that <br />another governmental unit may have the most <br />authority to approve or deny the project. If local <br />government staff officials believe this situation <br />applies to a project for which they received a <br />petition, they should contact the EQB for additional <br />information. The EQB's phone number, E -mail <br />Rejpfej Tip <br />If a local government would ordinarily be the RGU <br />for a project but has issued all necessary permits and <br />.approvals, an RGU staff representative should con- <br />tact EQB staff for information and assistance. MN <br />Rule 4410.0500 subpart 3 states, "The EQB chair or <br />designee shall riot designate as the RGU any govern- <br />mental unit which has already made its final deci- <br />sions to grant all permits or approvals required from <br />it to construct the project." In these situations, EQB <br />staff will attempt to identify another organization <br />with a permit or approval decision yet to issue and <br />that could be designated the RGU for the project. <br />and address are available on the EQB web site, <br />�ywyN eqb. state.mn.0 s <br />Step 2 — contact the project proposer <br />Once RGU staff confirm that their local government <br />is the appropriate RGU, they should contact the <br />project proposer. While citizen petitioners are <br />required to notify the project proposer in writing <br />that a petition has been filed, it is important that <br />RGU staff also contact the proposer and let them <br />know the petition has been received and. is under <br />consideration: RGU staff may not have very much <br />information at this point in time (or even know how <br />the environmental review process works), but this <br />—119— <br />Local Government c oor di na ti on o P etitions for Env ironmen tal Review: <br />A Step by Step Guide <br />