California Environmental Quality Act: exemptions: culverts and bridges.

Assembly Member Gallagher's proposal to exempt certain infrastructure projects from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements focuses on streamlining approvals for culvert and bridge maintenance work. The legislation creates two distinct exemptions from CEQA's environmental review process - one covering the installation, maintenance, repair, or replacement of culverts, and another addressing repairs or replacements of bridges spanning 200 feet or less.

The bill shifts oversight responsibility to local agencies, which must determine whether specific projects qualify for these exemptions. While the legislation mandates this new local role, it explicitly states that local agencies and school districts will not receive state reimbursement for associated costs. Instead, these entities retain authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments to fund implementation.

This modification to CEQA's scope represents a targeted carve-out for routine infrastructure maintenance while preserving the law's broader environmental review requirements. The exemptions apply only to specific types of projects rather than creating wholesale changes to CEQA's framework. Local agencies maintain primary responsibility for determining when these new provisions apply to projects within their jurisdictions.