Agmt 2006 State Coastal Conservancy

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_e ee PROJECT NAME , , COMPLIANCE WITH CEQA: Grant Funding or Coordination of22 New or Expanded Site-Specific Treatment Proiects The proposed authorization involves Conservancy funding of 16 exp~ded or new site-specific invasive Spartina treatment and control projects. In addition, the Conservancy ISP will coordinate'6 new site-specific treatment and control projects. 'these 22 projects fall und~r the "Final Programmatic Environmental Impact StatementJEnvironmental Impact Report, San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project: Spartina Control Program" (FEISIR) prepared for the ISP Control Project pursuant to tbe California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The FEISIR was adopted by the Conservancy through its September 25,2003 resolution certifying the ElR.. The FEIS/R is maintained and available for review at the offices of the Conservancy_ The FEISIR is a,programmatic Environmental hnpact Report (Section 15168 of the CEQA Guidelines, 14 Cal. Code of Regulations, Sections 15000 et'seq., hereafter "Guidelines'') in that it analyzes the potential effects of implementing treatment methods for a regional program, rather, than the impacts of a single individual project. This program-level EISIR identifies mitigation measures that win be applied to reduce or eliminate impacts at treatment ,locations. The Conservancy may use the FEISIR as a basis for "tiered" CEQA review and' approval of individual treatment projects under, the Control .Program, including the new and expanded treatment proposed by this staff recommendation.. A subsequent activity that follows under a program EIR that has been assessed pursuant to CEQA must be examined in the light of the progr3IP EIR to detennine whether an additional environmental document must be prepared. If the agency proposing the later activity finds that its effects and required mitigation to reduce those effects were already identified and considered under the program EIR, the activity can be approved with no further, environmental docwnentation (CEQA Guidelines, Section 1 5168(c)). The Guidelines suggest the use af a written checklist, or similar device to docwnent the evaluation of the activity to determine whether the environmental effects of the operation were covered in the program EIR.. Each of the 22 expanded or new site.specific projects proposed under this authorization has a prepared site-specific plan, describing the site and identifying the precise treatment activities proposed. Each of these plans has been assessed by use of a. checklist to determine whether the effects of those activities and the mitigation required have heen fully considered by the FEIS/R. TIris checklist documentation is attached as Exhibit 4. In each case, the conClusion is that the programFEIS/R did fully consider the effects associated with the site.specific project and that there are no new mitigation measures required. Conservancy. staff recommends that the Conservancy adopt a finding to that' effect. With such a finding, no further environmental documentation is required to satisfy the requirements of CEQA. Change in ISP Control Program -Incorporation orUse of New Herbicide. Imazapyr The Conservancy proposes to revise the ISP Control Program by adding a new aquatic berbicide, imazapyr, and associated surfactants and colorants, to the invasive Spartina control methods. At ~e time the FEISIR was certified, the only herbicide registered by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEP A) for use in estuarine habitats was glyphosate. Imazapyr was Wlavailable as a treatment method because it had not yet been registered for aquatic use in California. However, imazapyr was recently submitted to Page 13 of 15 EXHiBIT 1';. 'f.