CEQA Process Begins for Proposed South Coast Marine Protected Areas

Please note the original release issued July 6, 2010, contained an incorrect zip code in the mailing address for comments. The correct zip code is noted below.

July 30, 2010

Contacts: Adrianna Shea, California Fish and Game Commission, (916) 653-4899
Thomas Napoli, Department of Fish and Game, (562) 342-7164
Kirsten Macintyre, Department of Fish and Game, (916) 322-8988


California Environmental Quality Act Process Begins for Proposed South Coast Marine Protected Areas
Public comment now being accepted on the preparation of Environmental Impact Report

The environmental review process has begun for the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) South Coast Study Region Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). On June 29, the California Fish and Game Commission and Department of Fish and Game (DFG) together issued a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the project. This initiates the scoping phase, during which interested members of the public are invited to help identify the range of issues and type of information to be considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) that will be prepared in the coming months.

There are currently five MPA proposals under consideration for the South Coast Study Region, which extends from Point Conception to the California border with Mexico. The proposals were developed with input from a regional stakeholder group, a science advisory team and a Blue Ribbon Task Force consisting of marine experts.

The currently preferred proposal, the Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA), was selected by the MLPS Blue Ribbon Task Force. The IPA is a hybrid of the other proposals. The DEIR will also look at three alternative proposals and the no action alternative or the status quo (the current South Coast Study Region MPAs with no suggested changes).

All five MPA proposals can be found at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/southcoastipa.asp.

The DEIR will be prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act and will analyze the five proposals. The NOP for the DEIR can be found on DFGs website at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/regulatorydocs_sc.asp.

Anyone wishing to provide written input on the scope of the analysis to be conducted and included in the DEIR for this project may send written comments by August 3, 2010 to:

MLPA SCSR DEIR
Department of Fish and Game
South Coast MLPA Office
4665 Lampson, Suite C
Los Alamitos, CA 90720