Existing law declares that the California Environmental Protection Agency is established to enhance the state’s protection of the environment, by among other things, more effectively coordinating the permit actions of the departments or boards within the agency that issue environmental permits. Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature to provide a mechanism by which the California Environmental Protection Agency may further this objective of environmental protection by bringing relevant agencies together to synchronize, to the maximum extent feasible, the environmental permit requirements imposed on applicants by the departments or boards within the agency, among other objectives.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation creating a unified online environmental permit application and process for state agencies that simplify the submittal and tracking of environmental permits for permit applicants and state agencies, and supports interagency coordination.