Section 1605 Of Chapter 6. Fish And Wildlife Protection And Conservation From California Fish And Game Code >> Division 2. >> Chapter 6.
1605
. (a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the
term of an agreement shall not exceed five years.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), after the agreement expires,
the entity shall remain responsible for implementing any mitigation
or other measures specified in the agreement to protect fish and
wildlife resources.
(b) Any entity may request one extension of a previously-approved
agreement, if the entity requests the extension prior to the
expiration of its original term. The department shall grant the
extension unless it determines that the agreement requires
modification because the measures contained in the agreement no
longer protect the fish and wildlife resources that the activity may
substantially adversely affect. In the event the department makes
that determination, the department shall propose measures intended to
protect those resources.
(c) If the entity disagrees with the department's determination
that the agreement requires modification to protect fish and wildlife
resources or with the measures proposed by the department, the
disagreement shall be resolved pursuant to the procedures described
in subdivision (b) of Section 1603.
(d) The department may not extend an agreement for more than five
years.
(e) (1) An original agreement shall remain in effect until the
department grants the extension request, or new measures are imposed
to protect fish and wildlife resources by agreement or through the
arbitration process.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an original agreement may not
remain in effect for more than one year after its expiration date.
(f) If the entity fails to submit a request to extend an agreement
prior to its expiration, the entity shall submit a new notification
before commencing or continuing the activity covered by the
agreement.
(g) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), the
department may issue an agreement, that otherwise meets the
requirements of this chapter, for a term longer than five years if
the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) The information the entity provides to the department in its
notification meets the requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision
(a) of Section 1602.
(2) The entity agrees to provide a status report to the department
every four years. The status report shall be delivered to the
department no later than 90 days prior to the end of each four-year
period, and shall include all of the following information:
(A) A copy of the original agreement.
(B) The status of the activity covered by the agreement.
(C) An evaluation of the success or failure of the measures in the
agreement to protect the fish and wildlife resources that the
activity may substantially adversely affect.
(D) A discussion of any factors that could increase the predicted
adverse impacts on fish and wildlife resources, and a description of
the resources that may be adversely affected.
(3) The department shall review the four-year status report, and
conduct an onsite inspection to confirm that the entity is in
compliance with the agreement and that the measures in the agreement
continue to protect the fish and wildlife resources. If the
department determines that the measures in the agreement no longer
protect the fish and wildlife resources that are being substantially
adversely affected by the activity, the department, in consultation
with the entity, and within 45 days of receipt of the report, shall
impose one or more new measures to protect the fish and wildlife
resources affected by the activity. If requested to do so by the
entity, the department shall make available the information upon
which it determined the agreement no longer protects the affected
fish and wildlife resources. If the entity disagrees with one or more
of the new measures, within seven days of receiving the new
measures, it shall notify the department, in writing, of the
disagreement. The entity and the department shall consult regarding
the disagreement. The consultation shall be completed within seven
days after the department receives the entity's notice of
disagreement. If the department and entity fail to reach agreement,
the entity may request, in writing, the appointment of a panel of
arbitrators to resolve the disagreement. The panel of arbitrators
shall be appointed within 14 days of the completed consultation. The
panel of arbitrators shall issue a decision within 14 days of the
date it is established. All other provisions of subdivision (b) of
Section 1603 regarding the panel shall apply to any arbitration panel
established in accordance with this subdivision. If the entity fails
to provide timely status reports as required by this subdivision,
the department may suspend or revoke the agreement.
(4) The agreement shall authorize department employees to conduct
onsite inspections relevant to the agreement, upon reasonable notice.
Nothing in this section limits the authority of department employees
to inspect private or public sites.
(5) Except as provided in paragraph (3), subparagraph (D) of
paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 1602 and the time periods
to process agreements specified in this chapter do not apply to
agreements issued pursuant to this section.
(h) Each region of the department shall log the notifications of
activities for which a long-term agreement is being considered
pursuant to subdivision (g). The log shall list the date the
notification was received by the department, a brief description of
the proposed activity, and the location of the activity. Each item
shall remain on the log for one year. Upon written request by any
person, a regional office shall send the log to that person monthly
for one year. A request made pursuant to this paragraph may be
renewed annually.