Agenda - Council - 11/27/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

local Government Coortl�naton of P etitions for Enu�ronmentalReu�ew• A Stop by Step.Gui e. step gives the project proposer notice that a petition decision is required. RGU staff may want to consider saying: "This is [name] from [organization name]. I aim calling to inform you that we received a citizen petition for environmental review today for your project. We are in the process of reviewing the petition and environmental review requirements at this time, and will contact you again within a few days with additional information. In the meantime, you need to know a prohibition is in effect on the project, and we cannot issue any permitting or other local government approvals until we first make a decision about citizen petition. We appreciate your patience during this process and would suggest you checkout the EQB web site at ww -A for more information about the environmental review process if you have questions." Step 4 — Determine whether the project is exempt from environmental review If the project does not require a mandatory EAW, RGU staff should determine whether the project is exempt from the environmental review rules. Environmental review rules and procedures can apply to any action or project that meets all the ® The action or project must involve the physical manipulation of the environment, directly or indirectly. M The action or project must involve at least one governmental approval, one form of governmental financial assistance, or be conducted by a government unit. ® Action or project approval and construction must take place in the future; that is, projects already constructed or those with all required governmental approvals are not subject to further review unless an expansion is proposed. Step 3 — D etermine whether the project reneires a mandatory EAW In the environmental review rules, there are criteria established that make EAWs mandatory for many types of projects. These criteria are called "mandatory thresholds" and are listed in Minnesota Rule 4410.4300. If a project's size is above the mandatory threshold for its category, then environmental review becomes mandatory (required). RGU staff should consult the EQB document, "A Guide to the Environmental Review Rules," for a complete list of the mandatory thresholds for environmental review. If RGU staff officials determine that a petition pertains to a project for which an EAW will be mandatory, they should notify the petitioners' representative and the EQB of their findings. The RGU should then proceed through the steps of preparing an EAW as required by the environmental review rules. ® The project is not subject to any of the —120—